I Am Joaquin
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm
I Am Joaquin
by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales
Yo soy Joaquín,
perdido en un mundo de confusión:
I am Joaquín, lost in a world of confusion,
caught up in the whirl of a gringo society,
confused by the rules, scorned by attitudes,
suppressed by manipulation, and destroyed by modern society.
My fathers have lost the economic battle
and won the struggle of cultural survival.
And now! I must choose between the paradox of
victory of the spirit, despite physical hunger,
or to exist in the grasp of American social neurosis,
sterilization of the soul and a full stomach.
Yes, I have come a long way to nowhere,
unwillingly dragged by that monstrous, technical,
industrial giant called Progress and Anglo success....
I look at myself.
I watch my brothers.
I shed tears of sorrow. I sow seeds of hate.
I withdraw to the safety within the circle of life -MY OWN PEOPLE
I am Cuauhtémoc, proud and noble,
leader of men, king of an empire civilized
beyond the dreams of the gachupín Cortés,
who also is the blood, the image of myself.
I am the Maya prince.
I am Nezahualcóyotl, great leader of the Chichimecas.
I am the sword and flame of Cortes the despot
And I am the eagle and serpent of the Aztec civilization.
I owned the land as far as the eye
could see under the Crown of Spain,
and I toiled on my Earth and gave my Indian sweat and blood
for the Spanish master who ruled with tyranny over man and
beast and all that he could trample
But...THE GROUND WAS MINE.
I was both tyrant and slave.
As the Christian church took its place in God's name,
to take and use my virgin strength and trusting faith,
the priests, both good and bad, took-but gave a lasting truth that Spaniard Indian Mestizo
were all God's children.
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And from these words grew men who prayed and fought
for their own worth as human beings, for that
GOLDEN MOMENT of FREEDOM.
I was part in blood and spirit of that courageous village priest
Hidalgo who in the year eighteen hundred and ten
rang the bell of independence and gave out that lasting cry-El Grito de Dolores
"Que mueran los gachupines y que viva la Virgen de Guadalupe...."
I sentenced him who was me I excommunicated him, my blood.
I drove him from the pulpit to lead a bloody revolution for him and me....
I killed him.
His head, which is mine and of all those
who have come this way,
I placed on that fortress wall
to wait for independence. Morelos! Matamoros! Guerrero!
all companeros in the act, STOOD AGAINST THAT WALL OF INFAMY
to feel the hot gouge of lead which my hands made.
I died with them ... I lived with them .... I lived to see our country free.
Free from Spanish rule in eighteen-hundred-twenty-one.
Mexico was free??
The crown was gone but all its parasites remained,
and ruled, and taught, with gun and flame and mystic power.
I worked, I sweated, I bled, I prayed,
and waited silently for life to begin again.
I fought and died for Don Benito Juarez, guardian of the Constitution.
I was he on dusty roads on barren land as he protected his archives
as Moses did his sacraments.
He held his Mexico in his hand on
the most desolate and remote ground which was his country.
And this giant little Zapotec gave not one palm's breadth
of his country's land to kings or monarchs or presidents of foriegn powers.
I am Joaquin.
I rode with Pancho Villa,
crude and warm, a tornado at full strength,
nourished and inspired by the passion and the fire of all his earthy people.
I am Emiliano Zapata.
"This land, this earth is OURS."
The villages, the mountains, the streams
belong to Zapatistas.
Our life or yours is the only trade for soft brown earth and maize.
All of which is our reward,
a creed that formed a constitution
for all who dare live free!
"This land is ours . . .
Father, I give it back to you.
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Mexico must be free. . . ."
I ride with revolutionists
against myself.
I am the Rurales,
coarse and brutal,
I am the mountian Indian,
superior over all.
The thundering hoof beats are my horses. The chattering machine guns
are death to all of me:
Yaqui
Tarahumara
Chamala
Zapotec
Mestizo
Español.
I have been the bloody revolution,
The victor,
The vanquished.
I have killed
And been killed.
I am the despots Díaz
And Huerta
And the apostle of democracy,
Francisco Madero.
I am
The black-shawled
Faithfulwomen
Who die with me
Or live
Depending on the time and place.
I am faithful, humble Juan Diego,
The Virgin of Guadalupe,
Tonantzín, Aztec goddess, too.
I rode the mountains of San Joaquín.
I rode east and north
As far as the Rocky Mountains,
And
All men feared the guns of
Joaquín Murrieta.
I killed those men who dared
To steal my mine,
Who raped and killed my love
My wife.
Then I killed to stay alive.
