Final Assessment Report 12

ASSESSING THE LATINO RESOURCE CENTER Northern Illinois University

Julie Griffith Aiyana Hamilton Deyci Ramirez Javier Rodriguez Melanie Sandoval

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Executive Summary This comprehensive report examines the findings of the Latino Resource Center (LRC) at Northern Illinois University (NIU). The Group Assessment Project (GAP) Team conducted this assessment report to identify the following: 

How current enrolled Latino students at NIU are using LRC space and services

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How Mid-American Conference (MAC) higher education institutions attract and support their Latino students in comparison to NIU by analyzing a benchmarking website analysis

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How potential issues may affect marketing efforts and recommend ways to leverage LRC visibility to reach a wider audience

In our inaugural meeting with Luis Santos Rivas, the Latino Resource Center Director, he shared his primary objective with the GAP team. In his request, Mr. Santos expressed that he wanted the GAP team to evaluate how to raise visibility of the services offered at the LRC and connect more students to the center. In order to meet the needs and expectations of our client, first, the GAP Team strategized the best way to approach this assessment project. Second, the team shared their strategic plan with Dr. Kortegast and asked for recommendations and feedback on the data-collection tools we selected. The GAP team believed the most effective data analysis methods used to collect, organize, analyze and report information were: Qualtrics survey, benchmarking, website analysis and interviews/focus groups. These distinctive data assessment methods allowed the GAP team to retrieve robust information in various forms as well as reach a wide audience to determine common themes or characteristics that may emerge from each data-collection method. The methods also helped the GAP Team to strategize and share recommendations, results and findings to improve the LRC’s visibility on campus.

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INTRODUCTION The Latino Resource Center (LRC) at Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a cornerstone resource that is committed to supporting, recruiting, retaining and providing resources to Latino students. The purpose of the LRC is to serve as a tool for Latino students in their pursuit of a higher education degree at NIU, and students often refer to the LRC as their “home away from home”. This comprehensive report conducted on the Latino Resource Center will present the findings that the Group Assessment Project (GAP) Team collected.

LITERATURE REVIEW Providing students with the appropriate support is vital to the success of Latino students at institutions of higher education. Latinos are the largest, non-White, youngest, and fastest-growing U.S. racial/ethnic population, but their college attainment rates remain the lowest of all ethnic groups (Swail, Cabrera & Lee, 2004). According to research (Baker & Robnett, 2012; Verdugo, 2006), Latino students are less likely than students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds to stay enrolled in college and are, therefore, less likely to earn a college degree. Verdugo (2006) noted, “by 2004, the Hispanic dropout rate had declined to 23.8 percent, while the white rate dropped to 6.8 percent” (p. 8). Clearly, more resources are needed for these students, and Latino student organizations can help provide support both before and during the university experience.

Evolving History of Cultural Centers Finding research documenting the exact date of the conception of multicultural resource centers is vague. However, according to Lori D. Patton (2010), the historical context for creating Black Cultural Centers (BCC) dates back to the 1960’s and 1970’s. During this pivotal era, student protests on various issues in America, especially systemic racism and civil rights, were prevalent on college campuses. The history of cultural centers is rooted in a struggle for underrepresented students to hold

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higher education institutions, specifically predominantly white institutions (PWIs), accountable to create spaces of their own (Patton, 2010). With students’ stance to resist discrimination, voice their concerns, fight for civil rights, and build community and a support system, multicultural centers served as a catalyst for safe spaces where various ethnic and underrepresented groups who share identities could interact socially and celebrate and support each other. As noted by Patton (2010), culture centers have cemented themselves with nearly a 60-year history, yet much remains to be learned about their historical content and historical roots. Over the years, the role of cultural centers at PWIs has evolved. The renewed demands for adequate and equal space and resources on campus are reminiscent of those from the civil rights era. Resources and sustainability of Latino cultural centers have provided a unique and empowering space for Latino students to experience college life. A culture center is often the only space on campus to offer a holistic learning experience allowing Latino students to explore racial/ethnic identity development and engage in social justice activism (for example, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), community outreach, academic mentoring, alumni outreach and many other aspects of students’ lives (Patton, 2010). Patton’s research shows that more PWIs are placing cultural centers on campuses, but the sustainability and distribution of equitable resources and funding are always questionable. Latino cultural centers operate under various organizational models depending on the historical, social, political and cultural context of an institution at the time the center was established (Patton, 2010). As centers become more established on campuses, instilling value, deep understanding and buy-in amongst administrators is essential to the growth of the cultural centers. Moreover, employing students as assistants to engage them in community outreach efforts and programming is also effective in ensuring that Latino cultural centers are a pillar on campus. It is important to note that without a full-time staff, cultural centers cannot serve and operate at their full capacity to address the needs of students and, more importantly, become a vital part of the institution. The message that an institution

