A menos que sepa el idioma español, es probable que no pueda leer esto.*
Every year, we deny thousands of Latinx students’ equitable access to higher education by producing college-going information exclusively in English. As colleges and universities across the United States see their enrollment numbers drop, creating equal access will become more critical to the existence of these institutions.
By 2032, the number of high school graduates will drop due to lower birth rates in the U.S. The decline in graduates means fewer potential college-going students will be in the “educational pipeline,” ultimately impacting the tuition dollar revenue for postsecondary institutions. Historically, colonized systems only change when the money says to.
To create equitable access to Latinx students, the conversation must shift from, “If you want to go to college, come to us,” to “Let us meet you where you are, with helpful, relevant and familiar content, and help you earn your college degree.”
Increasing the college enrollment rate of students from Latinx communities increases tuition revenues and could increase salaries for underpaid staff at postsecondary institutions.
Providing Latinx students and their families with Spanish college-going information is arguably a constitutional right, according to the 14th Amendment, which unequivocally requires the right of equal access to public schooling systems. Translated materials that are culturally relevant are essential to ensuring Latinx students have the tools to make an informed choice on postsecondary education.
The U.S. population continues to grow more diverse. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the Latinx population grew from 50.5 million, 16.3% of the U.S. population, in 2010, to 62.1 million (18.7%) in 2020. In 2018, it was reported by the National Center for Education Statistics that 23% of Hispanic/Latinx students under 18 years of age lived in a household where neither parent completed high school. Excelencia in Education reported that 44% percent of all Latinx students were first-generation college students during the 2015 – 2016 academic year.
The data provide sufficient evidence that nearly half of Latinx students will be the first in their families to navigate the college-going process. At the same time, they are negotiating the new college-going information and process with their parents’ feedback and opinion.
Contemplate making the most significant financial investment of your life, as a teenager, without knowing the details of your investment. You can’t ask your parents for support because the investment details are in an unfamiliar language to them. If you are not familiar with the details of a multi-thousand-dollar investment, you likely won’t invest. Yet, every year, we ask thousands of Latinx teenage students to make this unfamiliar investment when encouraging college but provide them with college-going information exclusively in English.
Postsecondary institutions that strive for diversity, equity and inclusion must hire Spanish-speaking professionals to create Spanish college-going information for Latinx students and their families. While not ideal, in the meantime, colleges could use low-cost translation software to translate the materials digitally, then upload the translated materials to their website, place a QR code on their English language materials, and have that QR code direct Latinx students and their families to the translated copies of the materials to view online.
This information is known to admissions professionals throughout Utah. How do I know? Last summer, I presented this matter at the UACRAO (Utah Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) conference to over 200 postsecondary education professionals. Still, to this day, college-going information is not widely available in Spanish.
* If you are wondering, the first line of this essay translates to: “Unless you know the Spanish language, you probably won’t be able to read this.”
I do not speak fluent Spanish, but I translated it online for free in less than a minute.
Gary P. Duran
Gary P. Duran is a graduate student studying higher education leadership at Weber State University with plans to pursue a Ph.D. He has seven years of professional experience working in higher education, working his way to a senior admissions counselor position before resigning January.
