Three weeks ago, in light of the controversy regarding an unpublished study on the correlation between GPA and race, President Richard Brodhead discussed diversity at the annual faculty address. Brodhead cited the increase of blacks and Asian Americans in his administration but notably neglected to mention an important cultural group anywhere in his speech: Latinos.
This weekend, Latino students admitted to Duke will participate in the Latino Student Recruitment Weekend, organized by Mi Gente and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The administration has already given financial support to the Black Students Alliance Invitational, but we urge them to also recognize—verbally and more—the needs and desires of the University’s Latino community.
To start, the low percentage of Latino faculty evidences a certain lack of commitment to the study of issues unique to the Latino experience. Although Latino students comprise 7 percent of the undergraduate student body, they comprise only 2.4 percent of total faculty. In particular, the Program in Latino/a Studies in the Global South could certainly use more structural support for its course offerings and other programs. The lack of Latino role models directly affects the student experience. It is not necessarily true that Latino students cannot find mentors in non-Latino professors. Nevertheless, in speaking with faculty about issues concerning culture, language or socioeconomic status, Latino students may feel like they do not have someone who understands their background.
More enthusiastic recruitment of Latino faculty members will benefit the larger Duke community as well. Latino studies go hand-in-hand with the Latin American concentration in the international comparative studies department. They can also enhance international ventures, such as DukeEngage programs in Chile and Guatemala, and local ventures, like service-learning programs.
Although Latinos are underrepresented among University faculty, there are numerous Latino employees. Latino narratives are interwoven with the geography and history of Duke and Durham, and they must not be ignored.
Duke should instigate a serious and thorough dialogue about its commitment to Latino issues. Brodhead’s failure to even once mention Latinos in his discussion of race relations suggests that the group does not factor largely into Duke’s perceived racial landscape. It should not take a controversy—on the scale of the GPA study or BSAI funding—to bring attention to racial issues.
Despite sharing similar grievances with the black community, the desire of the Latino community often go unacknowledged.
Therefore it is critical that concrete goals and actionable steps arise from the discussion. The administration should reopen El Concilio Latino, the committee of Latino students, faculty and alumni formed in 2004 to discuss the issues facing the community. Furthermore, Latino students should strive to show the administration that there is a real demand for Latino academic leadership and programming. We suggest data collection through avenues similar to the Women’s Initiative or Campus Culture Initiative. Such studies help to collect data, identify concrete concerns and develop sustainable solutions.
Latinos may have been excluded in conversations about diversity in the past, but that does not justify it happening again in the future. The Latino community is invaluable to Duke and deserving—at the bare minimum—of our genuine attention.
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