Janitors, Gardeners, Gang Bangers and Pregnant Teens

Calif. College Party Under Protest

Janitors, gardeners, gangbangers and pregnant teens - these were some of the costumes worn by students portraying Latino stereotypes at an off-campus birthday party on Jan. 29 at Santa Clara Univeristy.

Photographs from the "South of the Border Party" were discovered by a member of the Multicultural Center, who then passed them on to Bernice Aguas, the center's director. The pictures had been posted on Facebook.

Aguas said she was shocked when she saw the photos. "I was speechless. I didn't even know what to think, feel or say," she said. One image shows a partygoer with a balloon stuffed under her shirt, making her appear pregnant. Another shows a girl wearing pink rubber cleaning gloves and carrying a feather duster.

"A lot of people have the idea that Mexicans or Latin Americans are all like that, and that's wrong," said Nadine Rasch, a finance major from Guatemala who did not attend the party.

No word yet on what the plans are at Santa Clara this year for Cinco de Mayo this year. We're guessing no pinatas, chalupas or sombreros.