I was Elfego Baca,
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http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm
living my nine lives fully.
I was the Espinoza brothers
of the Valle de San Luis.
All were added to the number of heads that in the name of civilization
were placed on the wall of independence, heads of brave men
who died for cause or principle, good or bad.
Hidalgo! Zapata!
Murrieta! Espinozas!
Are but a few.
They dared to face
The force of tyranny
Of men who rule by deception and hypocrisy.
I stand here looking back,
And now I see the present,
And still I am a campesino,
I am the fat political coyote–
I,
Of the same name,
Joaquín,
In a country that has wiped out
All my history,
Stifled all my pride,
In a country that has placed a
Different weight of indignity upon my age-old burdened back.
Inferiority is the new load . . . .
The Indian has endured and still
Emerged the winner,
The Mestizo must yet overcome,
And the gachupín will just ignore.
I look at myself
And see part of me
Who rejects my father and my mother
And dissolves into the melting pot
To disappear in shame.
I sometimes
Sell my brother out
And reclaim him
For my own when society gives me
Token leadership
In society's own name.
I am Joaquín,
Who bleeds in many ways.
The altars of Moctezuma
I stained a bloody red.
My back of Indian slavery
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http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm
Was stripped crimson
From the whips of masters
Who would lose their blood so pure
When revolution made them pay,
Standing against the walls of retribution.
Blood has flowed from me on every battlefield between
campesino, hacendado,
slave and master and revolution.
I jumped from the tower of Chapultepec
into the sea of fame–
my country's flag
my burial shroud–
with Los Niños,
whose pride and courage
could not surrender
with indignity
their country's flag
to strangers . . . in their land.
Now I bleed in some smelly cell from club or gun or tyranny.
I bleed as the vicious gloves of hunger
Cut my face and eyes,
As I fight my way from stinking barrios
To the glamour of the ring
And lights of fame
Or mutilated sorrow.
My blood runs pure on the ice-caked
Hills of the Alaskan isles,
On the corpse-strewn beach of Normandy,
The foreign land of Korea
And now Vietnam.
Here I stand
Before the court of justice,
Guilty
For all the glory of my Raza
To be sentenced to despair.
Here I stand,
Poor in money,
Arrogant with pride,
Bold with machismo,
Rich in courage
And
Wealthy in spirit and faith.
My knees are caked with mud.
My hands calloused from the hoe. I have made the Anglo rich,
Yet
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http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm
Equality is but a word–
The Treaty of Hidalgo has been broken
And is but another threacherous promise.
My land is lost
And stolen,
My culture has been raped.
I lengthen the line at the welfare door
And fill the jails with crime.
These then are the rewards
This society has
For sons of chiefs
And kings
And bloody revolutionists,
Who gave a foreign people
All their skills and ingenuity
To pave the way with brains and blood
For those hordes of gold-starved strangers,
Who
Changed our language
And plagiarized our deeds
As feats of valor
Of their own.
They frowned upon our way of life
and took what they could use.
Our art, our literature, our music, they ignored–
so they left the real things of value
and grabbed at their own destruction
by their greed and avarice.
They overlooked that cleansing fountain of
nature and brotherhood
which is Joaquín.
The art of our great señores,
Diego Rivera,
Siqueiros,
Orozco, is but another act of revolution for
the salvation of mankind.
Mariachi music, the heart and soul
of the people of the earth,
the life of the child,
and the happiness of love.
The corridos tell the tales
of life and death,
of tradition,
legends old and new, of joy
of passion and sorrow
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of the people–who I am.
I am in the eyes of woman,
sheltered beneath
her shawl of black,
deep and sorrowful eyes
that bear the pain of sons long buried or dying,
dead on the battlefield or on the barbed wire of social strife.
Her rosary she prays and fingers endlessly
like the family working down a row of beets
to turn around and work and work.
There is no end.
Her eyes a mirror of all the warmth
and all the love for me,
and I am her
and she is me.
We face life together in sorrow,
anger, joy, faith and wishful
thoughts.
I shed the tears of anguish
as I see my children disappear
behind the shroud of mediocrity,
never to look back to remember me.
I am Joaquín.
I must fight
and win this struggle
for my sons, and they
must know from me
who I am.
Part of the blood that runs deep in me
could not be vanquished by the Moors.
I defeated them after five hundred years,
and I have endured.
Part of the blood that is mine
has labored endlessly four hundred
years under the heel of lustful
Europeans.
I am still here!
I have endured in the rugged mountains
Of our country
I have survived the toils and slavery of the fields.
