The growing Hispanic population has some MSU officials expecting increased enrollment and more programs for Hispanic students in colleges and universities.
Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau said Hispanics, which includes people of Chicano/Latino heritage, have surpassed blacks as the largest minority group in the U.S.
The Chicano/Latino population increased from 35.3 million in April 2000, to 37 million in July 2001, outnumbering African Americans by nearly 800,000.
"Since 1996, Hispanic students have surpassed other minorities in the age bracket of 18 and below," said Israel Cuellar, Julian Samora Research Institute director at MSU. "I think there are more and more Hispanic students enrolling in college, and it is a trend that will increase."
Cuellar said a possible problem is sustaining Hispanic students at colleges and universities after they are admitted.
"There are a lot of pitfalls along the way, because some Hispanic students are coming from schools where they didn't have as good an education, and at colleges, they have to take remedial courses," he said. "The average Latino student may take five to six years to graduate, because many times they are working to support themselves."
Maria Dorado, Chicano/Latino Student Affairs coordinator, says with the rising Hispanic population, they will have an increased opportunity to be included in issues affecting minorities.
"There has always been a black-white dichotomy in the United States," she said. "The population growth gives us an opportunity to build connections with the black community, so we can address poor health, lack of income and access to higher education."
Dorado also said universities need to create more programs to address the needs of the Chicano/Latino community. Many Latinos drop out of college because of a lack of financial resources, she said.
"The university needs to address that, and the community needs to work as a whole to create programs for Latinos on this campus, and we need more Latino professionals to address the trend of population growth."
Migrant and immigrant Hispanic students also need more attention from the university, said Francisco Villarruel, family and child ecology associate professor.
"While there are institutions serving Hispanic students, we have to create stronger relationships and build opportunities for those who are migrants and immigrants," Villarruel said. "MSU has been a leader in creating migrant programs, and if institutions want to be responsive in creating diverse student populations in the future, they will do the same."
