Being Latino at the UO: A Survey

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University of Oregon education professor Edward M. Olivos grew up in California speaking English. He learned Spanish in the classroom, where he encountered the assumption that he must already know Spanish because of his Latino heritage. It’s one of the typical responses that Latinos in American classrooms run into every day, he said. Sometimes it comes with the suggestion that Latinos should not be allowed college credit for Spanish classes, because they have an unfair advantage.

Olivos—recently promoted to associate professor in the Department of Education Studies—is one of three UO researchers who presented their findings in April on “Being Latino at the University of Oregon: A Survey.” Funded by the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, this collaborative project focused on a university-wide survey of cultural and linguistic identities, ideas, and attitudes found among Latinos at the UO. The multidisciplinary research team also included associate professor Robert Davis and assistant professor Pedro García-Caro, both from the Department of Romance Languages.

“Since the year 2000, Latinos have accounted for more than half the overall population growth in the United States,” Olivos said. “Latinos are dispersed throughout the United States—they’re in society, they’re in public schools, they’re in higher university settings. For the sustainability of higher education, we really need to have access to Latino students. But what is the Latino path to the university? What does it mean to be Latino at the UO?” › Continue reading

Tags: Latino survey