Hispanic College Enrollment Spikes, Narrowing Gaps with Other Groups

24% Growth from 2009 to 2010

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 11 • V O L U M E 2 6 • F A L L

By Richard Fry,

Senior Research AssociatePew Hispanic Center

Driven by a single-year surge of 24% in Hispanic enrollment, the number of 18- to 24 year olds attending college in the United States hit an all-time high of 12.2 million in October 2010, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of newly available Census Bureau data. From 2009 to 2010, the number of Hispanic young adults en-rolled in college grew by 349,000, compared with an increase of 88,000 young blacks and 43,000 young Asian Americans and a decrease of 320,000 young non-Hispanic whites.

As a result of these shifts, young His-panics for the first time outnumbered young blacks on campus, even though young black college enrollment has also grown steadily for decades and it, too, has surged in recent years. In 2010, 38% of all 18- to 24-year-old blacks were enrolled in college, up from 13% in 1967 and 32% in 2008.The Hispanic enrollment increase has been even more dramatic than the black enrollment increase because it has been spurred by a mixture of population growth and educational strides. High levels of immigration and high birth rates have made His-panics the nation’s biggest minor-

ity group, comprising 16% of the U.S. population as of 2010. In 1972, just 5% of the nation’s 18- to 24-year-olds were Hispanic. By 2010, that share rose to 19%.

However, population growth accounts for only a share of the 24% young His-panic college enrollment spike from 2009 to 2010. During that same period, the total population of 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics grew by 7%.

Rising educational attainment is an im-portant driver of these enrollment trends, over the long term as well as in recent years. The rate of young Hispanics en-rolled in college rose from 13% in 1972 to 27% in 2009 to 32% in 2010.

These findings are based on an analy-sis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s School Enrollment Supplement of the October 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS),

supplemented by historical time series based on the CPS. The CPS is the standard source for national rates of college enroll-ment and has collected college enrollment information in a consistent manner since 1947.

Other ResourcesFry, Richard. 2010. Minorities and the Reces-sion-Era College Enrollment Boom. October. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project.

Fry, Richard. 2009. College Enrollment Hits All-Time High, Fueled by Community College Surge. October. Washington, DC: Pew Re-search Center Social & Demographic Trends project.

Ryu, Mikyung. 2010. Minorities in Higher Education - Twenty-Fourth Status Report. Oc-tober. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.

National Center for Education Statistics. 2010. Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups. July. Washington, DC: Na-tional Center for Education Statistics.

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Ed-ucation. 2008. Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race/ethnicity, 1992-2022. March. Boul-der, CO: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

For full report go to:http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/146.pdf

(Article printed with permission from Pew Hispanic Center)

TA C H E N o t i c i a r i o 2

On Saturday, August 27, 2011, State Senator Royce West (D- Dallas) was presented with the Star of Texas award by fellow Democrats at the 2011 Jefferson Jackson Dinner held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. Sena-tor West received the award for his many legislative accomplishments and longtime support of the State Demo-cratic Party. The award was presented by State Democratic Party Chairman, Boyd Ritchie. "This award represents a long-term commitment to the principles of the party," Ritchie said. "As a longtime Texas Democrat, Senator West has lent ongoing support and leadership. I am also grateful for his service on the Primary Caucus Committee and the Democratic National Committee."

Sen. Royce West Honored by

Texas Democrats

Proposition 3: Expanding Access to Higher Education

Fall is an important season in higher education, as students begin or return to their studies. More than ever, stu-dents and their families rely on student loans to help pay for a college educa-tion. For more than 40 years, Texas has made access to affordable, fixed-rate student loans a priority for helping families bridge the cost gap in higher education.

Proposition 3, on the ballot November 8, would authorize the issuance of gen-eral obligation bonds to support state educational loans for college students. The demand for affordable student loans is clear. Last year, 61% of Texas college students required some form of financial aid, and more than half of that aid came in the form of student loans -- $4.3 billion worth in the 2009-10 academic year.

Proposition 3 will expand access to the state’s Hinson-Hazlewood Col-lege Access Loan Program, which has provided fixed rate, low-interest loans to more than 340,000 Texas students since 1965. All Texas students who are enrolled at least half-time are eligible for loans, and must meet academic progress requirements. The program currently offers one of the lowest stu-dent loan interest rates in the nation – 5.25 percent.

Importantly, Proposition 3 does not create additional expense for taxpay-ers. That’s because the College Ac-cess Loan Program is entirely self-supporting: all costs associated with administering the program, as well as the cost of repaying the bonds, are covered through the payments made by student loan borrowers. All surpluses in the program generated from interest payments are used to make more loans available to future students.

Further information on Proposition 3 and other items on the ballot for the November 8 election can be found on the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.state.tx.us.

