Students from the Afrikan Student Union, the Hispanic Business Students Association and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity will join together today to improve the community in San Diego State’s first Aztec Unification Project.

The AUP, a pilot program created by Student Life & Leadership, is a two-day service-learning event geared toward bringing different student sectors together to work toward community-building.

“The most meaningful aspect of Aztec Unification Project is connections that will be made amongst students who typically wouldn’t work together. There is no better way to bring people together, than working toward a common goal,” Lauren Sparacino, an assistant student life adviser in Student Life & Leadership, said.

There will be an Aztec Unification Project once every semester. Each one will feature three different student organizations. The participants will volunteer at various nonprofit organizations in San Diego. For the first AUP, the students will be volunteering at Monarch School, a gradeschool devoted to serving students impacted by homelessness.

The first day of the program is today and will serve as an informational meet and greet session. Tomorrow, the three groups will travel downtown to prepare dinner for homeless students and their families.

“When the common goal is to give back to the community while building relationships, everything comes full circle because our students are equally benefiting from the project,” Sparacino said.

Student organizations interested in getting involved in a future program can find an application form at sll.sdsu.edu/leadership/aup.html.