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does not value the Latino or any other cultural center will become vividly clear to students without the essential support to sustain resources (Patton, 2010). Additionally, providing funding to resource centers leads to improving campus climate, proving emotional support and great collaborative efforts for institutions to recruit students. These strategies will lead to affecting the centers’ abilities to serve students and promote an inclusive environment at PWIs.

Social Support of Latino Students in Higher Education Social support for Latino students is a crucial factor that plays a huge part in the development of students’ success. Smedley, Myers, and Harrell (1993) reported that minority freshmen exhibit considerable psychological sensitivity to the campus social climate, including interpersonal tensions with White students and faculty and actual or perceived experiences of racism and discrimination. The pressure students feel to fit in needs to be balanced with a grounding of students in their own cultures. It is imperative that peers and faculty support and provide marginalized students with an outlet from the interpersonal tensions and actual or perceived experiences of racism and discrimination they experience with white students and faculty. A cultural center provides marginalized students with relief from the considerable psychological sensitivity they exhibit in response to the campus social climate. It allows the students to learn and grow in a place where they are constantly supported by others they identify with. LRC’s can aid in social support by cultivating school climate, promoting a sense of belonging, empowering students culturally, and fostering leadership. Cultivating School Climate. School climate can be defined as the views that are held by staff and students about one another (Verdugo, 2006, p. 30). If students do not feel welcomed by the staff that is responsible for assisting them, then this may cause students to leave the institution without completing their degree. The National Education Association (NEA) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) summit in 2006 resulted in the following recommendations for policy makers in this area: 1) Foster research that will analyze and break down barriers that keep Hispanic

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students out of college. 2) Encourage professional and curricular development at the university level that will increase cultural sensitivity. 3) Offer mentoring programs for Hispanic students and their families that teach them how to get into and stay in college, and that encourage students to grow in their areas of strength (Verdugo, 2006). Delgado-Romero and Hernandez (2002) clearly noted that Latino student organizations can play key roles in higher education institutions by helping identify the academic needs of their students and helping with the recruitment and retention processes. Promoting a sense of belonging. The sense of belonging construct, as explained by Nuñez (2009), allows for students to be impacted by influences not only on but off the campus. Family and other religions, geographical or social groups provide emotional and social support that can be thought of as a form of social capital and can help students advance academically. Additionally, Nunez (2009) noted that Latino students make sense of belonging in class discussions, cross-cultural interactions, diversity curricula, and community service. A sense of belonging helps students’ intentions to persist in the first year and beyond. Hurtado and Carter contended that students’ sense of belonging is a key factor in understanding how academic and social experiences impact students. They noted that “among the students who reported racial-ethnic tension on campus, those who belonged to racial-ethnic student organizations had relatively higher levels of a sense of belonging with the overall community than did students who were not members of these organizations” (1997, pp. 335-336). LRCs can play a crucial role in helping students feel a sense of belonging on campus while encouraging them to stay connected to offcampus support systems. The support these students receive will ultimately affect their desire to continue with an institution or go home without completing their degrees. Empowering students culturally. Cultural empowerment targets interventions at a systemic level rather than pointing out individual students or groups of students. “Culture can and should be used as a positive force to empower Hispanic students and enrich the lives of all students” (DelgadoRomero & Hernandez, 2002, p. 148). Staff, faculty, alumni and community members consulting

