Written by: Mirella Barrera-Betancourt
Western is currently designated as an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution, or eHSI, with a little under a quarter of their undergraduate student population identifying as Hispanic.
Hispanic-Serving Institutions are accredited and degree-granting institutions of higher education where the Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25% of the total headcount enrollment.
According to Excelencia in Education — a non-profit organization promoting and leading the fight in the strive for academic success in Latino student populations — HSIs enroll 62% of Latino undergraduates, but only make up 19% of all colleges and universities in the United States. There are currently five HSIs in the state of Oregon — two of which include Chemeketa Community College and Columbia Gorge Community College.
For the last few years, Western has been committed to becoming an HSI. On Apr. 26, Western presented its second HSI Summit since becoming an eHSI. The event was a day-long experience, consisting of eight consecutive sessions split between lunch and entertainment at noon. There were three concurrent sessions, giving the community the option of choosing which to attend.
This year, the purpose of the HSI Summit was to provide the community with an opportunity to learn about the importance of what it means to become an HSI, whilst incorporating a larger involvement from their state and national partners. Moreover, the event narrowed down on the importance of connections in the community; the theme which consequently reflected “Making Conexiones.”
However, a large amount of the focus remained on the students of which the event was about. The event incorporated student feedback and testimony into the sessions through one student panel and a round table discussion, encouraging input on the institution’s current state as an eHSI.
There were student moderators and presenters facilitating each discussion session. Julisa Chavez, student spokesperson for Chemeketa Community College, and Priscila España, a student from Western, took the stage to present the number of student concerns and testimonies expressed through the student round table discussion, which ranged from cultural/ethnic representation and financial hardships, to a lack of transportation and mental health resources.
Vice President for Institutional Engagement at Excelencia in Education, Jennifer Gomez-Chavez, was the keynote speaker of the HSI Summit. Gomez-Chavez stressed the value of success for Hispanic and Latino students as key to future prosperity, as well as acknowledged the struggles in the journey towards their education and success.
“This is a journey that we’re all on together, and it begins with an idea, with a strategy, with a commitment, and an action to intentionally serve,” Gomez-Chavez said.
During the keynote speech, Gomez-Chavez congratulated President Peters on becoming appointed as a president for Latino Student Success — an integral part of the movement in Excelencia in Education across the country. Presidents for Latino Student Success are a diverse group of college and university presidents and chancellors who have intentionally committed to turning their institutions into thriving learning environments for Hispanic and Latino students.
There were various other speakers in the sessions to the event, including Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Rudyane Rivera Lindstrom; Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences at Western, Kathy Espino-Perez; Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Columbia Gorge Community College, Lisa AbuAssaly George; Director of Advising and Title III at Columbia Gorge Community College, Sara Mustonen, and Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at Western, Alicia Ibaraki.
The closing remarks came courtesy of Jerry Ambris, a member of the Board of Trustees at Western and Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Willamette Valley, where he shared his personal story as a first-generation college student, as well as the first person in his family to attend university.
Lastly, Ambris spoke on the significance of Hispanic and Latino voices at institutions of higher education. He added, “Think about (those) connections. If there is a student up here, we can learn from them — that was shown today … They have powerful ideas and thoughts, and if we listen, we will find the answers.”
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
