The U.S. Department of Education designated CSULB as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in 2006. The University is one of 63 HSIs in California and one of 213 in the nation. The rapid growth of HSIs since 1992 stems from the outcomes of the 1960’s civil rights movement that opened up college campuses to Latinos and other groups by providing federal and state student grants and loans that made it feasible for more students to attend the university. Significant increases in Latino immigration to the U.S. in the last 40 years and enduring demographic shifts have made this population the fastest growing minority in the nation.
To obtain, acquire, and retain the HSI designation at least 25 percent of the student population must be Latino, over half of those students must receive some form of need-based assistance, and a significant portion of those students must receive federal Pell Grants. Once HSI status is granted the institution is eligible to apply for a range of federal grants that promote enrollment and graduation of Latino students.
In 2006, CSULB also applied for and received a five-year capacity development grant, worth $2.8 million. Now in its third year of funding, CSULB’s HSI development project is entitled “Mi Casa, Mi Universidad.”
The U.S. Department of Education defines the purpose and types of five-year development grants as follows:
“This program helps eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) enhance and expand their capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional stability, management, and fiscal capabilities of eligible institutions.
Funds may be used for activities such as: faculty development; funds and administrative management; development and improvement of academic programs; endowment funds; curriculum development; scientific or laboratory equipment for teaching; renovation of instructional facilities; joint use of facilities; academic tutoring; counseling programs; and student support services. Five-year individual development grants, five-year cooperative arrangement development grants, and one-year planning grants may be awarded.”
The need for federal, state and local support specifically designed to raise student aspirations and achievement is indisputable. Currently, U.S. Latinos comprise 15.4 percent of the population and over 20 percent of K-12 students. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that “nearly 67 million people of Hispanic origin — who may be of any race — would be added to the nation’s population between 2000 and 2050.” Their share of the nation’s population would nearly double, from 12.6 percent to 24.4 percent.
In California, Latinos make up more than 34 percent of the population and over 49 percent of K-12 students. In Orange and Los Angeles Counties, Latinos make up more than 45 percent and 75 percent of the K-12 population respectively. These staggering demographics demand that we attend to raising the educational and economic standards for this often marginalized population today.
We certainly believe that CSULB has the potential to meet this demand but must do so strategically and systemically. To paraphrase President Alexander, “Transformation to an authentic HSI begins today.” Yet before this is possible, the base of support must be understood and institutionalized according to the U.S. Department of Education’s definition of an HSI. We again call for a strategic and systemic analysis and action plan to understand if CSULB is truly a Hispanic Serving Institution.
We are heartened by the overwhelming feedback and support we received from concerned faculty, staff, and student allies in our previous opinion piece regarding Latino conditions at CSULB, but do note the deafening institutional silence. Indeed, some among the campus leadership ranks have simply dismissed our concerns as nothing more than the rantings of a small group of “disgruntled faculty.”
Let the campus leadership know that they must address Latino conditions with careful thought and honest engagement at the Beach. We encourage allies from multiple communities to submit letters and opinions to the Daily 49er and to the campus leadership.
We end by asking, you, the CSULB community, is CSULB truly a Hispanic Serving Institution? We will seek to explore this question further within the CSULB community and in these pages this semester.
This letter is signed on behalf of other concerned faculty by: Susan Luévano, University Library; Norma Noguera, Mathematics & Statistics; Anna Sandoval, Chicano & Latino Studies; James Sauceda, Communications Studies; Olga Rubio, Teacher Education