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together for the benefit of Latino students can create ways for them to incorporate their culture and create an ethnic presence on campus. The goal is to nurture their identities rather than dis-assimilating them. Latino students can make a dramatic impact on campus culture and life. Finding avenues to incorporate their art, language, music, cuisine, media and literature will enrich and transform America (Verdugo, 2006). LRCs can act as a catalyst by promoting efforts to use available people and resources, creating avenues to empower students. It is essential that advisors perform a vital role in creating relationships and pathways that foster their support. Fostering leadership. According to Delgado-Romero and Hernandez, leadership gives Latino students a “sense of prestige, power, and pride” (2002, p. 152). Giving students a place to lead promotes social support by creating a space for a sense of cultural pride and promoting a sense of accomplishment for cultural competency. Leadership in Latino student organizations needs mature mentors, and amateur student leaders may over commit, causing burnout, or fail to delegate, leaving a hard-to-fill void after they graduate or move on. In spite of these challenges, LRCs remain a primary place for Latino students to develop their leaderships skills and an essential part of academic and social support in the lives of Latino students.

ASSESSMENT DESIGN In order to assess the current services offered by the LRC, the GAP Team conducted three data collection methods. First, we designed and administered a Qualtrics survey. This survey was distributed to 2829 students who self-identified as Latino/a on their NIU admissions application. We received 490 responses. Secondly, a benchmarking website analysis was conducted to examine how NIU is leveraging operational resources in comparison to out-of-state MAC institutions. We also examined other Illinois universities who provide resources to Latino students. Lastly, the GAP Team facilitated student focus group sessions. Each session consisted of undergraduate students ranging from freshmen to seniors who participate in various student organizations that are associated with the

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LRC. Through these assessment methods, our goal was to gain in-depth knowledge and awareness of students’ perspectives and experiences and learn how other colleges leverage their resources to recruit, retain and serve Latino students.

Qualtrics Survey: To assess how the Latino students at NIU are utilizing the LRC and the services that it provides, our group conducted a Qualtrics survey that was sent out to all the Latino students at NIU (undergraduate, graduate and law students). Survey questions were adapted from the College Student Experiences Questionnaire and the 2018 Your First College Year Survey and can be found in Appendix A. We included 29 questions that consisted of demographic questions, questions about the institution, questions about the LRC, and the students’ overall satisfaction. The questions were a mix of multiple choice, multiple choice with a Likert-type scale, and text entry. The survey took three to five minutes to complete. The director of the Latino Center, Luis Santos Rivas, was responsible for emailing the survey to all self-identified Latino students currently enrolled at NIU.

Benchmarking: The second data-collection method used in this project was a benchmarking website analysis. This method allowed the GAP team to observe and examine, from afar, how out-of-state MAC institutions and in-state Illinois universities are operationalizing their services to leverage their resources in order to serve students and raise visibility and marketing efforts of their cultural centers. We analyzed a total of 10 universities in comparison to NIU. To retrieve information and address outstanding questions, we called and emailed institutions and viewed their websites. Our strategy led us to frame the information into the following categories:  

Overall Student Population Latino Population

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       

Hours of Operation Social Media Website Full-Time Staff Graduate Assistants/Student Staff Programming Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Contact Information

The goal of this website analysis was to examine how LRC operating services are comparable to other institutions to attract and support their Latino students. This data is located in Appendix B.

Focus Group: Finally, we conducted several focus groups that were composed of student leaders from various student organizations associated with the LRC but with minimal involvement with the center. We were able to interview seven organizations and ask them six questions that touched on their involvement, lack of involvement, use of the center, comfort with using the center for hosting events, causes that would encourage them to use the center more often, their personal perspective about the culture of the center, and suggestions that they felt could help the center become more visible to the Latino Community at NIU. The organizations consisted of social (Greek), cultural, professional, academic, and advocacy organizations. The focus group interviews lasted between thirty and sixty minutes and consisted of one to three members of each organization present. We had one facilitator, two recorders, and one person controlling the time clock. Before conducting each interview, the participants were read a script and asked questions that can be found in Appendix C.

