8/14/2019 Task Force Prioritizes Hispanic Initiative

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THE METROPOLITAN JANUARY 31, 2008 METRO A5

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Task force prioritizes Hispanic initiative

It seems people may have the

wrong idea about Metros Hispanic

Serving Institution initiative. And

changing the name o the initiative

is one o 55 fnal recommendations

submitted by the HSI task orce last

week.

Changing the name o the initia-

tive is something Luis Torres, co-chair

o the HSI task orce and interim as-

sociate dean o letters, arts and sci-

ences, still had mixed eelings about

ater the last meeting.

We are working under the title

the ederal government gives, but

there is really no need to, Torres said.

I think that the committee thought

it may be misleading, especially when

you consider that many o the recom-

mendations really are to change the

inrastructure o the institution.

The primary goal o Metros

HSI initiative is to raise ull-time La-

tino student enrollment to 25 percent

with 50 percent o those Latino stu-

dents defned as low-income by the

U.S. Census Bureau. Doing so will

make Metro eligible or millions o

dollars in ederal grant money, which

would beneft all students. Latino stu-

dents comprise 13 percent o Metros

student population.

It really is important or us to be

clear to the public that Metro wants

to serve the students in its population

area and a large percentage o those

students are Latino, Torres said.

In April 2007, Metros board o

trustees charged President Stephen

Jordan with developing recommen-

dations to help the college achieve

HSI status.

Jordan called upon the aculty

and sta to help with this endeavor

and have recommendations by Feb-

ruary 2008.

In July 2007, a 65-member task

orce was ormed and divided into six

subcommittees responsible or drat-

ing recommendations.

These subcommittees then looked

at a wide range o challenges the col-

lege would ace, rom improving stu-

dent recruitment and retention to

looking at public relations and cur-

riculum development.

By RoB fisheR

rfshe18@mscd.edu

Final Recommendations from the HSI Task ForceCreate a different name for the HSI campaign

Create an interactive HSI website

Declaration for Major by completion of first 45 credit hours

Provide scholarships for first-generation college students

Establish on-site admissions services in local high schools

Review and evaluate Metros online classes

Identify new programs that will attract and retain Latino/a students

Revise Last Grade Stands Policy and Forgiveness Policy

President Jordan plansto review agenda toachieve HSI status

TAsK foRCe Ctu A6

Violence in Kenya hits close to home for Metro students

Kenya may be hal a world away

rom the Mile High City, but the dai ly

reports o rioting mobs, police bru-

tality and ethnically motivated at-

tacks since the disputed election one

month ago have a number o Metro

students and proessors paying close

attention.

For many, the news is not rom

an unknown, abstract country.

Metro has proessors rom Ke-

nya on the aculty, Kenyan exchange

students and students who have

traveled to Kenya participating in a

summer program rom the Arican

and Arican-American studies de-

partment.

In act, Raila Odinga, one o the

presidential candidates embroiled in

the election dispute, visited Metro

last September and spoke at St. Ca-

jetans Center.

I talk with Kenya every morn-

ing on the phone I watch live

Kenyan television on the Internet

every day, said assistant proessor

Lucas Shamala, who is rom Kenya

and has spent the past month anx-

iously watching or news on people

and places he knows.

He has brothers and sisters there

and extended amily, not to mention

countless riends.

So ar in the town where they

live, Shamala said there was some

violence at the beginning, but the

real problems are in the Rit Valley

within walking distance.

He said the problem or his am-

ily is that no one i s able to go to work

and ood is becoming hard to get.

The election was supposed to be

dierent. Shamala, who was partly

responsible or bringing Odinga to

Metro when he traveled through the

U.S. last year, said he believes the

problem in Kenya is that incumbent

Mwai Kibaki reuses to submit to the

will o the people and has rigged the

election to stay in power.

You just have to look at what

happened, Shamala said. The elec-

tion itsel was so peaceul, and the

By AndRew flohR-spenCespencand@mscd.edu

KenYA Ctu A7