Logo Cambio de colores 2004

Cambio de Colores 2004
Latinos in Missouri:
Gateway to a New Community

March 10-12, 2004
University of Missouri-St. Louis

Last updated:
May 19, 2004

Panel:
Panel: Recruitment and Retention Issues in Higher Education

A report contributed by

Theme: Education
Moderator: Hortencia Kayser, Professor and Associate Dean, Saint Louis University

Presenters:

  • Lorenzo Covarrubias, SLU: Student Demographics in the State of Missouri
  • Ana Pizarro, MSW Catholic Community Services, International: The High School Senior and Preparing for College
  • Ismael Batancourt, International Programs, SLU: Issues in Undergraduate Education Recruitment & Retention
  • Hortencia Kayser, SLU. Issues for Graduate School Recruitment & Retention

The concept of going to college is different for a white student than it is for a Latino student in the United States. While white students, for the most part, see college as a natural continuation of their education, Latino students face a myriad of challenges on the road to higher education. The education breakout session �Recruitment and Retention Issues in Higher Education� probed issues facing prospective Latino college students and discussed ways of resolving them.

The overarching theme raised by HortenciaKayser, a professor and associate dean at Saint Louis University, was the academic community to respect and reflect Latino culture without creating animosity among the diverse groups.

Specifically, the problems discussed were how to help high schoolers thinking about college, how to help Latino students enter college and keep them there, and how to recruit Latinos into graduate school.

To give overall support to Latinos in college, Kayser�s suggestions involved participation from both the students and the administration. On one side, the schools should start reflecting the Latino growth in Missouri and they should respect the local histories of that growing population. On the other side, there should be a push to create more Latino student groups and a move to have more Latino research and teaching.

Ana Pizarro, from MSW Catholic Community Services International, presented information about high school students looking towards college. Lack of information about college was the main issue she discussed, but she made mention of other obstacles, such as the idea that a high school diploma is enough.

�Many kids don�t know where to go to get information,� Pizarro said. �They expected guidance counselors to help, but they didn�t get it.�

Another difficulty with college admissions is the application itself. Bogged down with difficult language, it �is confusing and asks very personal questions, which can be scary,� Pizarro said.

Some Latino students, Pizarro explained, sometimes do not see past receiving a high school diploma. This type of thinking leads them to not continue on to college.

�Some think college is great, but getting that high school diploma is a huge achievement,� Pizarro said. �Many come from families where most of them haven�t even graduated from grade school.�

Money, language, family and honesty are the four bases IsmaelBatancourt, who works with international programs at SLU, touched on in his discussion of undergraduate recruitment and retention.

While universities continue to increase tuition, the average income of Latino families cannot keep up. Those increases, paired with the fact that many Latino parents have low-paying jobs, make funding college very difficult for families.

The language barrier is even more difficult for the parents than for the students because most of the information they receive is in English. Even though many parents have a working knowledge of English, forms such as the FAFSA use complicated language and ask detailed questions about personal finances that might seem very invasive to some parents. Batancourt offered the solution of having more Spanish speakers in university offices so they can better help confused parents.

Batancourt stressed the importance of family in the college application process. He explained that 85 percent of the time, recruiters speak with the family first and that the choice is made not by the student alone, but by the family as a whole.

�Hispanic families are close-knit and group-oriented,� Batancourt said. �The family will make the decision together.�

Honesty, in Batancourt�s opinion, is one of the most important points in the recruitment process. He stressed honesty in explaining the number of other Latino students on campus, having prospective students talk with current students in order to see what college life is really like, and, he joked, tell them how cold the weather can really get. Plus, Batancourt added, if you honestly portray college life, it will generate word of mouth and possibly bring in more Latinos. Making the leap from undergraduate to graduate, Kayser discussed ways in which to get Latinos more involved in graduate studies.

Kayser placed an emphasis on finding a good graduate program that fits well with the Latino student.

�The program needs to feel right,� Kayser said. �If not, the work will be lots harder.�

In order to make Latino students feel more comfortable with their program, Keyser made a list of suggestions that spanned from having more direct contact with an advisor to help students through their studies, to having social events that promote diversity and unity among all the students.

Holding with the Cambio de Colores theme of confronting problems facing Missouri�s Latino population, this session served as an eye-opener, showing that changes need to be made to better accommodate Latinos in the world of higher education.


Day 1: Wednesday, March 10th, 2004.

Reporter: Diego Sorbara