Before Senator West spoke, a video clip tracing his legislative career was shown. This is the second year that a Star of Texas award recipient has been selected by state democrats. "You know, I’ve received numerous awards, but it’s the fellow democrats, the people that you know and work with, that make this award special," said Senator West. "As I was driving

down to Austin earlier, I was thinking about all the giants and shoulders that we stand on - Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, President Johnson, Barbara Jordan, the list goes on and on. "We stand on the shoulders of those gi-ants because they paved the way for us to be here," he said. "I look forward to continuing to serve." The Star of Texas award presentation was the evening’s top honor. A legislative up-date was provided by Austin Senator Kirk Watson (D-Travis). The night’s other award recipient was Houston’s Sylvia Garcia, who received the Rosa Walker Leadership Award. Houston Mayor An-nise Parker delivered the night’s keynote address.

Senator Royce West(D-Dallas)

TACHE Laredo Chapter--From (l-r) Mary Sue Galindo, President; Leti Spillane, Public relations; Ramiro Rodriguez, Treasurer; MarissaGuerrero-Longoria, Secretary;

Rene Montemayor, Vice President Humberto Cardenas, Historian.

TA C H E N o t i c i a r i o 3

WANTED: ALIVE, VERY MUCH ALIVEFor the research and writing of the history of TACHE, wanted alive, very much alive, are persons with research capabilities, writing, editing, photo cropping, interviewing on digital tape (visual and audio), and time to make this work produce a manuscript suit-able for publication. Sweat equity is what you will earn and later an entry on your vita.

The first meeting of those that volunteer was held June 16-19 in Austin. Two teams were formed: one to research the Leonard ValVerde archive and the other the Jude Valdez archive, both on deposit at the Benson Library-UT Austin.

We need persons to interview former TACHE presidents, collect photographs of TACHE events, write articles for example on the Noticiario, conference themes, initiatives such as closing the gaps and the report cards on institutions and scholarships.

The history can be written by decades, chronologically, thematically, by presidents, by issues and projects or any other combination of approaches. Join the project and become a decider on the committee.

Update:The committee is in need of clear, black and white photos of TACHE persons, events, activities. Any person willing to send such photo(s) needs to add in writing a statement saying that whomever took the photo is releasing its use without compensation for edu-cational purposes.

The person(s) in the photo also need to send in writing saying basically the same thing. All photos and articles are expected to be done on a voluntary basis without compensa-tion for educational purposes.

Any contact information anyone has on any past presidents is needed quickly.

For more information on this project, contact Jose Angel Gutierrez at 469 867 8199 or by email jgutierrez@uta.edu

Call for ProPosals

Too Big to Fail: Promoting Social Connections for Latin@ Success ~

“Conectate”

February 1-4, 2012Galveston, TX

Please submit your proposal that reflects this year’s conference theme or one of the following (or related) topics:

■Technology in Higher Education■ New Perspectives for Innovation in Retention and Completion■ Incorporation of State Mandates■ Recruitment and Educational At-tainment in STEM fields■ and many more...

Visit our website for electronic submission of your proposal, deadline is November 30, 2011

www.tache.org

2011-2012 TACHE STATE BOARD

MEETING DATES

March 4-5, 2011Austin

July 15-16 ,2011El Paso

September 30-October 1, 2011Houston/Galveston

December 2-3, 2011Dallas

February 1-4, 2012 37th Annual ConferenceTremont Hotel - Galveston

By Dr. Jose Angel Gutierrez

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 4

SAVE THE DATE!37th AnnuAl tAChE

ConfErEnCE

FEbruAry 1 ~ FEbruAry 4, 2012GAlVESTon, TExAS

TrEmonT HouSE HoTEl

too Big to fAil: Promoting SoCiAl ConnECtionS

for lAtin@ SuCCESS ~ “ConECtAtE”

For morE inFormATion conTAcT:

mAriA GuErrEro, TAcHE ExEcuTiVE ASSiSTAnTPo box 986

AuSTin, Tx 78767-0986

(806) 651-5352

mguerrero@mail.wtamu.edu

www.tache.org

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 5

The importance of cross-racial/cross-ethnic interactions for Hispanic Undergraduates

By Eduardo Arellano, Monica Torres, Kathryn Valentine, and Mary Prentice

Introduction Genuine cross-racial/cross-ethnic interactions (CRIs) are important for Hispanic undergraduates because of the many benefits they offer. Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, and Gurin (2002) describe genuine CRIs as going: “…far beyond mere contact and includes learning about difference in back-ground, experience, and perspec-tives, as well as getting to know one another individually in an intimate enough way to discern common goals and personal qualities. In this kind of interaction — in and out of the classroom — diverse peers will learn from each other (p. 336).”

These types of interactions have also been described as the informal discussion that students have on the way to classes, in residence halls, in classrooms before or after class, dur-ing social activities, at campus work sites, and occasionally in classes (Antonio, 1998; Chang, Astin, & Kim, 2004; Gurin et al., 2002). Hispanics, like other undergraduate students, can benefit from CRIs. We believe that it is particularly impor-tant to focus our studies of CRIs at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) as more than half of the Hispanic undergraduate population attend those institutions (MacDonald, Botti, & Clark, 2007). Focusing on Hispanic undergraduates is relevant due to their increased enrollment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009) and due to the fact that they are part of the largest and fasting growing minority group in

the United States (United States Census Bureau, 2008).

