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In Favor of Curricular Reform : The Need for a Latino Studies Program
See www.princeton.edu/~caucus/Coalition_Report.pdf
Victoria Celia Laws (vlaws@)
Issue date: 1/8/08 Section: Opinion
Publishing a report on the Status of Latino/as at Princeton may seem a strange endeavor for undergraduate students to undertake, but for the last year it's been the chief project of the newly formed Latino Coalition of Princeton. The report highlights many disparities between Latino students and the general student body, and makes recommendations for addressing them. With the report published, the coalition has begun working toward substantive implementation of its recommendations.
The disparities uncovered by the coalition are wide-ranging and diverse. Hispanic professors make up only 1.9% of over 900 full-time faculty, while Hispanic students graduate at a rate 7% lower than that of the general student body. Princeton is the only Ivy League university without any type of program for Latino Studies (i.e. a program that explores the Latino experience in the United States). On campus, Latinos are more likely than those of other ethnicities to have been called a racial/ethnic slur or to witness one being used on someone else. Latinos overwhelmingly rate mentoring relationships as far less important than black and white students. Among minorities on campus, Latinos are the least likely to have visited the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding.
The numbers are clear, but why should they matter? Is this just another unproductive exercise in identity politics? I don't think so. The disparities outlined by the report impact the entire campus community.
Integrating Latinos into campus life would give Princeton students cultural competence and understanding that will prove crucial in the changing demographics of the United States. Latinos represent the largest and fastest growing community of color in the U.S. Therefore, the lack of intellectual respect given to Latinos is a deficit in every student's educational development.
A program in Latino Studies would be an asset to everyone within the university community. All students acquiring a liberal arts education should explore issues of race through their academic work. A program in Latino Studies is not just about affirmation for Latino students on campus; it is about Princeton students gaining knowledge about America and the way that it is changing. A lack of a Latino Studies Program is a missed opportunity for Princeton students and faculty to be engaged in a subject matter that is an important part of the American experience.
The disparities uncovered by the coalition are wide-ranging and diverse. Hispanic professors make up only 1.9% of over 900 full-time faculty, while Hispanic students graduate at a rate 7% lower than that of the general student body. Princeton is the only Ivy League university without any type of program for Latino Studies (i.e. a program that explores the Latino experience in the United States). On campus, Latinos are more likely than those of other ethnicities to have been called a racial/ethnic slur or to witness one being used on someone else. Latinos overwhelmingly rate mentoring relationships as far less important than black and white students. Among minorities on campus, Latinos are the least likely to have visited the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding.
The numbers are clear, but why should they matter? Is this just another unproductive exercise in identity politics? I don't think so. The disparities outlined by the report impact the entire campus community.
Integrating Latinos into campus life would give Princeton students cultural competence and understanding that will prove crucial in the changing demographics of the United States. Latinos represent the largest and fastest growing community of color in the U.S. Therefore, the lack of intellectual respect given to Latinos is a deficit in every student's educational development.
A program in Latino Studies would be an asset to everyone within the university community. All students acquiring a liberal arts education should explore issues of race through their academic work. A program in Latino Studies is not just about affirmation for Latino students on campus; it is about Princeton students gaining knowledge about America and the way that it is changing. A lack of a Latino Studies Program is a missed opportunity for Princeton students and faculty to be engaged in a subject matter that is an important part of the American experience.
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