2013
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VOLUME 28
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SPRING/SUMMER
Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education membership participated in the legislative process during the 2013 Conference in Austin. Jesse Bernal, Luis Figueroa, MALDEF attorney and Dr. Jude Valdez led the training session for the Capitol visit. TACHE members were assigned Representatives and Senators to visit and convey the TACHE Public Policy Initiatives for the 2013 Legislative Session. The 82nd Legislature cut higher education by about 18%. These cuts have had a significant negative and disproportionate impact on Hispanic in the educational pipeline in Texas’ future. Therefore, TACHE advanced the following public policy initiatives to elected and appointed officials in the state of Texas: 1) TACHE advocates for the reauthorization and refunding of the Doctoral Incentive Loan Repayment program; 2) TACHE advocates for public policy to restore funding for public colleges and universities to the previous biennium levels; 3) TACHE advocates for public policy to increase funding to previous biennium levels for the Texas Grant and the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant programs; and 4) TACHE advocates for public policy that would require Texas public colleges and universities to demonstrate a strong program that leads to faculty and staff diversity which reflects the institution’s student population. The THECB would annually prepare a progress report on each college and university in Texas and rank them in this area.
George Reyes TACHE President 2013
Dear TACHISTAS, As the 83rd Texas Legislature comes to a close, we can reflect on the successes and in some cases disappointments in the legislation that was passed. The attacks on restricting curriculum in History and resident status of students attending public institutions of higher education were defeated. As a board action, TACHE took a stand in opposing carrying concealed handguns on college campuses. Although this House bill ( HB 972) passed in the Texas House, it was not voted on by the Texas Senate. Bills related to higher education enrollment assistance, public school accountability and math and science scholars loan repayment program were passed and are awaiting the Governor’s signature. TACHE was witness against HB 1938 and for HB 2550. Both had outcomes favorable to TACHE and the students that we support. Unfortunately, SB 1, with many funding issues, was not able to address
the re-authorization of the Doctoral Incentive Loan Repayment Program. TACHE’s legislative committee will continue to press and seek support for this re-authorization by the Legislature. The TACHE Board of Directors and the Regional Representatives continue to meet at our quarterly meetings. We are excited about our plans to host the 39th annual TACHE conference in Ft Worth on February 19-22, 2014. Our theme “Avanzamos Juntos:Shared Success and Prosperity through Higher Education!” will highlight our many accomplishments and goals for the future. Early Bird registration is currently active and I encourage you to join me in registering for our conference. I would like to thank all those who helped host the TACHE Board meeting in San Antonio this past April. Special thanks to San Antonio College for providing a beautiful location at their Koehler House. Dr. Robert Ziegler, Dr. Emma Mendiola, & Dr. Frank Solis
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represented SAC as our hosts as well as the gracious support from Palo Alto College including Dr Daniel Rodriguez and Dr. Mike Flores. Dr. Eyra Perez hosted an information session for the Board at Cafe College and we thank her for her continued support of TACHE. Thank you also goes out to past president of TACHE, Dr. Jude Valdez for his active support. TACHE continues to collaborate with other like organizations in creating coalitions to address legislative issues. It is also forming strategic partnerships as part of TACHE’s strategic plan. Adelante, George Reyes TACHE President 2013
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2013 Distinguished Faculty Awards presented at Annual TACHE Conference
Norseman M. Hernandez
Dr. Maria Hinojosa
Mauricio Rodriguez
Norseman M. Hernandez, M.A. Associate Professor of Spanish Lone Star College Montgomery Campus
Dr. Maria Hinojosa Assistant Professor and Meadows Director Texas A&M University Commerce
Mauricio Rodriguez, M.F.A. Assistant Professor of English El Paso Community College Valle Verde Campus
Norseman Hernandez joined Lone Star College Montgomery five years ago and has been instrumental in taking the Spanish department to new heights. He thinks outside the box and is willing to take risks with his creative ideas and he shows much compassion and empathy for students. Norseman was raised by his grandmother in Honduras. He knows firsthand how hard it can be to succeed. His classes fill up immediately and his teaching methods make students love Spanish. He has a sense of humor and a deep love for his language and culture. In a recent classroom observation by the Dean of Instruction, Dr. Barbara Buchanan and Dr. David Zimmermann, head of the English Department: “He is a remarkable teacher; truly a master teacher.” Hernandez came to Texas from California, where he taught at Riverside Community College, San Bernardino Valley and Cal State University.
