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RCC looks to boost its Hispanic student numbers By Kevin Opsahl Nov 28, 2022 12:15 AM A A [Mail Tribune / file photo] To become a federally recognized “Hispanic Serving Institution” — a designation the White House has recently bolstered — Rogue Community College looks to boost its Hispanic student population in the near future. During a recent RCC Board of Education meeting, officials noted their desire for the school with three campuses throughout Jackson and Josephine counties to attain the designation from the U.S. Department of Education. According to the agency’s website, a qualifying school must have a 25% full-time undergraduate enrollment of Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application. April Hamlin, dean of student success who is also a deputy Title IX coordinator, told the Mail Tribune that RCC has close to 22% Hispanic enrollment and would like to apply to be an HSI once the college “begins” to hit the magic percentage. “That application then opens us up for the possibility to apply for federal grants that help us also improve services to Hispanic students,” she said. An executive order signed by President Joe Biden last year called on a Presidential Advisory Commission to “find ways to strengthen the capacity of institutions, such as HSIs, to equitably serve ... and increase the participation of Hispanic and Latino students.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education did not provide details this week when asked about RCC’s interest in becoming an HSI, referring the Mail Tribune instead to an agency website about the distinction. According to RCC’s “at-a-glance” data, the prospect for RCC hitting the 25% FTE Hispanic threshold looks promising. Between 2017-18 and the 2021-22 academic years, the college boosted its Hispanic enrollment by 4 percentage points. “Based on these enrollment trends, we continue to grow our overall enrollment of Latino/a/x students, and we are hopeful that we reach 25% soon,” Hamlin wrote in an email. Hamlin also spoke in broad terms about the ways RCC would boost its Hispanic enrollment. “I think part of it is about making sure we are engaging our community and recruiting from our community in strategic ways that make sure we are reaching out to students who are underserved,” Hamlin said. “Providing those opportunities like open houses and regular campus tours that let our community know they are welcome here. We are an open access institution.” RCC has recruitment staff who speak Spanish, but is admittedly less strong when it comes to bilingual instructors. It’s one of the reasons the HSI status is all the more important, Hamlin added. “The grant opportunities ... open up to developing more dual-language programming, but we’re not at that place yet,” she said. “That’s where we’re looking to the future.” But assuming RCC does become an HSI, Hamlin is confident it will do a lot of things for the college. “The challenge is to continue to grow and evolve, and I think that’s what pursuing the designation is also going to help RCC with, is the developing and strengthening of academic programs so they can be culturally relevant and meaningful,” Hamlin said. “We need to continue the trajectory to serve a broader swath of our community.” RCC student Abraham Reyes, president of the college’s Latino/a/x club, said he believes, even though RCC is not an HSI, the institution is doing a “fantastic job.” “Once they become an HSI, they’ll do even better,” Reyes said, pointing to the diverse staff that teaches him. The Hispanic Association of Colleges lists six institutions in Oregon designated as HSIs: Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles, Mount Angel Seminary in Saint Benedict, Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario and Warner Pacific University in Portland. Fifteen other institutions, including RCC, are considered “emerging” HSIs. Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.