With spicy salsa music in the air and 24 ready-to-date students available, the Latino Caucus held their third annual date auction last night.

The auction, which attracted about 100 people, was the first event sponsored by the Latino Caucus this semester because the group was restructuring its executive board.

Members of the Latino Caucus and the Penn State Air Force ROTC were auctioned off for between $4 and $23.

All proceeds will benefit next semester's Noche Latina, the annual event at which Mr. Latino and Miss Latina Penn State are chosen.

University Park Allocation Committee does not fund the event, so the group relies on a series of fund-raisers.

Madeline Quero, community service chair for the Latino Caucus, said she was excited about the auction, even though it was later than usual.

"We've been doing positive things, and we hope to start full blast in the spring semester," she said.

"We're back and we are ready to work, especially with other groups and organizations that we have never worked with before."

Quero also said she was excited about the diverse turnout at the auction, which was due in part to the Latino Caucus' collaboration with Air Force ROTC, United Soul Ensemble Gospel Choir and Alpha Omega Step Team.

Some ROTC members did push-ups for the audience to show off their arms and raise their prices, but cadet Andrea Wolfe (sophomore-psychology) chose to dance instead.

Her dancing raised the most money of the night.

"I didn't really want to do this," she said. "I'm just glad to help out the Penn State community any way I can."

Kris Mosley (senior-English and journalism) also attracted attention by reciting an original poem, entitled "My Lady," before the bidding began.

"Everyone else was just standing around," Mosley said. "I wanted to be different."

However, Danilo Canepa (senior-aerospace engineering) raised the most money of all male participants, even without a poem.

He made $20 and said he was happy.

"I didn't think I would make much money, but I do everything I can because I'm in a Hispanic organization too," Canepa said.

Nuria Rodriguez Padro, a member of Sigma Lambda Upsilon Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority Inc., was the event's emcee and she was proud of the turnout.

"The money raised will help to support programming for the Latino Caucus to promote education," Padro said. "It was a great turnout and I had a great time."