Today kicks off the Ninth Annual Hispanics of Today (HOT) conference, which focuses on increasing awareness of Hispanic issues.

Melissa Martinez, HOT conference co-chairwoman and sophomore in sociology, said this year is the first time the conference has been held at Iowa State.

The conference, “Nuestros Cuentos: Our Stories,” includes workshops about critical Latino issues, informal dialogues with session speakers, a dinner with keynote speakers and after-dinner entertainment, according to a press release.

The HOT conference promotes ideas to benefit Hispanic organizations and their communities.

It also opens opportunities in leadership development, continuing education, cultural awareness, political awareness, community involvement and career enhancement.

Martinez said although coordinating this year’s HOT conference has taken six months, it is expected to be a success.

“Hopefully, all of our hard work and effort will pay off. This is my first year as a co-chair for HOT, but I think this year’s conference will draw more attention than last year’s,” Martinez said.

The first HOT conference was established in 1989 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

The main purpose behind the first conference was to present and discuss issues facing Hispanic college students, according to the HOT Web site.

Participation in the conference is open to all individuals interested in promoting Hispanics in higher education. To be eligible, each participant is required to submit a resume, which are made available to representatives in the Career Fiesta.

The Career Fiesta will provide participants with the opportunity to meet with representatives from businesses chambers of commerce, graduate programs and undergraduate admissions counselors.

Registration for the HOT conference begins Friday at 3 p.m. in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union.

A performance by the dance troop MAYAS will then take place at 8 p.m. in the Great Hall.

Saturday registration begins at 7:30 a.m. in the Campanile Room, and Rafael Rodriguez, director of minority student affairs, will give a welcome address at 8 a.m. in the Great Hall.

Juan Rodriguez, governmental and community affairs director for Sanchez Healy, Inc., will speak on Latino politics in the United States at 9:15 a.m. in Room 236 of the Memorial Union.

Another program, “Writing the Resume that Gets Noticed,” will feature Angelo Cordero, academic adviser for the mechanical engineering department.

The program will be held at 10:30 a.m. in Room 248 of the Memorial Union.

A general forum panel discussion about Proposition 209, involving affirmative action and its impact on the community, will follow the program from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

Carla Espinoza, director of ISU Affirmative Action, will give an introduction, and Thomas Hill, vice president for student affairs, will be a moderator for the panel.

The affirmative action discussion is open to the public and will be held in Room 127 Curtiss Hall from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

Following Saturday evening’s dinner will be a dance from 9 p.m. to midnight in the Great Hall.

The dance will include performances by Gabriel Espinoza and Ashanti. Dance lessons also will be offered from 8 to 9 p.m.

Martinez said he hopes this year’s conference will increase awareness about multicultural issues at ISU.

The conference fee is $35 and covers admission, meals and entertainment.

For more information and a complete list of events, visit the HOT Web site at www.public.iastate.edu/~stu org/HOT/>.