The election of the 47th president of the United States has many of us feeling anxious, holding our breath, and waiting to see which campaign promises will come to fruition. For educators, the threat to dismantle the Department of Education may be top of mind. And there are many reasons to be concerned. Colleges and universities rely on the federal government for research and capacity building grants, funding that enters the institution by way of student financial aid, and regulations that protect vulnerable populations. There are many implications if the department is shut down; implications that have real consequences for the most vulnerable populations in the country. Yet there are too many implications to name in this short post so I will focus on HSIs, of course.
First, let me reassure you that the education policy experts are saying that it is not likely to happen, which should make us feel a little better. As noted by Luis Maldonado in the ¿Qué Pasa, HSIs? episode called, “HSIs as Public Policy”, 47 is not the first president to make this threat, and perhaps won’t be the last. Luis and other policy experts know that it would take legislative action to eliminate a federal department. And it would require 60 votes from the Senate, which is not likely to happen, even with a Republican Senate majority.
But what if it does happen? What are the implications for Hispanic-Serving Institutions?
First let me stress that even if the Department of Education is dismantled, the HSI eligibility process is eliminated, and the Title III and Title V programs are defunded, you are still an HSI; and by HSI I mean “Hispanic-enrolling.” Although the potential changes to Pell grants and federal student aid programs could affect the number of students enrolling in college, campuses with a high enrollment of Latine students are still likely to have a high enrollment of Latine students, especially open access, lower tuition institutions. The demographic reality is that Latine students are enrolled in K-12 schools in high numbers and will continue to enroll in postsecondary education in the years to come. So yes, you will continue to be an HSI (the enrolling kind, at least).
Second, let me stress that you must continue to enact servingness for Latine students and other minoritized students entering HSIs. Period. The work to become a “Latine-serving” institution, or one that produces equitable outcomes and experiences for Latine students and one that has an institutional culture that centers the identities, histories, and lived experiences of Latines will continue. Period. The HSI movement has already begun, and it is gaining momentum. Many HSIs, emerging HSIs, and even “striving HSIs” (a term I coined that I use to refer to institutions that enroll less than 15% Hispanic students but have a goal to become an HSI) have launched HSI task forces, engaged student advisory committees, hired HSI directors, funded HSI programs, carried out Latine faculty cluster hires, launched Latine success centers, and more. Some have HSI goals in their strategic plans and others have committees discussing the potential of adding HSI to the institutional mission and vision statements. There are many examples of how HSIs are in transition to become Latine-serving, and the work should not stop even if the Department of Education is dismantled.
Third, let me stress (I know, I’m stressing a lot) that the dismantling of the Department of Education could mean the end of the HSI eligibility process as we know it and the end of Title III and Title V programs. This is to be determined and not mentioned in most news articles I have read, but it’s the thing I think about the most, and many of you reading this should think about it too. The reality is that the federal government has invested nearly $4.5 billion in HSIs since 1995, and we need this investment to continue. Many campuses, some of which I have the pleasure of working with regularly, have used HSI grant funds to pilot new programs, implement innovative approaches to serving Latine students, and hire new staff who are often the most committed to truly serving Latine students and other students on the margins. There is evidence that HSI grants are working for campuses that use them creatively to center and serve Latine students. And campuses that have had multiple HSI grants over the years have staggered them to address various needs of the Latine population. Some have also used HSI grants to provide professional development to the campus community, which is helping them build HSI awareness. HSI grants are used to send faculty cohorts to learn and unlearn with the educators at ESCALA, to fund staff to attend the AHSIE Best Practices Conferences, and to invite people like me to campus for day-long HSI convenings where the goal is to enhance HSI consciousness on campus. These investments are vital, and we must speak up as an HSI community to advocate for Title III and Title V.
So YES, dismantling the Department of Education will harm us, and possibly slow us down. Pero, in the words of my doctoral student Alexis Meza and his femtor (and my amiga) Arlene Cano-Matute, “Aquí estamos, y no nos vamos!” We are here and we are not leaving. And by we, I mean Hispanics, Latines, and HSIs. Si se puede!