California colleges seek to fill gaps left by state aid cuts for Latino students

As a psychology major at Chico State, Gabriel Muñoz enrolled in a program that paid for him to do summer research and connected him with mentors and gave him access to career workshops.

The experience – funded by a Hispanic Serving Institutions grant – sparked a passion for research and she plans to enroll in a master’s program in psychology at Chico State, get a PhD and become a college professor.

However, Muñoz will be among the last students to benefit from the program.

Chico State is losing more than $3 million in state funding, as part of a major cancellation of more than $350 million in grant funds going to minority-serving institutions, or MSIs, across the state. Now those colleges are working to find ways to replace or do without money, including research grants, laboratory equipment, learning materials and student support programs – benefits that go beyond all students.

In making the final cuts, the Trump administration ruled that MSI programs were racially discriminatory because institutions had to enroll a percentage of students of a certain race or ethnicity in order to apply for funding. To be considered a Hispanic Serving Institution, or HSI, a college’s undergraduate enrollment must be at least 25% Latino.

As congressional leaders debated the final budget legislation amid a partial government shutdown this week, it appeared that some education funds, including money for HSI grants, would be restored in the proposed budget. But the Department of Education will retain the authority to decide how and when that money will be allocated.

Serving all students

Experts emphasize that these colleges serve many low-income and first-generation students, regardless of race.

“The thing about HSIs is that they are very diverse,” said Marybeth Gasman, executive director of the Center for Minority-Serving Institutions at Rutgers University. “They have a really large number of Latinx students, but they also have a large number of Black students and Asian students and low-income white students. I have to emphasize how short-sighted it is for the federal government to take this money.”

Chico State is one of 171 California HSIs, including universities and community colleges, and 615 nationwide, according to the Hispanic Assn. of Colleges and Universities. Less than a third of these institutions nationwide have received HSI funding, meaning that nearly 200 colleges are now grappling with how to deal with the cuts.

Created in 1992, the HSI program is designed to help Latino students succeed in college and earn degrees by improving their support. Nationwide, Latino students graduate at lower rates than their white counterparts — about 52% compared to 65%, according to the report. 2023 analysis of 2021 organizational data by Excencia Education. And 2023 census data showed that about 21% of Latino adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 42% of white adults.

“This is not about affirmative action. This is not about selecting students and giving students a plus because they are black, Latino or whatever,” said Francisca Fajana, director of racial justice strategy at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, a non-profit organization that fights for Latino legal rights. “It’s really about the institutions themselves that build power.”

The Hispanic Assn. of Colleges and Universities and LatinoJustice PRLDEF he filed a motion to intervene in the state’s case brought to you by Fair Admissions Students, opposed to HSI funding.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said in an email that HSI’s funding was cut off because The attorney general found it unconstitutionalin response to that charge.

How the cuts hit one college

Chico State has about 13,000 students, about 38% of whom are Latino, according to federal data. Since receiving the HSI designation ten years ago, the university has received approximately $26 million in grants, said Teresita Curiel, the university’s director of Latinx equity and success.

Among the programs being cut are Bridges to Baccalaureate, which provided undergraduate research opportunities and transfer training to Latino and low-income students in the behavioral and social sciences, and another called Destino that helped prepare STEM students for the workforce.

“If we’re going to be successful as a university, we have to be intentional about how we’re going to support Latinx students — whether we give money or not,” said Leslie Cornick, Chico State’s provost, who is now working, with other campus leaders, to restore lost funding.

Sabrina Marquez, who is in charge of the Bridges to Baccalaureate and Future Scholars programs, said that in the two years these grants have been in effect, more than 80 students have been paid to do research, lead summer courses or work as transfer advisors.

Lupe Jimenez, who oversees the Destino college program, says she tries to make Latino students feel welcome on campus and in her office.

(Olivia Sanchez / The Hechinger Report)

Ysabella Marin, a psychologist, said her research in the Future Scholars Program focuses on the impact of social media on men’s physical condition.

“For me, research was always a scary thing, to be honest,” said Marin. But she said she feels stronger because of her experience — more confident, and more comfortable talking to professors. She now wants to enroll in a master’s degree program to study developmental psychology.

At other colleges, leaders have been working to keep similar programs running.

At Southwestern College in the San Diego area, college President Mark Sanchez said school leaders will not sacrifice a program that helps first-year students adjust to college life. The college serves a binational community of students living in the United States and Mexico; many are the first in their families to attend college. Sanchez said the program has been extended to students in their second year. Instead of being funded by the HSI grant, Sanchez said the programs will be paid for by the college’s general fund.

Cal State Channel Islands has received about $40 million in HSI grants over the past decade, said Jessica Lavariega Monforti, the university’s provost. Most of the money went to programs to support the academic success of Latino and low-income students, she said.

Among those discontinued is one called Soar at CI, which strengthened transfer pipelines from nearby community colleges, he said. Students have provided career training to young students, hosted a podcast and invited high school students back to campus for career readiness workshops. Lavariega Monforti said the leaders will try to integrate the elements of this program in other areas.

At Chico State, Matthew Hernandez, a senior computer science major, enrolled in both a Destino-sponsored computer science boot camp and a calculus boot camp the summer before his freshman year. He said he went from shooting 44/100 before training camp to almost perfect scores by the end.

Data from the university shows that students involved in such STEM support programs were more likely to stay enrolled after their first year – 92% compared to 86% of their peers at the same levels who did not receive support. They are also more likely to graduate – 63% within six years, compared to 58% of peers without help.

Muñoz said he is not giving up on the school’s ambitions, even though there are less opportunities to get money due to the reduction. He said he plans to pay out of pocket and apply for student loans to pay for the rest.

Sanchez writes to the The Hechinger reportwhich produced this story and is a non-profit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.