Letter from the President

Dear ILACHE members:

Andrew Sund

It is my pleasure to write these words as the new President of the ILACHE Board.  It is an honor for me to serve as your president and I look forward to engaging with you as we advance the cause of Latinos in higher education in Illinois.

We still live in very difficult times. The economy is weak and many federal and state programs that have allowed Latinos to access higher education continue to be threatened. The Department of Education has kept the Pell grant flat for several years and the Illinois General Assembly has reduced the MAP program. Several political forces have attacked Affirmative Action in various states.

There are hopeful signs too. The Deferred Action program is the first positive step we have seen in a long time to help Dreamers achieve their rightful place in society. We are also in an election season. Understandably, the presidential race takes most of our attention, but I encourage you to take a close look at state and local races in your districts and the impact these races could have on Latinos in higher education.

Soon we will announce the date and location of our 21^st Annual Professional and Student Development Conference. You can view highlights of our recent conference at this link, ILACHE-roughcut02.mov.  We are planning several other professional development and advocacy activities through the year. These activities will advance our cause in Illinois, but we also need your active participation to ensure their success. I look forward to meeting you and to learning about your goals and aspirations in higher education.

Sincerely,

Andrew Sund

What did we learn in school today? The Machine versus Kids and Teachers

Commentary

 

Leonard Ramirez, Ph.D.

Educational observers are giving high praise to the Chicago teachers strike for doing the nation a favor by challenging the conservative neoliberal “school reform” agenda championed by both Republicans and Democrats allied with the financial establishment. On one side are the so called reformers: politicians, civic clubs comprised of economic elites, corporate media, and relentless Astroturf groups positioned open mouthed, waiting for the next worm to tumble. They say what they want is what’s best for children, longer school days and teacher accountability. They claim to want to salvage public schools from self-serving unions, system bureaucrats (often those appointed by them) and highly-paid and ineffective teachers.  

 On the other side are many if not the majority of parents who came out in support of CPS teachers and clinicians. Also within this circle are educational professionals, social justice activists, and scholars who believe it is unfair to saddle the complex problems of poverty and inequality on schools and teachers. School reform is seen as merely a ploy to undermine collective bargaining rights and continue the disinvestment from poor and middle-class neighborhoods. Public education advocates say they want to stop the siphoning off of neighborhood resources and demand that the city address the deteriorating conditions of urban schools and decry public education’s transformation into a business opportunity with no oversight or quality control.

Here are 10 things that might have been learned from the recent strike.

Until lions have their historians, the hunt will always glorify the hunter (African proverb)



Elizabeth Ortiz, Ed.D.

Editorial

 


In an accounting of a story there are always two sides.  Conservatives bemoan so-called special considerations for underrepresented minority students in college admissions without looking at the broader societal context and implications of their policy perspectives.  The latest court challenge to affirmative action, Fisher vs. Texas, is based on the premise of reverse discrimination. Diverse college students from across the country might argue otherwise.  They are witness to minimal faculty diversity, low numbers of diverse university executives, and insufficient numbers of students who look like them on college campuses. 

            If universities abolish affirmative action without developing alternative policy mechanisms to level the playing field what can we expect the result to be?  I believe we will never achieve educational parity.  Student bodies will remain disproportionately white and the pathway to opportunity will be further narrowed.  Our universities will not reflect the changing diversity of the United States, and inequality will become more ingrained.  We will suffer economically and fail to live up to the promises of a democratic nation. 

Hispanic College Quiz Show



Karen Herrejon

Columbia College Chicago was chosen this summer as the only Midwest school to participate in the 2012 Hispanic College Quiz show. Columbia College Chicago was represented by Karen Herrejon.  Daniel Aranda, Director of Latino Cultural Affairs was her coach.

A Program to Retain Latinos

LARES Students



Located in the heart of the country’s third-largest city, the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) is a large public college that tries to meet the needs of its multicultural student body. It has a history of offering specialized services to Latino students.

Read more:

 

Northern Illinois University Latino Student Success Initiative

As part of its Great Journeys strategic planning process, Northern Illinois University (NIU) has launched a project to improve the effectiveness of its recruitment and retention efforts for both traditional and non-traditional Latino students. This externally focused project complements ongoing internal NIU efforts to recruit and support Latino students by strengthening relationships with nearby Latino communities and collaborating on strategies for increasing student success in college. In the first phase of this project, three community-university partnerships will be mobilized in Rockford, Aurora, and Cicero/Berwyn to address both short- and long-term opportunities to support college-going behavior by Latino students and their families. 

Latino Heritage Month at NIU



The Latino Resource Center and the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies organize academic, social, cultural and professional events for the NIU student body and community to celebrate Latino Heritage Month.  This year’s activities will highlight Latino music and history. All events are free and open to the public. For a complete schedule of events visit: www.niu.edu/latinostudies