Hispanic population becomes the largest percentage of students on campus as of Fall 2019

The Hispanic population is reaching an all-time high in America. The growth has been widespread but is specifically increasing in Texas. 

The state of Texas is home to many counties with a large percentage of Hispanics, and the leading one is Harris county. The Hispanic community is growing by four times the rate of white Texans. Data provided by the United States Census Bureau indicates that the Hispanic population will go from being a minority to a majority in Texas by 2022. 

The population statistics in America now parallel the populations within schools and institutes of higher education. Hispanic college students have doubled in enrollment rates since the mid-1990s. On the University of Houston-Clear Lake campus, the fall 2019 population of Hispanic students enrolled is 37.0%, leading white (36.6%), black (8.9%) and international (4.8%) students.

Statistics show that although college enrollment among Hispanics has increased, Hispanics still lead other ethnic groups in drop out rates as well with a 10% drop out rate versus that of blacks (7%), whites (5%) and asians (1%).

Jennifer Morton, professor of philosophy at the City College of New York, said in a PBS news hour article that there are cultural expectations that contribute to these students dropping out, such as being raised and expected to be providers and women to be caregivers. All of this adding pressure during their journey through higher education.

“There are many factors to this, one of them being that students are having to learn new material while trying to adapt to a new culture,” said Desdamona Rios, associate professor of social psychology and director of the Latina/o and Latin American Studies (LLAS) program. “A white middle and upper class-based culture.”

In 2016 the U.S Department of Education released a list of 416 “Hispanic-Serving Institutions” (HSI). The number is now 523 and UHCL was designated an HSI in 2010. The department offers grants to universities that enroll at least 25% Latinx undergraduate students in order to help these institutions serve Hispanics and other underrepresented populations. A university must apply for this designation, as UHCL did. 

“I think more and more students are awakening to the fact that the university is an HSI and yet doesn’t have this big pull or push in investing in us,” said Erica Solis, social work major and student representative for LLAS. “I think students are beginning to scratch their heads and ask those critical questions like, where are the funds going? Why are we not serving Latina/o/x and Hispanic students here at this campus like other universities?” 

A proportional amount of Hispanic faculty to Hispanic students is recommended for HSI colleges. In the fall of 2018, 12.9% (101) UHCL faculty identified as Hispanic in comparison to 53.7% (420) of faculty who identified as white. The population of Hispanic students on campus currently leads by .04%, while the percentage of faculty members who identify as Hispanic trail faculty members who identify as white by 40.8%.

Several studies support the importance of representation, including, “Latinos and Representative Bureaucracy Testing the Thompson and Henderson Hypotheses” conducted by Kenneth J. Meier, a Texas A&M political science professor, in 1993.

“Sometimes clients respond better to services offered by someone who knows their reality,” Meier said in an article posted by Univision. “Citizens tend to look for and trust bureaucrats who share their experiences. Latino students see Latino teachers as examples to follow.”

Meier’s study also shows the positive impact that Hispanic professors have on Hispanic students in different areas, including attendance and test scores.

“We could do better in terms of hiring and through that having better Latinx representation across our faculty and staff,” said Iliana Melendez, UHCL associate dean of students. “We know there is value in our students finding people that look like them across campus and being able to bring their families on campus and receiving services in a language that is also inclusive of them and make them feel welcomed.”

Many Latinx students come from homes where Spanish is the primary language and some of those students have parents who only speak Spanish. When on campus they face the issue of language barriers, as many of the offices on campus do not have a staff member who is able to assist these students and their families in the same way other families are assisted.

Information that is provided to someone who reads and speaks English fluently may not be available for the families of Hispanic students when Spanish translations are not offered in print, online, on the telephone or when meeting face-to-face.

“If UHCL truly wants to be considered an HSI and ‘stand-out’ as such, then they have got to re-define what it means to serve the Hispanic, Latina/o/x community on campus,” Solis said.

CORRECTION: 11/25/19 – The headline for this article has been updated to say “Hispanic population becomes the largest percentage of students on campus as of Fall 2019.” The correction was made as Hispanic student population at UHCL has not reached 50% and would not be considered the “majority.”