Study cites difficulties Latinos face

A combination of financial difficulties, close family ties and obligations, and Duke's racial climate often discourages prospective Latino undergraduates from either applying to the University or matriculating, according to a recent, informal study by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Moreover, the study found, the issues are not unique to prospective students, but are common to--and reflect the concerns of--many current Latino students at the University.

In hopes of learning more about how Latinos in America perceive Duke University and dispelling any myths and rumors about the application process for potential undergraduates, the admissions office sponsored a telephone-based survey and information campaign last Sunday to reassure and recruit prospective Latino applicants.

The campaign--the first time prospective students and not just admitted students have been contacted--reached high schoolers all over the nation who have been identified as high-achievers by the National Hispanic Institute. Students who indicated interest during college fairs and on the admissions office's website were also contacted.

"We wanted to get the pulse of Latino students and seniors," said phone-a-thon organizer Bianca Briola, Trinity '02, an undergraduate admissions officer responsible for Latino student recruitment. "We hear lots of reasons why they don't apply, or get admitted but don't come, so we wanted to find out exactly why."

In addition to finances, family and race, a lack of details about applying to college was cited by many of the prospective students, Briola and others said.

"My parents didn't go to college, so I didn't know what I was doing [with college applications] either," said sophomore Maria Herrera, a phone-a-thon caller and co-secretary of Mi Gente, a campus group that focuses on Latino issues. "The major [concern] was that [Latinos] are big on family and staying close to families, so a lot of the families didn't want [the student] to leave home, but go to a state school or community college instead."

Briola said she understands the students' concerns, as she dealt with the same issues when applying to Duke. Although the concerns may not be unique to Latinos, she said last week's campaign showed the challenges to be especially prevalent among Latinos.

Duke's perceived racial climate and racial tension create another concern for prospective applicants, an issue that prompted some of the current students to reflect on their personal experiences when advising them.

"It's hard to be Latino here, in terms of how many people that have never been exposed to Latinos before--people who say, 'Yeah, I've never been exposed to Latinos except for the maids in my house.' People have something set in their mind that this is what Latinos do and how they are," said senior William Melendez, Mi Gente alumni affairs co-chair and another phone-a-thon caller.

Latino student representation at the University has been steadily changing. In the Class of 2006, 7.3 percent of students are Latino, an increase of approximately 80 percent over the past five years.

"[The increase] is a starting point," Melendez said. "Not only do we have more numbers of students, but a greater number of active students who want to spread awareness. There's a larger Latino presence--you can feel it on campus."

Other students, however, feel that there is a lack of participation in the Latino community that reduces the perceived Latino presence at Duke.

"We're not lacking a voice, but it may not be loud enough because of the small number of Latinos. Not all Latinos here are involved with Mi Gente or are interested in [Latino] topics," said sophomore Christian Calcines. "Out of the numbers the school puts out, there's some that are involved and some that aren't involved."

Steve Villalon, another sophomore, agreed that the number of Latinos who actively connect with their culture is smaller than the number who identified themselves as Latinos on their college application. This greatly reduces the Latino community's ability to share its culture, since its numbers are already low, he said.

"Many kids say on their application they're Latino when they have a grandmother that's half-Hispanic. A lot of them don't speak Spanish and don't know much about the culture. To claim you're something, but don't really know about it, kind of bothers some people," Villalon said. "I'm not saying they don't deserve to be here, but it's something that needs to be addressed."

The unwillingness to participate in Latino events perhaps stems from a desire to blend in without the stigma of being Latino, he added.

Briola said she recognized this issue and understood students' frustration, but that people have different connections to their heritage, variations that are honored in the admissions process.

"Some students say, 'This is who I am, and I don't need to advertise that.' I read their... applications to see their special ties [to their culture] but, in general, we can't tell people who they are and who they aren't. I can't call them and say, 'You really aren't Latino,'" she said. "We admit students who have different levels of commitment to their background. We look for great kids-some of them can be Latino, some of them can be white, some of them can be black."