Latino students want better representation in academia

A faculty and student panel discussed Latino issues Friday night, touching upon self-segregation, academics and representation at the University.

Held at the Fields Center, the event drew almost 100 attendees who mingled over Latin-themed music and food before starting their discussion on the "Latino problem" at Princeton. Topics raised included marginalization and underrepresentation at every academic rank and position.

"We don't think the level of diversity is very high at this university," said Victoria Laws '08, who is the publicity chair of the Chicano Caucus. "We think there is a structural refusal to accept us into the Princeton makeup."

Last year, fewer than 20 of the roughly 900 full-time instructors at Princeton were of Latino descent, while only three of the 42 USG officers were Latino. People of Hispanic origin comprise 12.5 percent of the U.S. population, according to the 2000 census.

The relatively low numbers of Latino on campus vexed the student panelists.

Laws said she first encountered the problem of underrepresentation when she sought out letters of representation from faculty. "It's so difficult to find someone who can relate to you."

Reactions to the concept of self-segregation differed among participants.

Adrienne Dominguez '10 defended socialization among Latino students, saying that Princeton exerts a pressure on Latino students by emphasizing their minority status and making them feel justified in seeking out other Hispanic students.

David Abalos, longtime lecturer of POL 333: Latino Politics in the United States — the only Latino studies course regularly offered since 1981 — said, "To a great extent, Latino students are invisible. Sometimes, when the environment is not welcoming, we must put on our political face, perform our political act and create our own niche."

Sociology professor Marta Tienda criticized the tendency of minority students to self-segregate, explaining that they might have to cope with just as few members of their race around them once they enter the working world.

"Just do your thing, and you will leave your footprint here. Why band together?"

Latino Studies

Princeton's dearth of Latino studies courses, which panelists characterized as "behind the times," was less contested.

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"As of now, we do not have our own Latino program. There is the Latin-American Studies certificate program, but that covers a different field and culture," said Dominguez, noting the University's recognition of African Studies and African-American Studies with separate certificate programs. "We would like to see more attention directed towards the Latino experience in America."

According to the latest "Report on the Status of Latino/as at Princeton University," other Ivy League schools do a better job of providing students the faculty and resources necessary for a concentration in Latino studies. Princeton does not currently offer a certificate program in the field of Latino scholarship.

Another concern raised by students is the relatively low Latino graduation rate from the University — 90 percent, versus an overall graduation rate of 97 percent. Within the Ivy League, Princeton is the only school in which this disparity exists.

"Princeton is not very competitive in this aspect. I feel that we don't have much of a support system," Dominguez said.

Laws said that the low level of Latino representation at Princeton extends beyond academics. At the Ivy League Latino Conference last year, Princeton was represented by only three delegates, and organizers of last spring's Latino Heritage Month were compelled to cancel many events in the face of poor participation, she said.