Dr. Maria Hinojosa has been in education a long time. She began her career in a secondary setting as a paraprofessional in Corpus Christi ISD; then went on to become a high school composite science teacher. Somewhere along the line she became a high school principal for the Jubilee Academic Center in San Antonio, Superintendent for Benavides ISD before joining the ranks of post-secondary education. Mr. Gilbert Hernandez, Coordinator for the Office of Hispanic Outreach and Student Programs at TAMU Commerce states, Dr. Hinojosa has proven to be an outstanding role model for our student population. In fact, students selected her as the Hispanic Outreach and Student Programs Faculty of the Year. This award honors her dedication, knowledge, and scholarship to Latino students. This award commemorates her endless energy and support to the Latino community.
Mauricio Rodriguez joined El Paso Community College Valle Verde campus fall of 2007. Mauricio is committed to advancing Chicanos in higher education through efforts both inside and outside the classroom. As a professor, Rodriguez seeks to inspire, challenge and engage his students. Even though he is an English professor, his innovative approach was demonstrated when he made Shakespeare accessible to his students by making it relate to their lives, he did this by incorporating his own play “El Homie: Hamlet del Barrio”, which utilized a combination of English, Spanish and Calo, to bring Shakespeare’s Hamlet to life in a contemporary setting. Due to his tenacity and leadership, the Chicano Studies Program at EPCC was established. He grew up disadvantaged and faced many barriers, yet was able to overcome these obstacles and be successful.
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2013 Graduate Fellowship Awards presented at Annual TACHE Conference
David Barrientes
David Barrientos. M.S. El Centro College David is currently enrolled at Texas Tech University pursuing a Doctor of Education in Community College Administration. David says that he was inspired while attending the TACHE conference in Galveston, to see so many Latino leaders make it. During his time in post-secondary settings, David has noticed that Latinos are excited about college; however, they are lacking the preparations and skill set needed to progress toward a degree. This is an area he wants to make a difference in. He also knows firsthand the struggles young Latino students encounter, especially when they have a family. Dr. Stephanie Jones, Assistant Professor of Education at TTU and David’s advisor states that “David has made significant commitment to attaining his education, while working full time and raising a family. Any investment in Mr. Barrientos’ education is money well spent.” ***** Elsa Diego-Medrano, M.Ed. West Texas A&M University Elsa Diego-Medrano is currently a doctoral student at Texas Tech University in the College of Education. As a child of two parent who immigrated to the United States from Mexico, she knew the importance of an education and how necessary it was in order to
Veronica Percera
Sofia Bahena
obtain a better life for oneself. When she was a classroom teacher, she encountered many parents and students who resembled her own situation. She wants to help others, as her principal helped her. Her future goal is to model comprehension strategies to teachers in Title I schools and work with teenage parents, especially Hispanic students, to teach them the importance of reading to their children; and to help teachers learn how to make reading enjoyable, since reading can be the key to a child’s future. ***** Veronica Pecero, B.A., B.S. University of Texas at Austin Veronica is a second year master’s student in the College and University Student Personnel Administration program at UTAustin. Veronica is a first generation, low income Latina student. She comes from a small family consisting of her mother, grandmother and aunt; all three were unable to finish elementary school but have always supported and encouraged her to pursue an education. The experience she has encountered so far has sparked an interest in research on how the role of family affects students’ educational success. She has been fortunate to work under Dr. Victor Saenz’s research initiative, Project MALES, where she has focused on the role of family in Latino male students’ college experience. Her goal is to become an administrator who directs diversity and inclusion program on college campus. TACHE Noticiario
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Elsa Medrano
Sofia Bahena, B.A. Harvard Sofia is currently a doctoral candidate in Culture, Communities and Education at Harvard. She is the only Latina in her cohort and one of very few in the doctoral programs as a whole at Harvard. Sofia is the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents and a product of an inner-city Title I high school in San Antonio. Dr. Arturo Madrid, a former professor at Trinity University has been her mentor throughout her academic journey and along with her family support; she recalls the words they say to her every time she goes off to school. “para representar nuestra gente”. Although she has been away from home for several years now, her heart is still in San Antonio. Upon graduation she is preparing to return to San Antonio and hopes to contribute as a faculty member at one of the six universities in San Antonio.
