Reaching Out: Programs for first generation students

Before taking on this voice, I was very unaware of the programming for disadvantaged students.  Through research and readings, I've found several programs being offered by certain colleges and the government for which my voice could take advantage of if she knew of the information.

The TRIO program is funded under Title IV in the Higher Education Act of 1965.  This is to help students who have financial barriers attend a higher education institution focusing on class, social, and cultural barriers.  For a large majority (2/3), family incomes are under $28,000.  The TRIO program currently serves 19% Hispanic Americans.

One example of a TRIO funded program is the Groups Student Support service at Indiana University.  Students who are either first generation, have an income that meets guidelines, documented disability or have a need for academic support can apply to the program.  Through Groups, students are taken through a summer experience in courses such as writing, reading, and math and adapt to university life.  Professional staff is available for academic advising, tutoring, financial aid counseling and mentoring.  Through this group, students can join organizations such as an emerging leaders or ambassadors program in order to create a well-rounded experience.

For the upper education Maria wishes to attain, another component of the TRIO program is the Ronald E. McNair Post baccalaureate achievement program.  This allows students to pursue doctoral and graduate studies.  At the University of Central Michigan, the McNair Scholars program is a preparatory system to help students into pursuing graduate school.  Students are required to complete a writing seminar, participate in a summer research institute, work extensively on their research, and work to apply towards schools.  Through this process, it helps undergraduates enhance writing skills, prepare for the GRE, and understand the stresses of graduate school.

One of the items that needs to be emphasized when marketing to these groups of students is the ability to have large goals.  Most undergraduates, do not have the prospect of going to graduate school or beyond unless extremely motivated or introduced to the idea.  With these two programs, these dreams can be met with the help of the government.  These types of services should be placed in the general orientation program of any college and marketed to not only the disadvantaged demographic but expand to educate the whole in order to provide information for all students since as of now, students will be looking for financial and emotional support at college due to the economy.

Office of Postsecondary Education. (2008). Federal TRIO programs. Retrieved October 13 2008, from http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index/html.

Indiana University, Bloomington, (n.d.) Groups student support services. Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://www.indiana.edu/~groups/.

Central Michigan, Mount Pleasant (n.d.) McNair scholars program. Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://www.mcnair.cmich.edu/default.asp

Interview Part I: I'm the first one to go to college...

I was fortunate enough to be able to find a part of my voice at my assistantship site.  In the upcoming weeks I will be able to conduct a interview with a Latino female and through these two interactions, be able to combined the information into a full analysis.  In the short interview, I was able to ask the following questions:

What were your fears?

What surprised you once you got to campus?

What piece of information did you wish you knew now that would have been beneficial in the past?

What services reached out to you?

Analysis:

Joe, as he will be referred to, is currently a freshmen living in one of the halls I oversee.  He noted that since he had friends go off to college, he relied on them to relay him information about classes and workloads.  He feared coming in that he would not be able to handle the classes and it would be hard to adjust quickly.  His parents did not have any background and move-in was a very hectic and stressful event.  He felt comforted by the fact that he had a friend who he met during the orientation process who was in his same building.  What suprised him were how fast friendships and acquaintances were made.  There seemed to be an overwhelming feeling for most students and they seemed to have "the same experiences and reactions" even though they had parents and siblings who went to college.  He admits it is still struggles day-to-day but he knows that his RA, friends, and professors are there if needed.  He wishes that he would have known more about the learning center on campus and the services available for students. He says even though they were covered briefly in orientation, he did not remember information once he arrived and it would have been helpful when he started to struggle initially.

The services that are on campus are common ones such as a learning center, multicultural center, career center etc. He said he thought it may have been more personal once he got on campus but has not had any face-to-face contact with people other than the learning center.   Being proactive is a "large part of adjusting to an adult life", he said.  Though he wished that since it was a smaller university, that staff would take more initiative to meet students beyond hello and a pleasant conversation.

From what I gathered, being a first-generation student can have major struggles. As stated before, there is no checkbox in the application for a first generation student.  If these students can be catered to, in the process, it will only help develop a community of staff who is caring and thoughtful to students who are new to college.  Like anything in life, he and other non-first generation students shared the same experiences and fears.  Working in residence life, using items such as Baxter Magolda's questioning strategies have been important in providing a foundation to begin conversation for both hall director and resident advisor.  Once a student is flagged with a serious issue, for any reason, they are provided with resources and pushed in the right direction.  If faculty and other staff could be shown these strategies it might provide them with a sense of more purpose in one-on-one meetings and that they could have an impact on students outside of academia.