CRIs become especially critical in HSIs like the ones we studied because they were limited in their structural diversity. By structural diversity we mean the “nu-merical representation of diverse groups” (Gurin et al., 2002, p. 333). Specifically, the institutions we studied were char-acterized by having only two dominant groups, Hispanics and Whites, with very minimal representation of other groups. What do these demographics mean for Hispanic-serving institutions? We believe that our research provides some insight into this question. Based on the results of our studies with undergraduates and faculty from a group of HSIs, we offer some advice for students, faculty, and institutional leaders on how each of them can make the most of CRIs despite being in institutions with limited structural diversity.

In order to provide a fuller picture of our study, we also share our research meth-ods, results, and analysis. We begin with the various benefits of CRIs.

The Benefits of CRIs

According to prior research, CRIs help students:

•Grow academically and socially (Chang, Astin & Kim, 2004; Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002; Shaw, 2005).

•Develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and writing skills (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002).

•Be more open to different ways of think-ing and more willing to question what they themselves believe (Pascarella, Edi-son, Nora, Hagedorn, & Terenzini, 1996).

•Learn more about their own attitudes about race and ethnicity and about race and ethnicity in society (Alimo, Kelly, & Clark, 2002; Lopez, 2004).

•Be more open to diversity and with their self-confidence (Chang, Denson, Sáenz, & Misa, 2006).In addition, CRIs have been positively related to:

•Leadership and knowing and under-standing culture (Antonio, 1998).

•Improvements in intelligence, civic in-terests, and social skills (Chang, Denson, Sáenz, & Misa, 2006; Gurin, 1999).

•Democracy outcomes (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002).

Although, the research above has found several benefits to CRIs, there are num-ber of important limitations to the past research. For one, previous institutional studies have only been conducted at White Majority Institutions (WMIs) and these studies have also been four-year institutions (Gurin, 1999; Gurin et al., 2002; Fischer, 2008; Luo & Jamieson-Drake, 2002; Pascarella, 2001).

Other research that collected data on CRIs was only a fraction of a national study on student ethnicity (Engberg, Meader, & Hurtado, 2003).Until our study was conducted, no study had fo-cused exclusively on HSIs nor collected data from two-year institutions. So, we set out to study CRIs in a group of HSIs, both four-year and two-year institutions,

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 6

because we wondered how these interac-tions play out in these institutions. We wanted to know if students enrolled in the selected HSIs were engaging in the sort of interactions that scholars suggest are beneficial to student development. In addition, we wondered what role faculty might play in supporting CRIs at these institutions. The following describes the methods we used to conduct our studies.

Our Methods

We conducted both quantitative and qualitative studies. In our quantitative study, we surveyed over 900 undergradu-ate students from four HSIs, two four-year institutions and two community colleges. We surveyed students in second semester writing classes. We chose the second semester in order to give students sufficient time to interact and we chose writing classes in order to survey students with a variety of majors. Because there were many sections to the second se-mester writing course, we set a 30% cap of randomized sections using an online research randomizer. In order to maxi-mize our response rate, we administered the surveys in class with each instructor’s permission. We provided a $25 gift card to each instructor as an incentive. We conducted two qualitative studies, one with students, and another with faculty. For the qualitative study with students, we interviewed 24 students through a series of focus groups. We wanted to gain some insight about the students’ experi-ences with CRIs. The focus groups with the students lasted approximately 60 to 75 minutes. Each student that participated received a $25 gift card. The transcripts were analyzed for themes.

For the qualitative study with faculty, we interviewed faculty from a university and a community college again through a series of focus groups. For our focus groups, two of our research team facili-tated each focus group. The faculty group size ranged from four to seven members with a total number of 27 participants. The focus groups were semi-structured interviews that lasted approximately 60 to 90 minutes. Each faculty member received a $50 gift card to a bookstore for their participation. We recorded and tran-

scribed the focus groups. The transcripts were analyzed thematically based on our research questions.

Our Results

While there was some variation across institutions, in general, students reported through the survey that they did not engage in a lot of CRIs. They did report, however, that when they did engage in CRIs, they had positive experiences. Students did not report negative inter-actions. Students also reported to have learned from the interactions. From the student focus groups, we learned that students did appreciate CRIs, but they do not focus on race and ethnicity. As with the survey, the students did confirm learning from their interactions. And, although some students did report some negative interactions, they felt that the college campus was still a safe place for interactions. Lastly, some White students reported that not knowing Spanish was a barrier that limited interactions with some Hispanic students. It was clear from the faculty focus groups that they had thought a good deal about the value of diversity in the classroom setting. In contrast to the students, they reported students are engaging in CRIs in their classrooms. However, faculty members disagreed on whether the interactions would happen without their efforts. Some faculty felt that students would not en-gage in CRIs on their own, while others felt the students do interact on their own. The faculty members also shared that CRIs are more likely in extra-curricular activities and degree programs that use a cohort model. The typical way that faculty encouraged CRIs were through small working groups, not only based on race and ethnicity, but through other fac-tors include age, gender, and knowledge. Faculty also used assignments such as group homework, peer evaluations, and journal or reflective writing. Other strate-gies that faculty used included discussing stereotypes, using scenarios that involved racial bias, emphasizing listening to other students, and asking students how work-ing groups should be created. However, some faculty members shared concerns about encouraging CRIs such as singling out students of under-represented groups, unintentionally isolating some students,

and unsure that students can handle group work. In terms of assessing whether inter-actions were happening because of the faculty members’ efforts, faculty relied on observations and assignments. For ex-ample, faculty members noticed students’ classroom seating choices and what class-mates they talk to when students leave class.

