Students glided across the temporary dance floor of the IMU Black Box Theater on Thursday, guided by salsa instructors eyeing their every step. Guests enjoyed the vibrant selection of Latino food, and salsa music kept everyone, including UI administrators, swaying to the beat.

The reception Encuentro Latino marked the UI’s celebration of the end of Hispanic Heritage Month. More than 75 guests saw firsthand how the Latino community at the UI is growing. In 2004, 2.4 percent of UI students were Latino. That grew to 2.8 percent in 2008.

“The future of Iowa depends very heavily on the education of Latinos, no matter what university they attend,” UI Provost Wallace Loh said. “It is terribly important for this state to reach out to the Latino population.”

Loh delivered the opening address of the reception, stressing the importance of youth for the future growth and development of Latino culture.

Most of the events for Hispanic Heritage Month were new to the UI. Luisa Orticelli, the manager of the Latino-Native American Center, attributed the expanded celebration to better organization.

“It’s nice to have some stability at the top right now,” she said, and turnover with graduate-student leaders has made it difficult in the past.

Orticelli, who is originally from Brazil but has lived in Iowa for the past 15 years, moved to Iowa City this August, and she plans to make events like Thursday’s a yearly occurrence.

“The exciting thing is that we have so many opportunities for the future,” she said. “Our goal was to have at least 70 attendees tonight, and we definitely met that. This can really be so much bigger.”

Though the state’s Latino population was around 109,000 in 2005 — 4 percent of the population — that’s expected to more than triple to 331,000 — 12 percent — by 2030, according to the Iowa Division of Latino Affairs.

Tyrone Peterson was impressed with the strong turnout and the laid-back atmosphere, complemented by the soothing salsa music reverberating in the background.

“These events are a great way to meet different Latino professionals and fellow students,” Peterson said. “This is the first time that the UI has done something like this, and I can’t wait to come back for more of them.”

Two UI Latino students also briefly shared their experiences coming to the university.

“I chose to come to Iowa because they welcomed me with open arms, even though I could hardly speak English,” UI graduate student Carlos De la Mora said. “The same could not be said for every university.”

Elizabeth Macias, a UI sophomore majoring in sociology and psychology, juxtaposed the student interest in previous years with the increased attendance at Thursday’s event.

“I came from a city in California that was completely Latino,” Macias said. “Thanks to Luisa [Orticelli], the UI culture centers now provide a sense of home. It’s a huge change from previous years.”