Kudos to the Daily Forty-Niner for raising important questions over the past week regarding Latino student success on our campus.
Your opinion, editorial pieces and reporting on the Hispanic Serving Institution planning grant raise critical questions as to the nature of decision-making at Cal State Long Beach.
Still further, it forces us to reflect on what it means to be an HSI. While we should applaud CSULB in becoming an HSI-designated campus, this should not be confounded with the concerns regarding the ensuing development grant “Mi Casa: Mi Universidad.”
These are two separate issues. The truth be told, scholars and policy analysts nationally have begun to raise questions as to whether institutions designated as HSI intentionally chose to become “Hispanic Serving” or whether they are simply “accidents of demography.”
As your reporting suggests, there are serious concerns related to the planning and implementation of “Mi Casa: Mi Universidad” that can only be addressed by transparency and accountability.
Indeed, it was refreshing to receive an e-mail communiqué from our new provost on the status of the HSI, something that many had been seeking for well over a year. Provost Karen Gould should be commended for her expedient response in making the campus community aware of the current status of the HSI.
We hope this type of leadership becomes contagious. Thanks to the Forty-Niner’s coverage, the provost’s response, and Latina/o community persistence and perseverance, the stage is now set for a broader, more inclusive community discussion on how to best serve Latino/a students.
Let’s be that deliberate institution that meets the “spirit and intent” of what it means to be a Hispanic Serving Institution rather than a “Hispanic Dictating” Institution. Our students are counting on us!
– Juan M. Benitez and Jose F. Moreno, associate professors Center for Community Engagement, department of Chicano and Latino studies
