Hispanic-serving Institution Research Articles

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

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.

Blurring the lines to promote access and equity in 2‐ and 4‐year Hispanic serving institutions

AbstractPartnerships between two‐ and four‐year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) can provide high‐quality, in‐depth learning experiences for traditionally underserved students. Blurring the lines between these institutions allows for more seamless transitions for prospective teachers (PTs), and maximum collaboration and program impact. This article contributes to the growing literature on such partnerships and collaborations. We describe how our partnership between Northwest Vista College (2‐year institution) and University of Texas at San Antonio (4‐year institution) supported PTs and their development of mathematics pedagogical content knowledge and skills to facilitate in diverse settings (i.e., mathematics sensemaking, questioning, teaching through problem solving, soft teaching skills). To describe the nature of our partnership, in this article we (1) explain some of the main elements of the partnership between the two‐ and four‐year campuses, (2) review the unique, collaborative nature of the Community Mathematics Project, and (3) discuss outcomes that have resulted among Mathematics Fellows who have gone through the program.

Investigating the efficacy of peer tutoring to support Latinx students in Hispanic serving community colleges

AbstractAlthough open‐access Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) continue to expand across the United States, they are often under‐resourced and lack adequate institutional support services. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study of an asset‐based, peer support program for Latinx students in an open‐access HSI in the Southeast United States. The article's findings, informed by the theory of community cultural wealth, indicate that peer tutoring honors the linguistic capital of Latinx students, nurtures familia within the institution, enhances students’ navigational capital, and helps students navigate the nuances of social capital by encouraging the maintenance of their cultural integrity as they strengthen tutor‐tutee relationships and forge relationships across their institution. Therefore, this article argues that identity‐affirming peer support programs could efficiently and effectively ameliorate Latinx student challenges in under‐resourced MSIs, particularly at the community college level, thereby generating a more inclusive institutional environment conducive to student success.

Para mi gente: Community responsive civic practices at Hispanic Serving Community Colleges

AbstractThis article presents research on the role of educators at a Hispanic Serving community college in the civic development—the capacity to be socially and/or politically civically engaged—of Latinx students. The article presents educators’ perceptions of, and pedagogies used to promote, the civic development of Latinx students and communities at a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) community college. The community college serves a region that has historically disenfranchised, excluded, and dismissed Latinx and other immigrant groups from fully incorporating into the civic fabric of the region. We present findings from interviews with educators (i.e., faculty, counselors, administrators, and staff), and document and website analysis to undercover the pedagogies that support the civic development of Latinx students and communities. The need to study the connection between HSIs, community colleges, and civic engagement is imperative because these colleges can serve la gente de la comunidad by promoting service to communities and developing leaders to evoke social and community change. This study contributes to the understanding of the critical role of Minority‐Serving Institution (MSI) community colleges and presents practical approaches to promoting the civic development of underserved Latinx communities.

“Not simply the act of enrolling”: Defining servingness at Hispanic‐serving community colleges

AbstractThe number of federally designated Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) has almost doubled over the last 10 years. This shift has led researchers and policy makers alike to increasingly scrutinize what it means to be Hispanic serving, and not just Hispanic enrolling. In this study, we present perspectives from five Hispanic community college presidents who lead federally designated HSIs. Based on interviews we examine how community college presidents define servingness and what they view as critical to truly serving Hispanic students. Our findings indicate that servingness involves a focus on getting resources to students, intentional purpose‐driven programming, cultural knowledge training, and finding ways to include all students in HSI‐centered programming.

Abstract 1237 Transformative Mentorship: Empowering Undergraduates at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Abstract 1237 Transformative Mentorship: Empowering Undergraduates at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Hispanic-Serving Artificial Intelligence: Do Hispanic-Serving Institutions Use Chatbots and Can They Speak Spanish?

