Summary of the 2012 Latino Male Symposium at the University of Texas at Austin

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1 Summary of the 2012 Latino Male Symposium at the University of Texas at Austin The 2012 UT-Austin Latino Male Symposium was held on May 12, 2012 at the Etter- Harbin Alumni Center at the University of Texas at Austin. We are honored that our symposium was the culminating event for the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement s (DDCE) 2012 Heman Sweatt Symposium on Civil Rights. This year s Sweatt Symposium focused on the theme of "Awareness to Action: Advancing Solutions for Men of Color in Higher Education. Our 2012 Latino Male Symposium was wellaligned with this year s theme, and thus we received significant attention and acclaim through this collaboration. The 2012 Latino Male Symposium provided an opportunity for administrators, researchers, educators, students and community members to discuss issues facing Latino male educational achievement. As partial fulfillment of our TG grant, this symposium was intended as a platform to raise awareness of issues facing Latino male college students and promote the exchange of ideas and programs that could be used to serve this population. This year s symposium drew over 250 individuals from across the state. In the end, this Symposium brought together a talented collection of experts and an eager group of local and regional stakeholders in order to accomplish its goals. Symposium Goals The main goals of the May 2012 UT-Austin Latino Male Symposium were as follows: Build greater awareness about the growing crisis facing Latino males and what it could mean for the future of higher education In 2010, three out of every five degrees (i.e., associates or bachelors) earned by Latinos were earned by females Previous research has found that many Latino male students feel pressured by peers to put forth a very masculine image, in which seeking help is perceived as weakness, and feminine (Ponjuan & Saenz 2012). Additionally, many students feel pressured to remain at home with their families and not go to school in order to help provide for their families. The main goal of the symposium was to promote strategies and methods of addressing these issues for the Latino male student population. Engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue with key stakeholders; such as faculty, administrators, staff, and students. Participants learned about this critical and sensitive issue that affects us all. Each of the aforementioned stakeholders play a role in working with these students, and their cooperation is needed to addressing the issue of the disappearing Latino male in higher education. We sought to accomplish this goal through small group discussions that fostered more 1

2 in-depth discussion of the issue as well as institutional strategies and programming. Promote the exchange of ideas between different institutions and staff members who work with Latino male students through small discussion groups, roundtable discussions, panels, etc. Attendees were encouraged to attend sessions from multiple presenters from all around the state to gain multiple perspectives from different institutional types. This exchange of ideas enabled participants to understand the challenges that exist in different contexts and provide an opportunity for participants to respond with possible solutions. Enlist the support of different individuals who can help support Latino male students in terms of academic and social success. Through the symposium, we hoped to bring together a variety of stakeholders who have the ability to support efforts at both a grassroots and policy-making level to best serve the needs of Latino male students. We endeavored to see that Latino male student needs are addressed in terms of both academic needs (i.e. classrooms, faculty interactions, scheduling, tutoring, etc.) as well as social needs (i.e. peers, mentoring relationships, financial, help-seeking, etc.). Introduce students who have participated in the program and have them share their experiences to the audience. At the center of our work, is the Latino male student experience. Through this panel, we hoped to illuminate what it s like to be a Latino male on campus, what challenges they encountered, and what strategies for success they can share for future students. Continue enlisting support of people from different higher education institutions to be a part of the Project MALES consortium, a group of administrators from around the state who can continue to build upon Project MALE s mission. As we look into the future, our organization hopes to build upon our work by creating a consortium of higher education educators in order to address the Latino male issue on a state-wide level. Through this consortium, we would seek to promote the exchange of ideas among stakeholders and encourage the sharing of promising practices from around the state regarding this issue. Symposium Highlights The event consisted of a series of presentations from experts in higher education, as well as various roundtables with higher education representatives. Presentations earlier in the symposium set the tone for the day, including a discussion of Project MALES research findings, while later roundtable discussions allowed for smaller group conversations. The keynote and concluding remarks summarized what had been discussed that day and presented direction for the future of this issue. 2

3 Symposium Presenters / Participants included: Presentation Welcome and Introductions Setting the Tone: The Latino Male Educational Crisis Student Voices Panel: Latino Males in their Own Words Project MALES Research Team: Findings From Our Work Roundtable Discussions Presenter Mr. Patrick Valdez, Association of Public and Land Grant Universities Dr. Victor Saenz, University of Texas -Austin Moderator: Mr. Manny Gonzalez, University of Texas at Austin Panelists: Zach Sustaita, Josue Ramirez, Andreyez Alvarado, Silverio Miranda (University of Texas ataustin), Eric Garza (Travis High School student) Dr. Victor Saenz, University of Texas - Austin, Ms. Sarah Rodriguez, University of Texas - Austin Moderator: Mr. Charles Lu Presenters: South Texas College: Dr. William Serrata, Armando Ponce Tarrant County College: Dr. Robert Munoz, Hector Menchaca Lone Star College: Deanne Chandler, Richard Lewis Palo Alto College: Dr. Mike Flores, Dr. Robert Garza, Mr. Joseph Vara San Antonio College: Dr. Robert Vela, Emma L. Mendiola, Francisco E. Solis The University of Texas at San Antonio: John Kaulfus, Dr. Rachel Ruiz, Darrell C. Balderrama Texas State University San Marcos: Mr. Terence Parker, Dr. Michael Nava Austin Community College: Dr. Richard Armenta, Dr. Mariano Diaz- Miranda XY Zone: Robert Bachicha Keynote Concluding Remarks Judith G. Loredo (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board) Dr. Victor Saenz 3

4 Symposium Evaluation All participants were asked to fill out a short survey to give their feedback on the UT Latino Male Symposium. Surveys were collected at the end of the symposium by Project MALES staff and analyzed for future use. The surveys conveyed mostly positive feedback from participants in the form of Likert scale items as well as written comments. The survey asked participants to rate each of the symposium s sections on a scale from 1 to 5. Results were as follows: Question Mean Median Range Research Findings Latino Male Students in Their Own Words Roundtable Discussions Lunch Keynote Additional Comments/Suggestions In their evaluations, participants expressed great appreciation for the keynote speaker and the student panel. Participants also highly rated the Latino Male Student Panel and were satisfied to hear from Latino male students (in their own words) what their experience has been. Many of the written comments further indicated that the panel helped make the issue of Latino male educational achievement more personal. Participants were also inspired by the remarks that Dr. Loredo, the event s keynote speaker, made in her speech. Attendees offered constructive criticism regarding the discussion group format. Many complained that it was hard to hear and that there were too many groups in the same room at the same time. There were suggestions that the team should seek additional rooms to hold separate discussions and make it easier to hear speakers and participants. Some quotes from the survey results can be seen below: Wonderful symposium! It gave me a ton of ideas for my organization! Dr. Saenz has pulled off another outstanding balance of research, practice and leadership in order to address the Latino male crisis within higher education! The passion for this topic is truly infectious. Thank you for letting me be part of the symposium. This event was excellent, and greatly needed to continue making improvements. 4

5 Learned a lot and will be back next year and look at ways to support Project MALES. Great project, and glad to see so many stakeholders here. Thank you for this symposium and delving into this very important issue. Next Steps for 2013 Latino Male Symposium We have begun preliminary planning for the 2013 Latino Male Symposium which will be held next spring or summer. Based on the feedback collected this year, we are considering having more opportunities for small group discussions, and expanded length for the conference, and more opportunities to hear from multiple perspectives on the Latino male issue. This length expansion should allow for more collaboration and further contribute to the spread of good practices and ideas. 5