The Importance of a Title V Center for “People Like Me”

Abstract

ABSTRACT When students can find commonalities with others at a university in terms of race, ethnicity, or first-generation status, they also build a strong identity and, in turn, find a sense of belonging. We studied a Title V student center, “The Center,” at a Hispanic-Serving Institution, using a counterspaces framework to understand how minoritized and first-generation students saw themselves reflected in a Title V center and how this reflection indicated the Title V center provided a sense of belonging. The Center was purposefully designed with the goal of reflecting students’ first-generation and/or minoritized identities. In this qualitative study, drawing from multiple Center stakeholders, we found that the undergraduate student visitors felt that other students and staff within The Center contributed to feeling a sense of belonging and support, along with providing relief from cultural isolation. This study adds to the literature about the needs of minoritized and first-generation students at universities and colleges. Specifically, this study contributes to the idea that a student center that is run by the university can purposefully employ and center People of Color while communicating the importance the university places on providing students with role models with whom the students share a racial or ethnic background.