We write to concur with The Daily Collegian's call to develop a Latina/o Studies curriculum at Penn State ("Latino studies courses should be offered soon," Feb. 19 editorial). The article "No extra Latino courses offered" (Feb. 19) mentioned our work on a Latina/o studies doctoral minor; we've also been teaching undergraduate courses since 1999, when the Department of English made a commitment to developing a Latina/o studies initiative. These courses have been offered under various numbers, such as English 135 and American Studies 402, so students should read carefully the English department's course descriptions.

Enrollment in these classes has been considerable; building on this interest, we've had accepted two new courses that will be listed as Latina/o studies: English 226 (Latina/o Border Theories) and English 426 (Chicana/o Cultural Production).

Students could also look for offerings in Latino and Latin American studies in other departments, including history, sociology, anthropology, geography, comparative literature and Spanish.

A commitment to Latina/o studies must extend beyond the classroom to include events that build a sense of community.

Accordingly, in the past four years, we have collaborated with other professors, staff people and student groups in bringing to campus a wide variety of speakers, artists and activists. These events and our initiative overall are described on the Web site.

Finally, we would like to echo the Collegian's editorial: An understanding of Latina/o history and culture is a critical component of Penn State's commitment to diversity.