High School Drop-out Rate at Record Low Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in Rate of College Enrollment by Richard Fry and Paul Taylor Yo u n g H i s p a n i c s D r o p p i n g Out of High School
The newly released October 2012 data from BLS also indicate that young Hispanics are much less likely to drop out of high school than they were in 2000. In October 2012 there were 134,000 Hispanic recent high school dropouts. By definition these were Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds who reported not being enrolled in school in October 2012 but were enrolled a year earlier and did not have a high school diploma. This compares with 101,000 recent Hispanic high school dropouts in October 2000. Although the absolute number of Hispanic recent high school dropouts has risen, there are many more Hispanic students enrolled in school in October 2012 compared with October 2000. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish the number of 16- to 24-yearolds who were enrolled in school last year and did not have a high school diploma, so a precise recent high school dropout rate cannot be tabulated. Instead we can compare the number of dropouts to the size of the high school graduating classes. In October 2000 there were three newly minted Hispanic high school graduates for every one recent Hispanic high school dropout. By October 2012 there were five newly minted Hispanic high school graduates for every one dropout.
tion Statistics, 2013). By O c t o b e r 2 0 11 1 4 % o f H i s panics in this age group were dropouts. Evidence also suggests that Hispanic students are increasingly likely to graduate from high school (in this instance “graduate� refers to those who obtain a regular high school diploma and does not include students obtaining a GED). A recent comprehensive investigation of high school graduation rates finds that 78% of Hispanics graduated from high school in 2010, an increase from 64% in 2000 (Murnane, 2013).
Yo u n g H i s p a n i c s a r e i n creasingly staying in school. By this measure, dropping out also has sharply declined among 16- to 24-year-old whites since 2000. The ratio of black high school graduates to black dropouts has not markedly changed from October 2000 to October 2012. The trends on Hispanic recent school dropouts are consistent with other better known Hispanic dropout statistics. The National Center for Education Statistics reports the high school dropout rate for 16- to 24-yearolds. In October 2000 28% of Hispanic 16- to 24-yearolds were school dropouts according to this measure (National Center for EducaTACHE Noticiario
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For complete report see the article at http://www.pewhispanic.org/ files/2013/05/PHC_college_enrollment_2013-05.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Texas-Association-of-Chicanos-in-HigherEducation/313108929222
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TACHE Executive Board
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Meet Your Regional Representative
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IDRA establishes The José A. Cardenas School of Finance Fellows Program IDRA will select one or more fellows per year who will dedicate themselves to a period of intense study and writing in school finance.
Dr. José A. Cardenas
IDRA’s (Intercultural Development Research Association) has newly-created the José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellows Program. The program is established to honor the memory of IDRA founder, Dr. José Angel Cárdenas. The goal of the program is engage the nation’s most promising researchers in investigating school finance solutions that secure equity and excellence for all public school students. The program will focus on and fund school finance research that builds cross-disciplinary and inter-sector perspectives on equity.
IDRA will hold an annual symposium that includes release of the fellow’s program paper. The paper and findings will be published in the symposium proceedings and disseminated to the education research and policy maker community. Key Dates June 2013 2013-14 Call for Applications released October 15, 2013 Applications due December 6, 2013 Notifications to applicants January-February 2014 Formalize agreements and announce selection Spring-Summer 2014 Fellow, in consultation with IDRA, conducts research and develops initial findings, completes onemonth summer post as Fellow in Residence, and submits research paper Fall 2014 Fellows paper is finalized and symposium planned; application
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process begins for 2015 fellow. Spring 2015 Inaugural IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Symposium is held. The José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellow will be selected for a nine-month period beginning in the winter of 2013. Fellows will receive a stipend of up to $20,000 to include cost of release time, travel and IDRA one-month summer residency. IDRA will provide office space during the residency. For more information on this program and application go to: http://www.idra.org/ Fellows_Program/
The Intercultural Development Research Association is an independent, non-profit organization that is dedicated to assuring educational opportunity for every child.
Membership Levels Professional: $40.00
An employee of a public or private higher education institution or agency.
Associate: $30.00
Any person who shares the purposes and goals of the Association, but is not an employee of a public or private higher education institution or agency.
Student: $10.00
Membership Benefits ■Subscription to our newsletter “Noticiario”. ■Access to local TACHE Chapters. ■Access to your very own TACHE personal page including listserv. ■Bulletin Board. ■Conference registration.
Any person enrolled in a Texas public or private higher education institution and classified as an undergraduate or graduate student.
■Donations and contributions.
