Campus summit addresses growing Latino campus population

The UW–Madison Latino Summit 2008 will discuss the ways the university can further meet the needs of the fastest-growing minority on campus.

The summit, which is sponsored by the Latino Faculty Staff Association (LAFSA), will take place from 3–6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, in Tripp Commons at the Memorial Union.

LAFSA, which promotes the awareness of UW–Madison faculty, academic staff, classified staff and graduate students, will host several speakers, including Damon Williams, vice provost for diversity and climate. There will also be caucuses to discuss issues facing Latino graduate students, faculty, academic staff and classified staff.

Undergraduate students are also encouraged to attend a networking session at 4:30 p.m.

One of the greatest concerns of LAFSA, which hopes to make the summit an annual affair, is the disproportionate number of Latino faculty and academic staff compared to the number of Latino/a students on campus.

“The number of Latino professors is disproportionately small compared to the relative weight of Hispanics in the population,” says Bruce Mellado, a faculty delegate in LAFSA and UW–Madison physics professor.

Between 1998 and 2007, the number of undergraduate students identifying as Hispanic has grown from 632 to 952, while Hispanic graduate students have only grown from 251 to 257.

Hispanic faculty, administrators and academic staff have also seen little growth — from 158 to 227 between 1998 and 2007.

The most impressive growth, however, can be seen in the projected number of Latino high school graduates in Wisconsin between 2008 and 2017.

Wisconsin Latino high school graduates are expected to jump from about 3,250 in 2008 to nearly 6,000 in 2017, while Asian American students are expected to drop from about 2,500 to about 2,250. African American high school graduates are expected to go from nearly 5,500 graduates to about 4,250 in the same period.

Overall, the campus is excited about this growth of Latino students.

“I think it creates a richer and more complete type of learning environment for all of our students by having that type of diversity on campus,” says Williams. “Not only are those students coming in, but they’re doing well academically and continuing to thrive.”

But this exponential growth has LAFSA members concerned that the campus won’t be able to keep up with the needs of this fast-growing population. Mellado says while the UW–Madison administration has been very supportive of their concerns, a lot still has to be done.

“How to achieve that is to raise awareness, great role models, great fellowships,” he says. LAFSA chair Benjamin Rodriguez, who is also assistant dean for academic affairs in the College of Letters and Science, hopes to attract more Latino graduate students and academic and administrative staff and provide them with more promotional opportunities.

Mellado says he would like to see the issue get more media attention, affirmative action for the hiring of academic and administrative staff, and more support for Latino/a students to become more aware of the financial support available to them through the university.

“We want to make the point to the university that this is definitely possible for students who come from Hispanic backgrounds, which is usually not a wealthy background, to get through school with fellowships,” Mellado says.

The fast-growing Latino population on campus also gives way to an evolving sense of Latino identity on campus. Rodriguez points out that the Latino population, both on campus and nationwide, represents a large spectrum of economic and cultural backgrounds.

“In terms of representation of students, it’s such a broad group,” he says. “When you’re trying to target programs and services to this group, it can be a little difficult.”

Williams agrees that the diversity within the Latino population presents a challenge to the campus identity.

“I think that wealth of diversity is one that is often times not discussed enough — that [Latinos] are not a monolithic group,” he says. “I think that one of the things that’s happening nationally as it is happening on this campus is the emergence of kind of an aggregate Latino voice which is trying to move beyond the separating politics and find a more common agenda.”

That is where student organizations are able to provide some guidance for the Latino population in determining their campus and cultural identity.

“The challenge is for a lot of the students coming to really try to get a feel for their identity,” Rodriguez says. “When they come to campus they sometimes face more challenges and discrimination and then it smacks them in the face, ‘What is my identity?’ So that’s where student organizations are really important.”

Programs and organizations Williams and Rodriguez both named as positive and influential on campus include Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), the Mexican Student Association, La Colectiva, the Sigma Lambda Gamma multicultural sorority and various academic student organizations and societies for Latino students.

Other challenges facing the increasing Latino population is the growth itself. Rodriguez explains that the more Latinos come to campus, the less they feel like a minority, and the more identity gives way to assimilation.

Evidence of this, Rodriguez points out, can be seen in the Greek system, as more and more Latino students are pledging nonminority sororities and fraternities and joining other mainstream campus organizations. But Rodriguez does not see this as a negative adjustment.

“Having Latino students that are involved in the Greek system and other different groups on campus is really good as well,” he says. “It just means that people are feeling acclimated, feeling welcome if we open doors.”

Mellado agrees. “The idea is not to differentiate but to integrate,” he says, adding that with each Latino generation growing up in the United States, some identity will be lost. “And I find that’s a natural process that has to happen. However, in the course of that happening, the Hispanic culture will also have influence over the American culture.”