Demanding a Latino Face at Queens College

Latin@ Demographic Queens College (QC) is located in one of the most diverse communities in the world. Queens is home to 630,064 Latin@s[1] whose work contributes to the vitality of our school. Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Ecuadorians, and Colombians have a significant demographic presence that is reflected in the QC academic and social life. Here in Queens, as well as in the rest of the country, young Latin@s has increased their enrollment in higher education institutions. The CUNY system has played a crucial role in our educational and professional training. At QC, Latin@s are the second largest minority group, with more than 20% of our students self-identifying as Hispanics when they enter. Yet, despite our achievements in terms of enrollment, we still have low persistence and completion rates, and consistently face major obstacles toward continuing in graduate studies and finding jobs in and out of academic institutions.

CUNY Latin@ Influences Latin American and Latin@ Studies (LALS) Programs at CUNY were created to: respond to the educational needs of the fastest expanding minority in the U.S. and in our city; teach students how to live in cultural and linguistic diversity; and make the most out of our potentialities, steady efforts, and continuous hard work.

At QC, Latin and non-Latin Professors Norman Bailey, Eugenio Chang-Rodriguez, Ralph Della Cava, Jesse Vasquez, Ronald Schneider, and our former director George Priestley have devoted their intellectual lives and academic work to ensuring that new generations could find at QC the educational content, academic activities, participatory spaces, and faculty members that could facilitate the successful direction of our needs, desires, and aspirations.

Issue After Dr. Priestley passed away, our program entered a transitional phase in which collective efforts by staff, faculty members, and current and former students kept it alive despite our lack of resources and the major obstacles we have faced. Today, our concern about the future of our program and the endurance of the Latin@ legacy at our school is growing. We feel it is our responsibility to ensure that our predecessors’ accomplishments are not lost. In this current U.S. climate that is increasingly hostile toward immigrants, in which new policies oppose Latin affirmative actions and Latin/Ethnic Studies programs, we must guarantee that QC welcomes and recognizes its Latin@ diversity.

Resolve

We are asking QC and CUNY administration today to ensure the future of LALS and:

i)     Name a permanent Latin@ Director who has shown commitment to Latin American Studies and, more importantly, to Latin@ students at QC.

ii)    Implement a LALS operate board to generate procedures for the development and implementation of the LALS program as an academic discipline, and student serving body with a well-defined mission, objectives and strategies.

iii)  Consolidate participatory spaces and maintain a welcoming environment for Latin@ students considering their immediate and future educational and professional needs.

iv)  Enforce recruitment strategies in and out of QC by working with City governmental offices and Latin@ Consulates of major Latin@ groups in Queens.[1]

v)    Enhance Latin@ institutional presence and visibility at QC and within the CUNY system, working together with the existing programs and offices to recruit, retain, and hire Latin@ faculty and staff members in tenure-track and full-time positions.

vi)  Implement service-learning strategies to partner with Latin@ NGOs and immigrant organizations in Queens.

vii) Establish an advisory board with recognized Latin@ professional and political leaders from our communities.

viii)   Develop strategies to support organizational and research projects through public and private partnerships and grants.

ix)  Assess the needs and capacities of the established Latin@ and minority serving programs.

x)    Develop and implement strategies for Latin@ and minority serving programs.

xi)  Provide counseling and a safe haven for undocumented students and other vulnerable Latin@ and minority populations.