Our Analysis

After thinking about the above results,we concluded that one possible reason for the lack of interactions was insufficient structural diversity on campus. Structural diversity is important because various studies have argued that in order for CRIs to happen, students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds must be on campus (Chang et al., 2004; Fischer, 2008; Gurin et al., 2002; Luo & Jamie-son-Drake, 2002; Marin, 2000; Pike & kuh, 2006). The lack of diversity was confirmed by some of the faculty from our focus groups who felt that student diversity at the campuses we studied was limited. We also suspected a lack of interaction because students spend an insufficient amount of time on campus. Evidence was found through our survey results; 76.2% of our survey participants worked 21 or more hours a week, while another 23.8% worked between 1 and 20 hours a week. Of the students that worked, 84.7% of them worked off-cam-pus, while 11.5% worked on campus, and 3.8% had jobs both on and off-campus.

Advice to college students, faculty mem-bers, and institutional leaders

Using what we learned from previous research and our studies, we offer thefollowing advice to college students. First, college students should try to work with classmates of different races and ethnicities. Students should also partici-pate in events sponsored by groups of dif-ferent races and ethnicities. In addition, if students’ academic programs require field experiences, the students should try to complete these requirements in places where another race or ethnicity is a criti-cal mass.

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 7

continued on page 8

Too Big to Fail: Promoting Social Connections for Latin@

Success ~ “Conectate”Population - 50.5 million

The Hispanic population of the United States as of April 1, 2010, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest eth-nic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 16.3 percent of the nation’s total popula-tion. In addition, there are 3.7 million resi-dents of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

132.8 million The projected Hispanic population of the United States on July 1, 2050. According to this projection, Hispanics will constitute 30 percent of the nation’s population by that date.

16 statesThe number of states with at least a half-million Hispanic residents — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jer-sey, New Mexico, New York, North Caro-lina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

2.3 million -BusinessThe number of Hispanic-owned business-es in 2007, up 43.7 percent from 2002.

3.9 million -Education The number of Hispanics 18 and older who had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2010.

9.7 million -VotingThe number of Hispanic citizens who re-ported voting in the 2008 presidential elec-tion, about 2 million more than voted in 2004. The percentage of Hispanic citizens voting went from 47 percent in 2004 to 50 percent in 2008.

1.1 million-Serving our Country The number of Hispanics or Latinos 18 and older who are veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

Source: www.census.gov

We ARE to BIG to Fail

Join us at the 37th Annual TACHE Conference ~ Feb 1-4, 2012Tremont Hotel - Galveston

Furthermore, students should spend more time on campus, especially in areas where students of different races and ethnicities congregate. Lastly, students should try to work on campus, especially in positions in which they will work with other students of various races and ethnicities.

In thinking about the previous research and our results, we would like to share the following advice for faculty members. First, faculty should provide assignments that pair and/or group student of different backgrounds. Faculty should also develop structured experiences in which students are immersed in different environments. In addition, faculty should provide grade incentives for students who participate in events with different racial/ethnic groups. Furthermore, faculty should require field experiences in different racial/ethnic set-tings. Finally, faculty should collaborate with different racial/ethnic communities and organizations in order to facilitate the above interactions for students. Based on previous research, our student results, and comments from our faculty focus groups, we offer the following advice to insti-tutional leaders. We support the recom-mendations that others have made in past studies. For example, institutional leaders ought to develop and support pro-diver-sity policies and initiatives that, among other accomplishments, would recruit diverse students, faculty, and staff. Simi-larly, students, faculty, and staff should receive training on diversity issues. In addition to those, this particular set of studies also suggests other pro-diversity policies. One would be to integrate ethnic and cultural programs and events more fully into daily campus life for both stu-dents and faculty.

One strategy is to support the creation and success of diverse student organiza-tions. We also recommend that institu-

tional leaders find ways of ensuring that students spend more time on campus and support programs that place students in diverse environments including the creation of shared public spaces like computer labs and dining facilities. Student organizations and shared spaces provide students with opportunities for students to engage in CRIs. Of course, CRIs also occur in the classroom. In the area of academics, then, institutional leaders should support research, teach-ing, and service in the diversity arena and tie promotion and tenure to such efforts. While the HSIs shared a num-ber of characteristics, there were also differences. As a result, we believe that institutional leaders should also develop formal ways to learn more about CRIs on their campuses and make a commitment to continually address these interactions at their institutions.