RESULTS Qualtrics Survey To assess how the Latino students at NIU are utilizing the LRC and the services that it provides, we conducted a Qualtrics Survey that was sent out to all the Latino students at NIU (undergraduate, graduate and law students). After conducting the survey, we received a total of 490

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responses which provided us with a lot of feedback regarding students’ perspectives. It was interesting to see that 34% of the respondents are commuters while 43% live off campus and only 23% live in the residence halls. When asked if they felt part of the Latino community at NIU, 21% strongly agreed, 40% agreed, 26% disagreed and 14% said that they did not feel part of the community at all. Students were also asked if they felt valued at NIU, and 13% said that they strongly agreed, 66% agreed, 17% disagreed and 4% strongly disagreed. We also asked about how often they use the LRC to study and we found that 78% of the respondents do not use it at all versus 22% that do use it to study. We also found that about 74% of the respondents said that they never meet with the staff at the LRC versus 26% that state they meet with the staff often for various reasons. It was interesting to see that the respondents stated that even though some of them meet with the LRC staff, it is rarely to discuss personal concerns since 84% of the respondents stated that they never discuss personal concerns with the LRC staff. Only 18% of the respondents stated that they have some type of leadership role within organizations connected with the LRC while 82% stated that they had no leadership role with the LRC. Structure of the Center. Some of the respondents also stated some concerns with the way that the LRC conducts business. Some stated that the LRC hosts events heavily run by Greek organizations. They also stated that the LRC needs to do better to host events hosted by the LRC itself and not rely so much on the Greek organizations. Some respondents also stated that the center should also try to create professional development opportunities for students (especially for their graduate students). Graduate students stated that the center is very focused on catering to the undergraduate students while many of them feel that there is no place for graduate students at the center. Some students also stated that they are confused about the services that the center offers because business at the center seems to be very disorganized. Visibility of the Center through Social Media. When it comes to the visibility of the center, about 34% of the respondents stated that they found out about the LRC through a counselor or a friend while only 3% stated that they found out through social media. About 12% located the LRC through

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website information, and only 16% stated that they found out about the it through fliers. This reaffirms that the LRC needs to use social media more often to have a bigger presence with the Latino community. It also means that the LRC needs to make sure that they create a bigger partnership with the faculty and staff on campus since many of them are the people sending these students to the LRC. Creating a stronger partnership is vital to the continuous success of the LRC. The more that the staff at NIU is aware of the resources that the center offers, the more that they can advocate for students to visit the LRC. Creating a More Inclusive Environment. Even though 59% of the respondents stated that they feel valued by the LRC, there seems to be a huge discussion with their participation. The respondents had many suggestions to make the LRC more accessible to all students. Many respondents suggested that the LRC should make more evening events, reach out more through social media and fliers around campus, and promote all organizations associated with the LRC. Some of the respondents also suggested that the LRC should extend their hours of business since it currently closes at 4:30 pm. They would also like to see more volunteer opportunities hosted by the LRC. Respondents suggested to hire a staff of students that is more diverse, so that students from other student organizations do not feel like their presence is not validated. Another suggestion was for the center to make sure that it has friendlier faces welcoming the visitors, because many have felt unwelcomed by the current student staff at the center. Respondents also suggested for the LRC to host more events and not rely on the Greek organizations to host these events, because not all students want to be associated with Greek organizations. They also suggested for the center to be more organized with the events that they host so that the events are not hosted and promoted last minute. Another common suggestion for the LRC was that it was time for new leadership of student staff and students running organizations such as LSA, SOL, De Mujer a Mujer, etc.

