Ramon Suarez came to Ohio State three years ago expecting to find other Puerto Ricans.
Though the Puerto Rico native met two students from the island his first week here, the numbers were not what he expected.
“The first person I met when I came here to OSU was a Puerto Rican,” said Suarez, a junior in international studies. “But after that, it kind of waned because there aren’t that many, so it took me a long time to network with other Puerto Ricans in the university.”
The group of friends Suarez found grew into the Puerto Rican Student Association, of which Suarez is president.
The community he eventually found is part of a rapidly growing demographic nationwide, which has only recently become more visible in Columbus and at OSU.
According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released last month, Hispanics are the nation’s largest and fastest-growing minority group, with a total population of about 37 million.
Out of Ohio’s population of 12 million, close to 218,000 are Hispanic, according to the 2000 census.
At OSU, the numbers are not as high, but they are increasing.
Higher enrollment at OSU
According to Normand Cabán, director of undergraduate recruitment and development, about 1,100 Hispanic students were enrolled at OSU during winter quarter last year.
“We’ve been experiencing a 1.5 to 2 percent growth of Hispanics who are incoming freshmen each year, so it’s gradually increasing,” Cabán said.
Cabán and Jose Villa, assistant vice provost for Minority Affairs, are working to step up this percentage by recruiting more Latino students. They said OSU recruits Latino students in Ohio and other states.
“We want to plant the seeds of opportunity in these communities early enough so when they start thinking about educational opportunities, they start thinking about Ohio State,” Cabán said.
This fall, 35 Hispanic students will enroll at OSU under the new College Assistant Migrant Program. The program will help students from migrant working families to pursue a higher education. OSU is the only institution in Ohio with a program like this, which is funded by a $1.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
“Probably for the first time in their lives, they will be in one place for an extended period of time,” Villa said. “It’s going to be a first for them.”
A comfortable atmosphere
Getting more Hispanic students to attend is only step one, said Victor Mora, co-chairman of the Organization of Hispanic Faculty and Staff.
“I would like to see that we foster an environment that’s going to be helping students grow in their overall experience here and to feel that sense of community,” Mora said.
Some of those efforts included the creation of the Latino studies minor within the past four years, the creation of the Multicultural Center and ¿Qué Pasa OSU?, a magazine about the university’s Hispanic community.
A survey conducted last year found many Hispanic students do not participate in the programs the university offers.
“Latinos here are not very aware of all the resources that are available to them,” Suarez said. He suggested more advertising for Hispanic services and programs.
Carmen Alvarez-Breckenridge, director of the Multicultural Center’s Office of Hispanic Student Services, said the university has a tremendous support system in the Office of Minority Affairs, the Multicultural Center, Latino and Latin American Studies and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
“Ohio State has that commitment, that heart and that desire to truly make a difference in the lives of Hispanic students — not just to grant them a degree, but for them to feel like a worthwhile individual whose culture is truly appreciated,” Alvarez-Breckenridge said.
Beyond the university
In contrast to OSU’s Hispanic population, the Latino presence in the city of Columbus is a different picture — the city has a rapidly-growing Mexican immigrant community.
Carol Robison, assistant director of the Center for Latin American Studies, noticed the dramatic increase over the years.
“My husband was a supervisor in the Columbus Public Schools when we moved here 12 years ago, and he was in charge of the (English as Second Language) program. When he arrived, there were four Spanish-speaking children in the ESL program. Now I think the number is 2,000,” Robison said.
Census figures show from 1990 to 2000, the Hispanic population in the U.S. grew almost seven times as fast as the non-Hispanic population.
¿Habla Español?
With such a growing presence, many college students are becoming more aware and interested in Spanish language and culture.
“Here on campus we’re seeing a tremendous increase in the number of students — Hispanic and non-Hispanic — interested in Latin American studies and in Spanish,” Robison said. “The Spanish major and minor is one of the strongest in the College of Humanities, and it has been for a while.”
Russ Freshwater, a senior in Spanish and international studies, has studied the language since high school. His interest in Spanish and Latin American culture inspired him to spend time working in Costa Rica and Ecuador.
“I think it’s a very good skill to have in the United States right now because the Hispanic population is growing — and as a senior looking for a job, it definitely helps,” Freshwater said.