Background or Context: Although many scholars have evaluated how Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) serve and can better serve Latinx students and their communities, scant research has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) technology within this evaluation of diversity and servingness. With institutions of higher education continuing to explore ways to integrate AI into their everyday operations, it is critical to understand whether HSIs are leveraging AI chatbot technology, given this specific technology’s ubiquity in modern society. Purpose, Objective, Research Question, or Focus of Study: This study aimed to evaluate whether HSIs employ AI chatbot technology on their websites and the usability of this technology in accessing admissions information in English and Spanish. As a result, this study analyzes all 558 Hispanic-serving institution (.edu) websites and interacts with embedded AI chatbots to evaluate whether HSIs utilize chatbots and if these chatbots are engineered or staffed to communicate with Spanish-speaking audiences. Research Design: This study employed a mixed methods approach, utilizing qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. Given the study’s emphasis on human–computer interaction, the researchers also engaged with interactive research methods to perform artificial intelligence testing. Conclusions or Recommendations: Findings suggest roughly 20% of HSIs employ AI chatbots, but far fewer use bilingual English/Spanish chatbots (12%). However, HSIs are equally as likely to staff English (20%) live agents as Spanish (21%) live agents when users are elevated from AI. Our findings demonstrate the importance of having Spanish and bilingual information embedded into HSIs to truly serve Latinx students and their families (Garcia, 2019). More specifically, Spanish should be incorporated within technological spaces where Latinx students and their communities may seek HSI information to pursue higher education such as how to apply for admission and financial aid. Ultimately, HSIs must consider how technology services like AI chatbots provide resources and answer questions in Spanish to ensure equitable access to information for Latinx students, their families, and their communities. Moreover, HSI leadership must continue to explore how HSIs may be transformed through technological innovation, such as artificial intelligence integration within digital spaces, including the HSI’s website.

Family Helps Transform the STEM Pathways of Community College Women of Color STEM Majors.

A "critical access point in the STEM pipeline for Latinx students and other students of color" (Herrera etal., 2018), community colleges provide a seminal breeding ground for academic pursuits (Bahr etal., 2017). However, how personal networks influence STEM pathways of two-year college students remains largely unexplored. This mixed methods case study explores influence of personal networks on pursuing STEM fields via social network analysis and qualitative narratives. 36 women of color STEM majors at a two-year urban Hispanic-Serving Institution were interviewed via social network questionnaire. Participants nominated anyone who has influenced their STEM trajectory, which signifies influence to their reason for pursuing a STEM path; they also had an option to qualitatively elaborate on any nomination but this was not required. Nominations were counted towards degree centrality and categorized into social relationships. Participants nominated diverse relationship influences, with family as the most influential relationship group, followed by college faculty/staff. Qualitative narratives revealed that family influenced participants, regardless of relatives' educational attainment level at the high school or lower level. In alignment with community cultural wealth, family members provided the impetus for pursuing STEM pathways through influence on participants' (1) aspirational capital, (2) familial capital, and (3) resistant capital.

SUNY Westchester CC receives $3 million NSF grant

As part of its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, State University of New York (SUNY) Westchester Community College (WCC) announced it has received a $3 million, five‐year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase the recruitment, retention and graduation rates of students pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at Hispanic‐Serving Institutions (HSIs). HSI is a federal designation given to schools that meet various requirements, including at least 25% of enrolled students being of Hispanic backgrounds.

Denial, Attention-Seeking, and Posting Online While Intoxicated: Three Key Predictors of Collegiate Sadfishing.

Sadfishing, or the exaggeration of one's emotional state online to generate sympathy, is a maladaptive behavior that can negatively affect mental health. A better understanding of the characteristics of individuals who sadfish could inform tailored interventions to decrease sadfishing and improve quality of life. However, to date, the phenomenon of sadfishing remains understudied. Thus, the current project was designed to identify some of the key psychological and behavioral characteristics that may be associated with sadfishing. Undergraduate college students (N = 374) recruited from introductory psychology courses at a large, Hispanic-serving institution completed an anonymous online survey assessing sadfishing and other online behaviors, psychological characteristics (coping, stress, resilience, and social support), and alcohol use. Both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted. Results of the binary logistic regression analysis found that students who reported using denial as a coping strategy (p = 0.005), who endorsed the attention-seeking behaviors associated with histrionic personality disorder (p = 0.021), and who used social media while intoxicated (p = 0.017) were most likely to report sadfishing. This study furthers our knowledge of the maladaptive online behavior of sadfishing and identifies several key predictors that could become targets for tailored interventions. In particular, our results highlight the importance of coping skills training for individuals who sadfish.