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Benchmarking through Website Analysis To assess how other institutions are connecting and supporting their Latino students, we conducted a website analysis of seven universities that belong to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and four universities that are considered NIU’s competitors to recruit Latino students for enrollment. Through our website analysis, we found that many of the institutions that we researched did not have a stand-alone building. When comparing NIU to other MAC institutions, NIU was the only MAC school that had its own stand-alone center that catered to Latino students. Thus NIU is similar to other MAC schools in our analysis, specifically in the overall population category, it is important to note that NIU has almost three times more Latino students than other schools. Meaning, NIU serves over 3,000 self-identified Latino students, which is 17.9 percent of the student population. In addition, we learned that Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) also serves over 3,000 Latino students, and they have earned the federal classification being a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Both NIU and NEIU currently serve over 3,000 students, yet NEIU has a lower overall student population. These numbers impacted NEIU significantly and it bolstered their progress to achieve HIS status. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) also serves over 3,000 Latino students, but they fall short of being classified as an HSI due to their larger overall population of students. NIU in Comparison to Other In-state Universities. In a comparison to NIU’s biggest in-state competitors, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the only other institution that has a stand-alone building. Northeastern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, and University of Illinois-Chicago all have a Latino Cultural Center, but they all stated that they do not have a standalone building. Their hours of operation are all very similar to those of NIU which consist of an 8 am 4:30 pm schedule. When it comes to social media presence, it looks like more schools are active only through their webpage, YouTube and Facebook. Some school also implemented Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Linked, Flickr and Pinterest to help their centers to connect and stay relevant to the students’ social media needs. NIU only has a social media presence on Facebook and YouTube. Since our

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website analysis, the LRC has added an Instagram page to their social media presence. It should be noted that social media is constantly evolving, and it requires a lot of time to invested in marketing and maintaining all social media platforms. With limited staff at the center, this may impose a challenge for the LRC to manage, engage and cultivate their social media presence.

Full-Time Staff Members and Services Offered. When it comes to comparing institutions regarding full-time staff, most schools have anywhere from one to ten full-time staff members. The centers with the lowest staff members are compensated by the number of student workers and graduate students currently serving at the institutions. Most of the services offered at these institutions tend to be surrounded around multicultural dialogues, social justice issues, multicultural showcases and even annual Latino/a/x student conferences. Other programmatic services include promoting events that revolve around cultural celebrations and recruitment initiatives of high school and college students. Institutions host events that focus on Latino civil rights, advocacy organization, education attainment, community affairs, professional networking, mentorship, scholarships, Latino Summit, and DACA resources.

Focus Group The Latino Resource Center at NIU currently has a total of 22 organizations that are associated with the center. The organizations range from cultural, social/Greek, faith-based, advocacy and professional organizations. Through our assessment, we conducted several focus groups in which we had the opportunity to speak to members of various organizations and ask them questions about their involvement or lack of involvement with the LRC. We interviewed members from a total of seven organizations. Those organizations included academic, advocacy, cultural and Greek organizations. Through our focus group we were able to speak to members of organizations that use the LRC often as well as organizations that limit their involvement with the center.

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Cultivating School Climate. The organizations that have a tight connection to the center share about how great their experience of the center is and how much they enjoy calling the center their home away from home. The organizations that expressed the most comfort with hosting events and using the center are members of the mentoring/support/advocacy and honor society organizations. Organizations that are very involved with the center stated how easy it is for them to connect with the full-time staff and student staff at the center. Furthermore, the organizations that expressed the least connection with the center were the social Greek affiliated organizations associated with the LRC. These organizations stated that they limit their involvement due to their members not feeling welcomed by the student staff at the center. The organizations with the least involvement spoke about the how the only people that welcome them are the full-time staff members at the center. Some of that welcoming experience derives from their personal affiliation to those staff members since those staff members serve as faculty advisors for their respective organizations. Creating a Sense of Belonging. We also learned that organizations that limit their association with the center reduce their time because they also feel like their voice is not heard by the full-time staff members of the center. Some of the respondents felt that only certain voices that are validated are those same voices that also hold positions as student staff members at the center. One of the students stated, “There is no place at the center unless you are a member of certain organizations. Nobody wants to go to the center because when non-Greek students go to the center, they automatically feel like they are being recruited by the organizations of the student workers. It feels like, if you don’t want to be a part of those organizations, then you don’t have a place at the center”. Some of the Greek students stated that, “the center needs to try to make sure that they offer programs that allow nonGreek students to feel like they are valued on campus”. All the Greek organizations feel very comfortable with reserving rooms and hosting their annual events there, but they limit their requests due to the unwelcome feeling that they experience by