Finding Success

From the visits that Maria had attended, it seemed that she was concerned with the human aggregate over other elements of the environment.  Since she is the first in her family to go to college, she wanted a support group that was nurturing, helpful, and would allow her to grow academically and personally.  What can be taken from the past narrative is how the environment is constructed and the image that each university wants to portray.  Universities and colleges must be aware of the outward appearance they are portraying to future students.  Though each higher education setting has a different set of priorities, each should make the effort to create a welcoming environment to a diverse group of students.

If one was catering to Latinos, one should research at what these students look for and what is needed for success.  In a study conducted by Paul Creason (1994), he was able to find indicators in college that led to success for Latino students.  There were several barriers though that were unique to Latino students.  These included financial stress, family pressure, the curriculum, and being comfortable in the environment.  These success indicators include the following (p. 43-59):

-Strong role models

-A supportive individual

-Family support and their understanding in the education process

-Participation in extra curricular activities

-An understanding of prejudices

-Goal setting

-Leadership that builds confidence

-Demonstrating community service

Maria seemed to experience the appearance of some of these in her tours.  Her parents were treated to advice and talks on financial aid and their educational role.  The personalize experience that she encountered at State University created an instant connection with supportive individuals that could in the future be positive role models and link her to extra curricular activities.  In order to address the struggle with curriculum, colleges should make the effort to create a first year curriculum that helps student transition into college, understand the rules of the university, set goals and priorities, and allow time to access resources on campus that can lead to future leadership opportunities.

Overall, higher education institutions need to be aware of the unique needs of their constituents.  They must make efforts in their policy and curriculum to make accommodations to first generation students.  Though these student have needs that may call for more personalized attention, finding time to make this effort with all students can only provide them with a foundation of success and a closer interaction with faculty and staff.

Creason, P. (1994). An analysis of success indicators for Latino students at Long Beach City College. [Electronic Version]. 1-70.Retrieved October 3, 2008 from EBSCOHost.

Focus on the Family

One of the keys to success in any educational setting is a strong support group to go back home to when a student is in distress.  The question that is poised is: How homogeneous are Latino families as a whole?

With Puerto-Rican Americans, Cuban Americans, South American, and Mexican Americans, Latinos in America are a unique group of individuals that have a wide variety of family structures and environments.  Much of the variance in these families are effected by the level of poverty usually for Latinos being largely in a lower socioeconomic condition than their White and Black counterparts.  Francis Fukuyama's (2001) research  showed that with this poverty, many effects such as single parent households, a higher rate of birth defects, increased drug and alcohol problems, and impoverished living conditions. Though while living largely in poverty, Latino Americans hold a strong work ethic to improve their condition and a devotion to their families (p. 3).

When examining the stigma of the traditional Latino family it is often characterized as a male dominated household.  In Maria's case, being Mexican American, this is slightly altered with the woman being on a pedestal but at the same time thought of as weak.  In Glenn Hawkes and Minna Taylor's (1975) research, they looked  into seeing if this stereotype holds true to the culture.  What was found is that Mexican American families are affected by how connected with they are to their heritage and how acculturated they were to the homogeneous customs and culture (p. 809-810).  For the most part, families are structured as more egalitarian or equal. Both the male and female share power and decision making. Bilingual families were "more likely to be wife-dominated and less...egalitarian" (p. 810).  Urbanization is another factor that controls family structure.  A family that lives with a large Latino population compared to a family living in a White neighborhood, people are more likely to conform to the family structure of their counterparts.

When looking at Maria's family, her parents can be found using more of an egalitarian system for their decision making.  Regardless of a family structure, higher education institutions must be aware of the conditions of traditional ethnic groups .  These families may not have Internet, consistent computer access, or cell phones.  Traditional mail and newsletters may be the only way to advertise to parents and students.  In these family structures, like many families, a strong role model emerges and the need to mirror this in the college setting is especially important for Latino students.  This allows for these students to have a connection to the university and support group in order to establish a foundation to build their college career upon.

Fukuyama, F. (1993). Immigrants and family values. [Electronic Version]. Commentary, 95 (5). 1-7. from EBSCOHost.

Hawkes, G.R., & Taylor, M. (1975) Power Structure in Mexican and Mexican-American Farm Labor Families [Electronic Version]. The Journal of Marriage and Family, 37(4), 807-811. from Google Scholar.