Institutional Member:
■Local, state, and national networking events.
Any public or private higher education institution or agency that supports and furthers the goals of the Association. Level 1: $500 - 5 memberships Level 2: $600 - 10 memberships Level 3: $700 - 15 memberships
Membership Period:
Membership begins on September 1 and ends August 31
■Employment opportunities.
■Membership renewal history. ■Printable receipts. ■Personal areas of educational interest, studies, and publications.
Join ONLINE Today:
2013-14 TACHE STATE BOARD MEETING DATES ************ April 19-20, 2013 San Antonio June 21-22, 2013 Corpus Christi September 19-21, 2013 Dallas/Ft. Worth February 19-22, 2014 39th Annual Conference Sheraton Hotel Ft. Worth ************
Online membership registration at www.tache.org
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Texas A&M Corpus Christi & Del Mar CollegeTACHE Chapters participate in the Cesar Chavez March
Texas A&M Corpus Christi & Del Mar College TACHE Chapters particpate in Cesar Chavez March The South Region very active in TACHE. The regional currently host three chapters of TACHE. Chapters are Del Mar College, Laredo Community College and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi.
February they hosted a “Tapas & Sangria” reception fundraiser in conjunction with the Del Mar Drama department’s production of Garcia-Lorca’s BLOOD WEDDING. In April, the Chapter joined TAMU-CC in the Cesar Chavez March.
Dr. Gilda Ramirez, South Region Representative and Dr. Maria Salinas, Co-Rep are both very active in their respective chapters. Some of the activities from the chapters are as follows:
Laredo Community College Chapter
Del Mar College Chapter The chapter collected items for a local nursing home and a women’s shelter. In
The Laredo TACHE Chapter hosted its 2nd Annual 5K Run/ Walk for scholarships and raised over $2,000. The Chapter used the funds raised to award a $1,000 scholarship and two $500 scholarships in April. In May, the Chapter hosted a new membership mixer, which had a great turnout.
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Texas A&M Corpus Chrisit Chapter TAMU-CC is very proud of launching its own chapter website hosted by the university. The Chapter is currently in discussions with other University groups to begin planning events for Hispanic Heritage Month later this year. The Chapter continues to explore ways to increase membership. Chapter members joined with Del Mar College members and participated in the Cesar Chavez march. TAMU-Corpus Christi and TAMU Kingsville were the host locations for the June TACHE Board Meeting.
Fraire recognized for Outstanding Contributions to TACHE Dr. Jacob Fraire was recognized for Outstanding Contributions to TACHE over the years through continued support from TG. The award was presented to Jacob by Dr. Jude Valdez during the Presidents and Dignitaries reception.
Dr. Jose Angel Guitierrez receives TACHE Lifetime Achievement Award Dr. Jose Angel Gutierrez was presented with the TACHE Lifetime Achievement Award for his visionary leadership, inspiration and invaluable service. The award was presented to Jose Angel by Dr. Arturo Madrid during the Presidents and Dignitaries reception.
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38th Annual Conference Sponsors & Supporters Diamond
Silver
West Texas A&M University
Angelo State University Baylor University
Platinum
Lone Star College-Kingwood
Austin Community College
San Jacinto College District
Texas Guaranteed Corporation
Texas A&M University-College Station
Dallas County Community College District Laredo Community College Tarrant County College District Texas A&M University-Commerce The University of Texas at Austin
Editor’s Corner Deadline Information
Texas State University-San Marcos
Spring Issue - Content due by April 1 Fall Issue - Content due by August 1
Texas Tech University
Publication Dates
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Gold
Maria C. Aguirre-Acuna VP of Communications
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
The University of Texas-San Antonio University of Houston-Downtown University of North Texas-Denton Latinos in Higher Ed
Fall/Winter Issue - October Please submit items for consideration in the following electronic format:
Single space 12 point font Microsoft Word Maximum of 2500 words Longer articles may be subject to edit in consultation with author. Pictures must be JPEG format, high resolution
E-mail articles or information to mariaa@tache.org or maria.aguirre@tstc.edu
Official Airlines of Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education
TACHE Noticiario
Spring/Summer Issue - June
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I invite you to send me your ideas, suggestions or any items you would like considered for publication in our newsletter. I would ask that you submit your items in the following electronic format: Single space 12 point font
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Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education
P. O. Box 398 Canyon, TX 79015 806-651-5350 WWW.TACHE.ORG