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the dominant student organizations. One of the Greek members stated the following, “My org. feels that the people already hosting events there give a vibe that makes us feel unwelcome, like they have control over it, and it pushes the other organizations out.” Another student stated, “As president, we were required to go to a meeting at the LRC. They stated that those who went to that meeting would have priority with scheduling events. We attended the first meeting. We are a very small org., and we have class or work, so we couldn’t really go to the weekly meetings, and therefore we were told that we didn’t have a say.” When asked if they had been given an option of time and dates of meetings the students stated the following: “No, for example, your meeting options are Nov. 14 at 5:00, 6:00 or th

7:00 pm. You voted on the time, but if you couldn’t come on the date, you wouldn’t be prioritized.” There was also a sense that the information presented at the meeting was not presented by the full-time staff but rather it was presented by the student leaders at the center. A student stated that the demands that were presented to the Greek organizations by the student staff at the center would have been more accepted by the Greek organizations had the information been presented by the director of the LRC or by the assistant director and not by the students that “dominate” their presence at the center. There seems to be a need from students that seek for the director to take a bigger role in the center in setting expectations for these organizations and not allowing one organization to dominate over another. Students stated that the center needs to be more professional when hosting events and be considerate of people's time. One student stated, “They shouldn’t be promoting events the day of the event. That is not enough time to attend. For example, the other day the center hosted a pumpkin carving event. Nobody knew about that event other than the people affiliated with the organizations that dominate the center. They need to do better with promoting their events so that more of us can attend, not just some.” The students stated that they would be more responsive to meeting the needs of the center if they felt more welcomed. Creating a sense of belonging for the students would generate more student traffic to the center which in turn would create a center that fosters community for all students.

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Fostering Leadership. Despite the involvement of organizations at the center, one thing is certain, students want to feel validated. The students that are very involved with the center enjoy having a sense of belonging and a place to call their home away from home. They seem to enjoy that the center validates their presence and their leadership. The Greek organizations that have a disconnection from the center also have a need for their presence to be validated but feel that the center can do more to ensure that their leadership, voice and presence are valued. In order for these student organizations to foster leadership, the center needs to ensure that all student voices are validated. If students feel that they have a place to call home, they will feel more inclined to give back to their community through the opportunities offered at the LRC.

DISCUSSION Student’s sense of belonging is a decisive factor in making meaning on the impact that their academic and social experiences have (Hurtado & Carter, 2017). Cultural resource centers, like the LRC, were created for students to gain a support system and tools to help their graduation attainment which is why this assessment is a critical tool that will help the LRC meet their goal of better serving their NIU Latino students and community. After comparing the results that were gathered through our Qualtrics survey, benchmarking and website analysis, and focus groups, we were able to come to the consensus of student suggestions that would make the LRC’s offerings impactful. According to the student participants, the LRC could effectively engage their students by cultivating school climate, promoting a sense of belonging, empowering students culturally, and fostering leadership.

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RECOMMENDATIONS After conducting on assessment of the LRC, our group concluded the following recommendations for the full-time staff to seek action in order to better serve the Latino students at NIU: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Communicate in a timely means with Latino students about LRC programming offerings. Updated social media presence. Develop better marketing tools. Have regular cultural programing. Cultivate more general leadership opportunities. Host events exclusively sponsored by the LRC. Host events in the evening, and offer more flexible hours. Consider suggestions of non-traditional students, including but not limited to online students and graduate students. 9. Make more volunteer opportunities for all NIU Latino students. 10. Extend operation hours. 11. Outreach more with Latino students in the STEAM fields. 12. Offer professional development for Latino students. 13. Provide academic support and tutoring. 14. Diversify the student staff to include students from different organizations, majors, sexual orientation, etc. 15. Hire more full-time staff to help with LRC duties that students seek the LRC to meet. 16. Validate students’ voices by ensuring that students feel valued at the center. 17. Complete regular surveys to receive feedback from students that can help better the services offered. 18. Be more welcoming to all students applying for graduate assistant positions at the center by promoting those positions through various methods (website, email database, etc.)