For a complete listing of all references used in this article go to

www.tache.org

or contact:Eduardo C. Arellano

915.747.7593ecarellano@utep.edu

Mary Prentice575.646.2962

mprentice@nmsu.edu

Kathyrn Valentine575.646.2603

kvalent@nmsu.edu

Monica Torres575.646.2319

mftorres@nmsu.edu

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 8

BoArd BriEfingS

Dr. Leal sums up the Legislative year for TACHISTA’s by outlining key funding issues from this past legisla-tive session. The FY 12-13 appro-priation for community colleges and 4yr institutions did not include fund-ing for enrollment growth. Below are highlights of funding affecting high-er education

Colleges and Universities• 5% reduction in formula funding for General Academic Institutions•10% reduction in formula funding for Health-Related Institutions•25% reduction in special item fund-ing for all colleges and universities •Community Colleges will be funded at FY10-11 levels

Students across Texas are also im-pacted by the legislation, with re-duction in financial aid programs. TEXAS Grants were cut 10% from the 2010-11 levels. This cut will re-duce the number of students served by 28,700.

Texas Equal Opportunity Grants will serve 2,250 fewer students in 2012-13 than were served in 2010-11. This provides money for students who attend community college. Funding was not cut, but with the anticipated increases in tuition, the appropriation will not go as far. B-on-Time Loan Program 20% cut from 2010-11 levels. Will reduce the number of students served by 3,900 (from 13,100 in 2010-11 to 9,200 in 2012-13). Top 10% scholarships 27% cut from 2010-11 levels. Will reduce the num-ber of students served by 6,100 (from

Dr. Criselda Leal, TACHE President

22,300 in 2010-11 to 16,200 in 2012-13). Tuition Equalization Grants (TEG) 20% cut from 2010-11 levels. Will reduce the number of students served by 2,200 (from 26,500 in 2010-11 to 24,300 in 2012-2013).

Linda Contreras-Bullock, TACHE President-Elect

Linda has been busy getting things for the 2012 Conference. The location will be Galveston at Tremont Hotel. See the Noticiario for the SAVE the DATE information. Watch your email for information and log into www.tache.org for the latest information.

The conference theme will be Too Big to Fail: Promoting Social Connections for Latin@ Success ~ “CONECTATE” . We are a critical time in our state in regards to education, state budgets and most of all the impact all of this has on our children. I sincerely hope to see each one of you the Annual Confer-ence. Call or email me at bullockl@uhcl.edu with any questions.

Doroteo Franco,VP of Technology

Doroteo keeps working diligently to con-tinue with improvements to the TACHE website and communication capabili-ties through an email database for the membership. The TACHE website has a “Members” login in section where you can blog, email and post items to other members. As members we ask for your feedback so that we may continue to im-prove our communication methods to you. You can email me at dfranc12@epcc.edu or contact our TACHE Execu-tive Assistant, Maria Guerrero atmguerrero@mail.wtamu.edu

Dr. Daniel Rodriguez, VP of Membership

Daniel is busy updating institutional memberships and working with Maria Guerrero and Doroteo to transition the renewal of membership to an electronic format. For any questions regarding memberships you can contact him at prodriguez1@alamo.edu

Carmelino represents the South region of Texas with chapters at Laredo Com-munity College and Del Mar College, both chapter are very active. You can contact him at c.castillo@laredo.edu

Carmelino Castillo, JrRegional Representative-South

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 9

continued on page 11

During recent years the Gulf Coast has had its share of natural disasters. Col-leges and universities in the region are busy getting back to business, so is the Houston Chapter of TACHE. Right now my efforts in this first year of serving are on the 2012 conference--which is coming to our region--Galveston at the Tremont Hotel, February 1-4, 2012. I would invite you to be part of TACHE in the Gulf Coast; you may contact me at Becky.Gustamante@lonestar.edu or (936)273-7321

BoArd BriEfingS...

Maria Aguirre-Acuna,VP of Communications

Maria AA (as she has become known to TACHE to distinguish her from Ma-ria Guerrero) has been working on a rewrite to TACHE’s Constitution and Bylaws. An invitation for the Distin-guished Awards for Faculty and Fel-lowships will go out very soon. If you have any information for the Noticiario you can contact her at maria.aguirre@sweetwater.tstc.edu

Maria GuerreroTACHE Executive Assistant

Maria is a great addition to the TACHE team. With Maria’s help TACHE is able to better communicate with the mem-bership and conduct business. She has been working closely with Daniel Ro-driguez and Doroteo Franco in updating the membership database and “test driv-ing” the features of the TACHE website. You can contact Maria G at mguerrero@mail.wtamu.edu or at (806)651-5352, P.O. Box 986, Austin TX 78767-0986

George ReyesRegional Representative - Central

Due to the size and activity of the Cen-tral region, George is assisted with this task with a Co-Representative, Leticia Gonzalez from Austin Com-munity College. Chapters at Austin Community College and the San Anto-nio Chapter keep this region busy. He recently visited the University of Texas Benson Latin American Collectionwhich houses the TACHE Archives. He is assisting Maria in the TACHEConstitution and Bylaws re-write. Check out some of our activities online and in this issue of the Noticiario. You can contact him at rey@austincc.edu or Leticia at lgonza14@austincc.edu

Luis FrancoRegional Representative - Northeast

Luis has two chapters within the north-east region; the Tarrant County Chap-ter (TCC) and the Northeast Chapter. Luis is looking forward to serving this region and increasing membership and activity. Check out the happenings on the region online and in this issue of the Noticiario.

