Latina-Based Sororities Consider Ways to Support Fellow Hispanic Students

The sense of belongingness is very important, especially for a college student that belongs to a minority group. Universities and colleges must establish different programs that cultivate acceptance of the diverse culture of their students. Each student must feel that they are accepted in the school's community as it is a big factor for their success.

It is indeed true that the number of Latinos and Hispanics living in the United States is growing. Most of these minority groups are looking for a better future through acquiring a higher education. In the past few years, it has been observed that the number of Hispanic college students is growing rapidly.

In a published article, the Missouri Lawyers Weekly reports that there are challenges encountered by students coming from minority groups such as looking for a circle of friends and this is can be quite intimidating. This is the reason why Pittsburg State University's new Latina-based sorority is bringing a local chapter to Missouri schools.

A music education major, Salvadorean Nathalie Vasquez, said that this strategy is just like a lighthouse in by the ocean which means that this will help to give hope to the Hispanics and Latinos and to help them feel that they belong in the university.

One of the strategies and efforts made by schools across the country, amidst the growing number of Hispanic students, is the establishment of PSU's Lambda Pi Upsilon sorority. This is to ensure that Hispanic students are psychologically supported in higher education.

According to the 2019 Condition of Education report from the U.S. Department of Education, Hispanic students have made educational strides over that past several decades. The percentage of school-aged Hispanic children has increased from 16 percent to 25 percent and this is between the turn of the century and 2016. In 2016, schools with more than 50 percent of Hispanic students were higher compared to the data gathered in 2000.

It was also observed that Hispanic students are more likely to stay in high school and continue their education in higher and postgraduate studies. A significant increase of 67 percent of high school students who go immediately in to college was observed compared to only 49 percent in 2000. The number of Hispanic students in higher education establishments has doubled from 1.4 million in 2000 to 3.3 million in 2017. Moreover, the number of Hispanic students who were enrolled in post-graduate programs also doubled from 111,000 in the year 2000 to an estimated 275,000 in 2017.

However, despite the increase of Hispanic students in the Missouri universities, it is still undeniable that their white counterparts are still the majority number of students enrolled every year from 2000 to 2017. And only a few Hispanics end up with degrees like many of their peers. In 2018, only 31 percent of Hispanics attained at least an associate degree while 54 percent of white students reached the same milestone. And 21 percent of Hispanics have at least a Bachelor's degree compared to 44 percent of white students.

A report from the Educational Trust said: "Public colleges and universities must be equitably accessible to all U.S. residents and have student bodies and graduates that mirror the racial and ethnic demographics of the states in which they reside and the existing racial and ethnic disparities in college degree attainment, America's rising diversity and the increasing number of jobs that require some form of postsecondary education only make this issue more pressing. Demographic trends suggest that Latinos are the racial and ethnic group that will factor most prominently in this equation."

The effort of Pittsburg University to establish a Latina-based sorority is greatly appreciated in the community. They are only the third in the Midwest following the Wichita State University and the University of Illinois. Deatrea Rose, the director of the student diversity program, said: "They aspired to strengthen the representation of students of color, particularly the women of color on campus, through cultural awareness and academic enrichment."

What exactly is a Latina-based sorority?

The Latina-based sorority was established at the University of New York at Geneseo in 1992. It works according to its founding principles which are to educate others about the fallacy of the negative stereotypes that surround the Latino community, to act as role models, to emphasize the value and importance of education, and most of all is to work for the advancement of all women. In its newest initiative, the sorority is not only open for Hispanic women, but also women from other racial groups.

Vasquez said: "The goal that we have is just to give a home to the girls that want to join Greek life but don't feel very welcome or comfortable with the sororities already established on campus and we want to be able to provide more of a home to these girls where we can share similar values and struggles."

The U.S. Department of Education said that there are more Hispanics who are pursuing college and this is because the Hispanic community appeared to have changed their mindset about higher education.