SUNY Westchester CC receives $3 million NSF grant

As part of its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, State University of New York (SUNY) Westchester Community College (WCC) announced it has received a $3 million, five‐year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields at Hispanic‐Serving Institutions (HSIs). HSI is a federal designation given to schools that meet various requirements, including at least 25% of enrolled students being of Hispanic background.

Latina/x Faculty Awareness of Culturally Responsive Curricula Needed at a US Hispanic-Serving Institution

Latina/x faculty underrepresentation constitutes a challenge at higher education institutions, as they become aware that a diversified student body requires better teaching approaches. Latina/x faculty participants are determined to diversify the curriculum and pedagogy that represents and reflects the diversity within the student body at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in the United States (U.S.). In doing so, Latina/x faculty are the critical piece that instills empowerment and leadership within their disciplines. This case study addresses the experiences of six Latina/x – five self-identified as women and one as a non-binary person – professors in different disciplines at an HSI at the southern U.S. border, who integrate culturally responsive curricula through values, attitudes, and beliefs. This curriculum approach makes the student learning process better situated in their personal, cultural, and social experiences. The findings reveal the necessity of innovating the curricula centered on social justice by integrating a wider variety of authors in course readings and activities. Also, implementing culturally connected and human-centered approaches in their courses was critical. The decolonization of the mainstream euro-centric patriarchal curriculum could be a step forward for HSIs to make more sense of their purpose and identity in better serving and informing students.

Characterization of Doctor of Pharmacy and Pre-Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge, Stigma, and Risk Perceptions Towards Persons Living with HIV/AIDS at a Hispanic Serving Institution

To assess the knowledge, stigma, and risk perceptions toward people living with HIV/AIDS in Doctor of Pharmacy and prepharmacy students at a Hispanic-serving institution situated on the United States-Mexico border. A cross-sectional survey was administered to prepharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy students to assess HIV background and knowledge, stigma, and risk perceptions using a self-completed electronic questionnaire. The χ2 and correlational analyses were conducted. Performance on the knowledge assessment was significantly correlated with increases in professional year. Although frequencies of negative stigma were overall low, there were 3 key populations that demonstrated higher rates of negative stigma: people who inject drugs, those who partake in high-risk sexual behavior, and sex workers. Although professional year was associated with knowledge and one's willingness to share food with someone living with HIV/AIDS, professional year was not associated with 8 other risk perception variables. The identification of stigma among already stigmatized populations supports the need for targeted educational interventions, especially at Hispanic-serving institutions with colleges and schools of pharmacy. Additional research should be conducted to explore the generalizability of these results and measure the impact of cultural beliefs and practices on stigma and risk perceptions across institutions with predominantly Hispanic/Latinx students.

Viscoelasticity summer workshop for middle and high school students at a Hispanic-serving institution in southern New Mexico

Viscoelasticity summer workshop for middle and high school students at a Hispanic-serving institution in southern New Mexico

A Scoping Review of Hispanic-Serving Institutions Literature in STEM

ABSTRACT Hispanic-Serving Institutions are critical in providing Latino/a/x learners with educational and professional opportunities. Despite Hispanic-Serving Institutional support for learners at the classroom, program, and institutional levels, no syntheses or meta-analyses of Latino/a/x learner outcomes, specifically in STEM-related subjects, exist. A scoping review using a servingness framework was employed to identify the breadth and depth of STEM learner outcomes at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Findings hold significance for academic personnel who research and educate STEM learners.

Queering Racialized Designations: Centering Queer and Trans Latine Students at an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (eHSI)

The holistic needs of Queer and Trans Latine students have been habitually excluded from prominent discussion in US higher education. This paper positions itself as an urgent addition to the literature on Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) and emerging HSI (eHSI) institutional identity to consider the needs of Queer and Trans Latine students directly. I conducted a total of four semi-structured interviews that were methodologically integrated with the testimonio framework. In these interviews, participants engaged in a journey toward healing from the injustices they (may) have faced at their eHSI while also deeply ingraining students in the process of what an equitable HSI institutional and organizational identity could be for Queer and Trans Latine students. The data were analyzed through an intersectionality and LatCrit theoretical framework. Findings showcase (1) the impact of department-level support of Queer and Trans identity as profoundly influential in students’ Queer and Trans identity development and navigational capital and (2) the impact that low levels of visibility of Queer and Trans Latine persons on campus have on how Queer and Trans Latine students navigate campus services and faculty support. I conclude with a discussion on how Queer and Trans Latine student experiences should be explored to develop campus resources further and supports for a historically resilient population.