Becky GustamanteRegional Representative - Gulf Coast

Rene ChavezRegional Representative - Far West

Rene represents the Far West Region, El Paso. This region holds the title of having the first recognized Student Chapter of TACHE. Students are from UTEP and EPPC I would invite you to contact me at (915)831-7009 or by email at rchavez3@eppc.edu to discuss a student chapter for your area.

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 10

Dallas, TX - On Monday August 1, 2011, State Representative Roberto Alonzo (Dallas) hosted a small re-ception to honor the Valedictorians and Salutatorians of the Class of 2011 for each of the 5 high schools in Texas House District 104. The purpose of the reception was to rec-ognize the achievement of the stu-dents and their parents. Two students in attendance were Gustavo Castillo, Valedictorian at Trinidad Garza Ear-ly College High School in Dallas, and Juan Carlos Cerda, Salutatorian at Grand Prairie High School.

Gustavo plans to attend Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) and study Computer Science, while Juan Carlos is headed to Yale Uni-versity (New Haven, CT) to pursue a degree in Engineering. State Repre-sentative Alonzo expressed that the students were great examples and role models for the youth of Dallas and of Texas. He then proceeded to present each of the students with a proclamation by the State House of Representatives in recognition for their hard work and academic ac-complishments. The students were very pleased and thankful for the recognition, “I want to sincerely thank my teachers and my counsel-ors who had the patience to point me in the right direction. Today I am fortunate that the efforts and support of my parents and teachers have led

Representative Roberto Alonzo and graduates from District 104, Luis Franco, TACHE Northeast Regional Rep attend the ceremony.

me to attain such high grades and stand here before you,” shared Castillo as he received the proclamation. Representa-tive Alonzo concluded the event by shar-ing that he was proud to sponsor such an event to recognize these worthy students and their parents for what he referred to as “not only a personal achievement, but one for their whole family, friends, schools and their community.”

Among those present at the reception were Dr. Mary Ellen Weber, VP for Govern-ment Affairs and Policy at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, TX); Mr. Grover Campbell, VP for Governmental Relations at the Univer-sity of Houston; Mr. Luis Franco, Direc-tor of Hispanic Outreach at Texas A&M University-Commerce and Northeast Tex-as Regional Representative for TACHE; community and business leaders; rep-resentatives from Texas Guarantee; and administrators of the high schools from which students were being recognized.

High schools in District 104 and the list of recognized students are: Adamson

High School: Valedictorian - Julian Ro-driguez and Salutatorian - Adan Gonza-lez; Molina High School: Valedictorian - Kevin Prado and Salutatorian - Leticia Gallegos; Sunset High School: Valedic-torian - Xochitl Escobar and Salutatorian - Veronica Flores; Grand Prairie High School: Valedictorian - Kathy T. Do and Salutatorian - Juan C. Cerda; and Trini-dad “Trini” Garza Early College High School: Valedictorian - Gustavo Castillo and Salutatorian - Jocelyn Velasquez.

Representative Roberto Alonzo celebrates the accomplishments of students in Dallas

Rep. Alonzo, Juan Cerda and his family

Rep. Alonzo, Gustavo Castillo and family

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 11

CAFÉ College A Great Resource for Students Seeking a Higher Education

in San Antonio

When TACHE San Antonio Chapter Officers, Belinda Saldana, Chapter President (UTSA), Dr. Frank Solis Vice President (San Antonio Col-lege), Sara Samano, Treasurer,(San Antonio College) and Dr. Mariela Rodriguez, Secretary, (UTSA) hold their TACHE meetings for the 2011-2012 school year, they will be in a new exciting location, Café College.

Café College a great new resource in the City of San Antonio has opened its doors to encourage higher educa-tion in San Antonio and has also opened its doors to higher education institutions and organizations that promote higher education including TACHE .

The City Of San Antonio and the San Antonio Education Partnership launched the Café College resource center in the fall of 2010 and has been very busy ever since. Eyra Perez, Executive Director of the San Antonio Education Partnership and a TACHE San Antonio Chapter member has worked with her staff to

make the center a welcoming place for students, families, community leaders, and professionals in K-12 and higher education.

At the center, visitors can take free col-lege prep classes, fill out a FAFSA, do college and career searches, apply for college admissions for the first time or get help with transferring or returning to college and do so much more!

On May 11th, the TACHE SA Chapter held an end of year reception at Café College to recognize former TACHE San Antonio Presidents and thank them for their leadership. Former presidents attending included Dr. Daniel Rodriguez, Rosa Maria Gonzalez and representing the late Rudy Ortiz was his wife, Mar-garita Ortiz.In addition Dr. Jude Valdez, Luis Figueroa, MALDEF and Dr. Albert Cortez, IDRA presented a legislative update panel discussion focused on K-12 and higher education. Café College has a mission that aligns with the TACHE mission and it made sense to schedule TACHE SA Chapter meetings there for the higher education community in one central location. At the same time, it gives first generation college students that are visiting the center an opportunity to see role models that are likely also first generation college students and now professionals in higher education.

