The acquaintance had "thought everything that came out of that area, from Puerto Ricans, was cocaine and crime," says Cortes.

He says he has also heard "a lot of wisecracks about me stealing" things.

Another misconception about Latino students, resulting more from ignorance than racism, is that most Harvard undergraduates don't understand or perceive the great diversity of Latino experiences and backgrounds, say Latino students.

Adrian E. Castro '96, whose background is Peruvian, says that people often tend to assume that "Hispanic" means "Mexican" or "Mexican-American," rather than perceiving that many Spanish speaking groups are included under that term.

"It's like the stereotype," he says. "If you see a Hispanic you assume they're Mexican."

Different groups have extremely different backgrounds and experiences, Latino students say, and it is difficult to generalize about them.

A large number of Latino students come from California and the Southwest, says Rosales, but many also come from the East Coast. Experiences vary by geography as well as cultural history, she says.

Economic class and political orientation also varied greatly within the College Latino community, they say.

Cortes says he thinks that most students think of themselves first as a member of their parents' culture and secondly as part of the larger ethnic grouping of "Latino."

But because Harvard has such a small Latino community, Latino students are brought closer together, whatever their specific cultural origin.

Many say they are tied together also because they share a common experience: going from a largely Latino community to a far smaller and less supportive environment at Harvard.

According to Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, Latino students comprise between 5 and 7 percent of the student body.

"The biggest thing for myself is simply I miss the food I eat at home, the music, speaking Spanish--mostly the social type of interaction," says Letitia J. Arias '94, who is co-chair of Latinas Unidas, a social, cultural and educational group for women of Latino descent.

Her home community was "a good 98 percent" Latino, she says. "Back home you interchange English and Spanish without thinking about it...it was some sort of culture shock" to come to Harvard.

Many students echo Arias' comments, and for a large number, groups like Latinas Unidas, Raza and La O provide a safe and comfortable haven in Harvard's diverse community.