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Appendix A: 1. What is your college classification? 2. Where do you live during the school year? 3. What is your gender identity? 4. Are you a part-time or full-time student? 5. Are you bilingual? 6. What is your primary language? 7. I see myself as part of the NIU campus community. 8. I feel valued at NIU. 9. Used the LRC to study. 10. Used the LRC to relax. 11. Met other students at the LRC for a discussion. 12. Met with an LRC staff member to discuss organizational activities. 13. Met with an LRC staff member to discuss personal concerns. 14. Provided leadership for the LRC. 15. What services or opportunities offered by the LRC are you involved in? 16. How did you first hear about the LRC? 17. I feel a sense of belonging at the LRC. 18. I feel valued at the LRC. 19. I see myself as part of the NIU Latino college community. 20. The LRC services meet my needs. 21. What suggestions do you have to make the LRC services more effective at meeting your needs? 22. Latino students at NIU take advantage of the services offered by the LRC. 23. What suggestions do you have to increase students’ involvement at the LRC? 24. How could the LRC raise the visibility of the center?

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Appendix B:

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Appendix C: Interview Protocol Greetings,

Thank you for taking time to participate in our interview. The purpose of this interview is to understand and evaluate the visibility of the Latino Resource Center and resources it has to offer. Our names are (Names), and we will be facilitating this focus group today. I am joined by (Name) who will take notes during this interview. We are all in the same cohort of CAHE 572 Assessment Methods in Higher Education. As part of our class project we are required to create and execute an assessment with another department or office on campus. The partner we are paired with is the Center for Latinos and Latin American Studies, or also known as the Latino Resource Center. Because of your involvement with the Latino Resource Center, you were recommended to us as someone who would be able to provide us with insight on the visibility and usage of resources in the center. In addition, we will discuss challenges that you see with marketing services and benefits to students. For this interview, we will only use first names. However, we will not share your name in our report or with anyone outside of this room. In this way, we will maintain your confidentiality. In return we ask that you respect the confidentiality of everyone here. Please do not repeat what anyone says when you leave this room. While our intention is not to share your name outside of this room, we must remind you that we are NIU employees and are mandated reporters on campus. If you disclose information that requires reporting, such as doing harm to self or others, we are obligated to connect you with appropriate resources on campus. Before we begin, let me suggest some things to make our discussion more productive. Because we are recording this conversation, we ask that you speak clearly, and only one person speaks at a time. You are not required to answer a question if you are not comfortable with it; you may choose to skip the question. To ensure a successful dialogue, we ask that everyone speaks. As the facilitator, I may call on people who have not spoken or ask others who have contributed to hold off for a moment. If no one has any questions, we will turn on the recorder and start now.

(Turn on Recorder) This student focus group is being conducted on behalf CAHE 572 Assessment Methods in Higher Education on (Date) by (Moderator) and (Assistant Moderators).

Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

How often do you use host events at the LRC? How comfortable are you with hosting events there--why or why not? What would cause you to use the center more often? Can you describe the culture of the LRC? What do you think would make the center a more inviting place? What is your organization doing to encourage Latino students to utilize the services and space at the LRC?

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References Baker, C. N. & Robnett, B. (2012). Race, social support and college student retention: A case study. Journal of College Student Development, 53(2), 325-335. Delgado-Romero, E. A., & Hernandez, C. A. (2002). Empowering Hispanic students through student organizations: Competencies for faculty advisors. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 1(2), 144-157. Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino college students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4), 324-345. Nuñez, A. M. (2009). Latino students' transitions to college: A social and intercultural capital perspective. Harvard Educational Review, 79(1), 22-48. Patton, L. D., (2010). Culture centers in higher education: Perspective on identity; theory; and practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC. Smedley, B. D., Myers, H. F., & Harrell, S. P. (1993). Minority-status stresses and the college adjustment of ethnic minority freshmen. The Journal of Higher Education, 64(4), 434-452. Swail, W. S., Cabrera, A. F., & Lee, C. (2004). Latino youth and the pathway to college. Washington, DC: Educational Policy Institute. Verdugo, R. (2006). A report on the status of Hispanics in education: Overcoming a history of neglect. Washington, DC: National Education Association

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