“We look forward to welcoming our colleagues to our TACHE meetings and introducing them to this wonderful re-source in our community”, states Belinda Saldana, TACHE SA Chapter President.” It is something that is needed in every Texas community. We are so pleased to partner with them to advocate for higher

education”. For more information on Café College, visit their website. http://www.cafecollege.org

Remembering Raymond Puchot

Raymond Puchot1963-2011TACHE Treasurer

Raymond Charles Puchot, 48, of Lar-edo died April 19, 2011. Raymond pro-fessional experience included 17 years as professor in higher education. As an educational leader and student advocate, Mr. Puchot had a tremendous sense of responsibility to promote educational opportunity for all students. As a proud Latino from the southeast side of San Antonio, Raymond came from humble beginnings. His grandparents instilled within him excellent values, a strong work ethic and encouraged him in his military and educational goals. Their im-pact on his life and the perseverance to overcome barriers to attain his life goals served as guidelines in his educational philosophy in helping students to focus on academic achievement, personal ac-countability, and respect for self and others in order to succeed. Raymond inspired many and he was regarded as a life-long mentor to many friends, col-leagues and students. He was deeply loved and will be deeply missed by fam-ily, friends, colleagues and his students.

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 12

TACHE recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions to higher education through the University Distinguished Faculty

Service Award, the Community College Distinguished Faculty Service Award and Graduate Fellowship Award.

Distinguished Community College Faculty Award

The award recognizes superior levels of professionalism and accomplish-ment in the areas of teaching, research, or service. Any faculty member or ad-ministrator may submit a nomination. Individual faculty members may self nominate. Nominees will be considered by the TACHE Distinguished Commu-nity College Awards Committee and the recipient will be honored at the TACHE Conference.

Eligibility Requirements and Award Criteria:

Have taught the last five years in a Texas Community College; Have demonstrated a consistent pat-tern of teaching excellence; Have demonstrated innovation in teaching; Have demonstrated contributions to discipline -specific scholarship; Have demonstrated a consistent pat-tern of service to the community; Have demonstrated a consistent pat-tern of support of Chicano/Latino pro-grams and students; Have demonstrated support for and promoted postsecondary education, in-cluding degree completion; and Have demonstrated a consistent pat-tern of mentoring other faculty and/or students.

Deadline to apply: November 30, 2011

Visit www.tache.org under Scholarships for complete application information.

Distinguished University Faculty Award

The award recognizes superior levels of professionalism and accomplish-ment in the areas of teaching, re-search, or service. Any faculty mem-ber or administrator may submit a nomination. Individual faculty mem-bers may self nominate. Nominees will be considered by the TACHE Distinguished Faculty Awards Com-mittee and the recipient will be hon-ored at the TACHE Conference.

Eligibility Requirements and Award Criteria:

Be an active member of TACHE; Have taught the last five years in a Texas University; Have demonstrated a consistent pattern of excellence in teaching; Have demonstrated innovation in teaching; Have a record of scholarly publica-tions or other contributions to the pro-fession or academic discipline; Have demonstrated a consistent pattern of service to the community; Have demonstrated a consistent pattern of support of Chicano/Latino programs and students; Have demonstrated support for and promoted postsecondary/graduate education, including degree comple-tion; and Have demonstrated a consistent pattern of mentoring other faculty and/or students.

Deadline to apply: November 30, 2011

Visit www.tache.org under Scholarships for complete application information.

Graduate Fellowship Award

TACHE invites applications from Texas residents pursuing studies in commu-nity college, graduate or professional schools.

TACHE will award up to four $2000 fel-lowships.

Fellowship winners will be notified no later than January 9, 2012 and the awards will be announced at the 37th Annual TACHE Conference scheduled for February 1-4, 2012, in Galveston, Texas.

Applicants must:

• Be of Chicano/Latino heritage (one parent fully Hispanic or each parent half Hispanic);• Be enrolled in a degree-seeking pro-gram at an accredited U.S. university full-time; and• Have a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Students receiving the TACHE Fellow-ship are required to become members of TACHE at the time of selection. The stu-dent membership fee is $10.00.

Deadline to apply: November 30, 2011

Visit www.tache.org under Scholarships for complete application information.

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 13

BoArd BriEfingS...

Dr. Yvette CastilloRegional Representative-Plains

Yvette is busy re-energizing the Panhandle Chapter of TACHE. Newly elected officers for the Plains area are Julie Arias, President; Mario Gallardo, Vice-Presdient; Poh Yin Pool, Treasurer; Netta Arellano, Secretary. This chapter is actively pursuing the possibility of a Student Chapter in the near future.

The Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) in collaboration with West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) submitted a proposal to The Lumina Founda-tion’s Latino Student Success Grant Program. It is called Project Avanza-mos and was awarded! The grant will be housed at WTAMU. Julie Arias is the project director.

Julie Arias,TACHE Immediate Past President

TACHECONGRATULATES

Dr. Lily Tercero

Dr. Lily TerceroSelected President

Texas Southmost College

TACHE and the Alamo Colleges congratulate Chief Budget Officer Dr. Lily F. Tercero on her selection by the Texas Southmost College (TSC) Board of Trustees as its college president. Tercero will become the first strictly TSC president the community college has had since it began a 20-year part-nership with the University of Texas at Brownsville, a partnership that is now coming to an end as TSC becomes an autonomous institution.