Making It Matter: Hagiology in a 21st-Century Classroom

In the early twenty-first century, the humanities are facing attacks on their value. At the same time, colleges and universities in the United States are pressured to retain students as funding models have shifted and become more dependent on tuition dollars, at least in public institutions of higher education. The two go hand in hand because, in this environment, faculty members need to justify what they teach as being relevant to their students, and research has shown that students are more likely to thrive and strive when they see themselves in the curriculum. This is particularly true at Hispanic-Serving and Minority-Serving Institutions. This essay is based on the following question: how do we help students recognize that hagiological texts are relevant to them in a modern world in order to meet both aims? It provides the Life of Anskar as a case study to show that when hagiology is read and analyzed in the classroom in accordance with principles of culturally relevant pedagogy, through comparison and the co-creation of knowledge, the texts provide a way for students to better understand themselves, their world, and the possibility for social justice; in other words, they, the students, matter.

Writing like a scientist: a research assignment for undergraduates inspired by the publishing process.

Students that graduate with degrees in science may pursue a variety of career roles. Many of these roles may require them to read primary scientific literature (PSL) or even write up their own manuscripts for submission. While literature has recognized the importance of integrating PSL into undergraduate curriculum, it is also important for students to recognize the writing process that one may need to take part in if they seek to disseminate their own publications. This article will go through a research assignment that was given to an introductory journal club class for biology majors at a large R1 Hispanic-serving Institution. This assignment was designed to mirror the publication process at many journals including drafting a manuscript, integrating editor recommendations, and drafting a letter to the editor. In the end, students produce a review paper while becoming more familiar with the traditional publication process. In turn, this can prepare them to eventually seek to publish their own manuscripts.

Balancing career goals and parenthood desires: results from a survey of undergraduate pre-health students at a hispanic-serving institution in Texas

Objective To examine family planning and fertility experiences and views, as well as desired parenthood timing and career plans, of diverse undergraduate pre-health students. Participants 266 pre-health undergraduate students attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution in South Texas. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, online survey with a purposive sample of undergraduate students and analyzed data descriptively. Results Most students desired children in the future but were concerned about planning the timing of parenthood against their career training. The results highlight the need to improve both family planning and fertility knowledge, based on a high unmet need for contraceptives, low perceived knowledge about fertility/infertility treatment, and a desire to learn more about planning the timing of their career training alongside parenthood. Conclusions This study highlights potential gaps in reproductive health information and services among diverse, health-focused students needed to inform choices about the timing of their families and career training.

Examining Anti-Poverty Programs to Address Student’s Unmet Basic Needs at Texas Hispanic-Serving Institutions over the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Many post-secondary institutions have implemented anti-poverty programs to address students’ basic needs insecurities. This study examined the provision of 17 types of basic needs programs at Texas Hispanic-serving institutions over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to identify changes in the number and types of programs offered as well as factors that may influence the presence of specific types of basic needs programs on campus. While the average number of basic needs programs per institution varied little over time, the specific types of programs that were offered changed. Institution type as a 2-year or 4-year institution was associated with providing on-campus mental health services, on-campus physical health services, and after-school care for students’ children at pre-pandemic and anticipated post-pandemic time points and employing students and free food or meal vouchers at the pre-pandemic time point. The percentage of students receiving Pell Grants was associated with basic needs programs to assist students applying for public services and referrals to off-campus health services pre-pandemic and anticipated post-pandemic. The presence of an on-campus free food pantry was associated with the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants at the anticipated post-pandemic time point only. Over the course of the pandemic, there were changes to the types of basic needs programs offered. Some types of basic needs programs were associated with institutional and/or student characteristics. Given the continued presence of basic needs programs through the course of the pandemic and into the post-pandemic period, the use of these kinds of programs and services to support students, while influenced by external factors such as the pandemic, appears institutionally established as a way to facilitate going to college for students in need.