DENVER — Throughout Colorado, about 13 of the state's 62 colleges and universities have earned a special, federally-recognized designation of Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are defined as not-for-profit institutions of higher learning where at least 25% of the student population identifies as Hispanic or Latino.
“Becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution was a very intentional process. It started before me, it started back in the late 2000s. Around, ’06, ’07 when this institution and its leadership started to think intentionally about shifting demographics here in Denver and some of the broader metropolis, and decided, what it means to not only tap into that culture, but you know, how are we serving our community and how it's shifting and evolving,” said Michael Benitez, the vice president of Diversity and Inclusion at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
MSU Denver has exceeded the metrics required for the HSI designation.
“We're at, I think, about 34% Latino/Hispanic students here. Part of it… is the university's intention to recruit and sustain a diverse student body,” Benitez said. “We got to thinking about who exactly is around us? Who are we serving, who fills the neighborhoods? How do we see ourselves as part of a community? Not necessarily the other way around.”
MSU Denver Junior, Paul Guzman, said diversity and affordability led to his decision to attend the school.
“I mean, I love it. So I went to to Adams City High School in Commerce City, and we had a pretty large Hispanic population within my school," Guzman said. "So coming here, I didn't feel much of a change. I feel included here."
But not all students at state schools experience the feeling of inclusion.
Fighting for inclusive spaces
University of Colorado Boulder Senior Andrea Barrón-Salazar said she didn’t initially feel welcome on her campus.
“My first year was during the Zoom year, during COVID” Barrón-Salazar said. “Sophomore year, like actually seeing all of these, like young people, I really realized how white Boulder is. And I think that's when I started to like struggle and like I started to get like impostor syndrome a lot during this time.”
Barrón-Salazar said she grew in North Denver.
“So I was always around by prominent groups of people of color,” she said. “I remember going to CSU and UNC. And they had these cultural spaces for all like their variety of students. And so in my head, like I kind of figured CU had one too. And I remember looking for those spaces at CU and nothing came up. All the multicultural frats and sororities came up… but like in terms of spaces, like nothing came up. So I think that's what really shocked me.”
CU Boulder, the state’s largest university, is not considered an HSI.
The university’s latest statistics show 12.6% of CU Boulder students identify as Hispanic or Latino even though Latino students makeup 35% of all kindergarten through 12th students in the state.
CU boulder declined an interview but sent us a statement which reads in part:
"CU Boulder continues to make meaningful progress toward closing the higher education equity gap for Colorado students who identify as Hispanic, Latine, Latina, Latino, Latinx or Latin. We admit and make every effort to recruit all students who are academically qualified per the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s admissions guidelines. We recognize that we have more to do to ensure that every academically qualified Hispanic/Latino student who seeks to attend and graduate from CU Boulder can and will succeed in doing so, and we are committed to doing more and doing better.Regarding our efforts to attract and retain a diverse student body:
- Academic preparation is key for students who are thinking about going to college. Our precollege programs begin in seventh grade, working with students and their families to determine which classes to take so that they’re college ready.
- We work in geographically diverse communities around the state in 25 high schools and 23 middle schools, serving some 1,000 families per year.
- For the past 40 years, our precollege programs have served more than 30,000 Colorado students––many of them first-generation Hispanic/Latino students from communities around the state. The programs focus on first-generation students and their families to make college more accessible.
· CU Boulder engages in outreach and admissions visits in Colorado high schools around the state, including high schools located in historically underserved communities with diverse student populations. In accordance with federal regulations, these efforts are open to all students.
· To make college more accessible, we offer programs starting in middle school to first-generation, low-income students and their families from geographically diverse communities.
· Additionally, CU Boulder has $275,000 marked in the pending federal omnibus bill for first-generation outreach programs in Fort Morgan and the San Luis Valley, two Colorado regions with historically underserved populations."
But Barrón-Salazar said more needs to be done.
“I've heard this little rumor going around that, like CU wants to be a Hispanic Serving Institution and I just don't see that happening unless we start getting like, these spaces,” Barron-Salazar said.
Barrón-Salazar said after almost four years on campus, she's found ways to connect with other Latino students through the organization UMAS y MEChA.
“I'm the current co-treasurer and I got involved last year, around the time that we were like, planning out our national conference. And I think that has also like, really helped me, just because I grew up in like, these areas with big Latino, Hispanic populations, so it was really hard coming here and not having that, specifically. And so it has helped me a lot in terms of us like, coming together,” Barrón-Salazar said.
UMAS y MEChA is a political student group that started in 1968 to fight for Latino students rights but then and now, it’s also a social outlet.
“Some people don't want to be into like activist work, which is fine,” Barrón-Salazar said. “We also tried to include fun game nights."
Barrón-Salazar said she hopes in the future, UMAS y MEChA and other Latino student groups will have a permanent physical space on campus to hold those game nights.
MSU Denver earns new certification
Benitez said MSU Denver's goal is to continue exceeding expectations when serving its diverse student population.
On Friday, MSU Denver became the first higher-education institution in Colorado to receive the Seal of Excelencia, a designation honoring universities that have increased enrollment, retention, and graduation rates for Hispanic students.
“We have it for three years. So we have to demonstrate in the next three years that we're not only sustaining, but that we're growing...it's not necessarily an award, but it is a national certificate, of credibility, that signals to stakeholders, constituents and legislators, that we're doing some excellent work here at MSU Denver, with the Latino population and the students at-large,” Benitez said.
MSU Denver is one of just nine universities or colleges nationwide to become newly certified with the seal this year.