Tercero has served in her current position at the Alamo Colleges since fall 2010. Before joining the Alamo Colleges, she served for 12 years as associate vice chancellor for planning and budgeting at the Tarrant County College District. Tercero holds a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated from the Community College Leadership program.

David PorrasTACHE Treasurer

David has been busy retiring from Tex-as Tech HSC-El Paso and then transi-tioning to UTEP. We are fortunate to have David keep track of our finances along with the help of our CPA.

Marissa Guerrero-LongoriaTACHE Secretary

Marissa stays busy teaching at Laredo Community College and keeps all our meetings minutes and records for our archives.

JOIN TACHETODAY

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES:

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1. Diamond Level ($10,000.00) benefits include conference package & awards sponsorship, web links, Noticiario advertisement, employment web posting, and special invitations to sponsor local association events.

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4. Silver Level ($1,500.00)benefits include conference package, employment web posting, and invitations to spon-sor local association events.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

• Annual state conferences, regional educational events• Scholarships/Fellowships for Hispanic students• Local networking opportunities for higher & public education personnel and students• Support for junior faculty through research awards or professional development• Recognition of outstanding achievements in higher education through the Distinguished Service Award• Subscription to the newsletter: Noticiario• Employment listings• Institutional Events• Chapter Pages• Membership Listserv

JOIN ONLINE TODAY AT WWW.TACHE.ORG

Contact: MEMBERSHIPS@TACHE.ORG Mail: TACHE, P.O. Box 986, Austin, TX 78767-0986

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 14

T A C H E N o t i c i a r i o 15

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, in Washington DC, MALDEF filed a Motion to Intervene on behalf of the Texas Latino Redis-tricting Task Force in an effort to prevent the reduction of Latino voting strength in the ongoing Texas redistricting process.

In the case, State of Texas v. Holder, Texas asks the federal government to approve, or "pre-clear," four redistricting plans. Under Section Five of the Voting Rights Act, states with a history of discrimination must have their redistricting plans approved by the federal government to ensure that the ability of minorities to elect a candidate of their choice is not diminished. The Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force has intervened to ask the federal court to deny preclearance of the state House plan and the congressional plan. Under the state House plan, Latinos would lose two opportunity districts, and under the congressional plan, the proportion of Latino opportunity districts would fall from 22 percent to 19 percent of the congressional delegation. According to the 2010 census, 34 percent of the voting-age population in Texas is Latino.

"The Task Force has intervened in this case to protect Latino voting strength in Texas," said Nina Perales, vice president of litigation at MALDEF. "We have sued the State in federal court in San Antonio for violations of the Voting Rights Act; the State cannot run to Washington DC in the hopes of getting a different ruling." MALDEF, the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force, and other partners submitted proposed district lines for Latino opportunitydistricts to the State Capitol in Austin during the Legislative Session. "Our goal is to ensure that Latinos have the opportunity to send a representative of their choice to Congress, especially where they make up a substantial portion of a region," explained Perales. In 2006, MALDEF successfully argued before the Supreme Court in LULAC v. Perry that the Texas congressional redistricting plan diluted Latino voting strength and violated the Voting Rights Act. Pro bono counsel in the case includes the law firm of Fried Frank. A decision on the Motion to Intervene is expected shortly.

REDISTRICTING: MALDEF INTERVENES IN DC COURT TO PROTECT TEXAS LATINO VOTING STRENGTH

Latino representation in Texas at issue with pending ruling

TACHE ACC Chapter awards Scholarships The TACHE ACC Chapter awarded five $1000 scholarships. These are our awards for 2011-2012. Students must maintain a GPA of 2.25 or better and take at least 6 hours a semester at ACC. For more on the scholarship description, go to http://www.austincc.edu/foundatn/scholarships/TACHE.php. The scholarship awardees are selected through the ACC Foundation. The number of scholarships ranges every year. We have given as many as 8 and as few as 4 a year since 2008-2009.Once they are awarded, part of their agreement is to accept a mentor for the next 2 school years. Our mentors are volunteers from ACC Faculty and Staff. The mentors meet and/or keep contact with the students to provided an added form of support to them.

John Hernandez, Leticia Gonzalez, G. Sosa, students, mentors and Dr. Aguilar

Welcome to the Fall Edition of the Noticiario. I invite you to send me your ideas, suggestions or any items you would like considered for publication in our newsletter. I would ask that you submit your items for consider-ation in the following electronic format• Single space• 12 point font• Microsoft Word document format• Maximum of 2500 words• Longer articles will be subject to edit with consultation of the writer• Pictures should be submitted in JPEG formatYou may email articles or information to maria.aguirre@sweetwater.tstc.edu or mariaa@tache.org . I can be reached at 325.235.7349 for any questions.

Editor’s CornerDeadline Information

Spring Issue - Content due by March 1Fall Issue - Content due by August 1

Issue is PublishedSpring Issue - April

Fall Issue - SeptemberMaria C. Aguirre-Acuña, VP of Communications