I have existed
In the barrios of the city
In the suburbs of bigotry
In the mines of social snobbery
In the prisons of dejection
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In the muck of exploitation
And
In the fierce heat of racial hatred.
And now the trumpet sounds,
The music of the people stirs the
Revolution.
Like a sleeping giant it slowly
Rears its head
To the sound of
Tramping feet
Clamoring voices
Mariachi strains
Fiery tequila explosions
The smell of chile verde and
Soft brown eyes of expectation for a
Better life.
And in all the fertile farmlands,
the barren plains,
the mountain villages,
smoke-smeared cities,
we start to MOVE.
La raza!
Méjicano!
Español!
Latino!
Chicano!
Or whatever I call myself,
I look the same
I feel the same
I cry
And
Sing the same.
I am the masses of my people and
I refuse to be absorbed.
I am Joaquín.
The odds are great
But my spirit is strong,
My faith unbreakable,
My blood is pure.
I am Aztec prince and Christian Christ.
I SHALL ENDURE!
I WILL ENDURE!
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El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan:
In the spirit of a new people that is conscious not only of its proud historical
heritage but also of the brutal "gringo" invasion of our territories, we, the Chicano,
Mexican, Latino, Indiginous inhabitants and civilizers of the northern land of
Aztlan from whence came our forefathers, reclaiming the land of their birth and
consecrating the determination of our people of the sun, declare that the call of
our sangre is our power, our responsibility, and our inevitable destiny.
We are free and sovereign to determine those tasks which are justly called for by
our house, our land, the sweat of our brows, and by our hearts. Aztlan belongs to
those who plant the seeds, water the fields, and gather the crops and not to the
foreign Europeans. We do not recognize capricious frontiers on the bronze
continent Brotherhood unites us, and love for our brothers makes us a people
whose time has come and who struggles against the foreigner "gabacho" who
exploits our riches and destroys our culture. With our heart in our hands and our
hands in the soil, we declare the independence of our mestizo nation. We are a
bronze people with a bronze culture. Before the world, before all of North
America, before all our brothers in the bronze continent, we are a nation, we are
a union of free pueblos, we are Aztlan. For La Raza to do. Fuera de La Raza
nada.
Program El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan sets the theme that the Chicanos (La Raza
de Bronze) must use their nationalism as the key or common denominator for
mass mobilization and organization. Once we are committed to the idea and
philosophy of El Plan de Aztlan, we can only conclude that social, economic,
cultural, and political independence is the only road to total liberation from
oppression, exploitation, and racism. Our struggle then must be for the control of
our barrios, campos, pueblos, lands, our economy, our culture, and our political
life. El Plan commits all levels of Chicano society - the barrio, the campo, the
ranchero, the writer, the teacher, the worker, the professional - to La Causa.
Nationalism
Nationalism as the key to organization transcends all religious, political, class,
and economic factions or boundaries. Nationalism is the common denominator
that all members of La Raza can agree upon.
Organizational Goals
1. UNITY in the thinking of our people concerning the barrios, the pueblo, the
campo, the land, the poor, the middle class, the professional-all committed to the
liberation of La Raza.
2. ECONOMY: economic control of our lives and our communities can only come
about by driving the exploiter out of our communities, our pueblos, and our lands
and by controlling and developing our own talents, sweat, and resources.
Cultural background and values which ignore materialism and embrace
humanism will contribute to the act of cooperative buying and the distribution of
resources and production to sustain an economic base for healthy growth and
development Lands rightfully ours will be fought for and defended. Land and
realty ownership will be acquired by the community for the people's welfare.
Economic ties of responsibility must be secured by nationalism and the Chicano
defense units.
3. EDUCATION must be relative to our people, i.e., history, culture, bilingual
education, contributions, etc. Community control of our schools, our teachers, our
administrators, our counselors, and our programs.
4. INSTITUTIONS shall serve our people by providing the service necessary for
a full life and their welfare on the basis of restitution, not handouts or beggar's
crumbs. Restitution for past economic slavery, political exploitation, ethnic and
cultural psychological destruction and denial of civil and human rights. Institutions
in our community which do not serve the people have no place in the community.
The institutions belong to the people.
5. SELF-DEFENSE of the community must rely on the combined strength of the
people. The front line defense will come from the barrios, the campos, the
pueblos, and the ranchitos. Their involvement as protectors of their people will be
given respect and dignity. They in turn offer their responsibility and their lives for
their people. Those who place themselves in the front ranks for their people do
so out of love and carnalismo. Those institutions which are fattened by our
brothers to provide employment and political pork barrels for the gringo will do so
only as acts of liberation and for La Causa. For the very young there will no
longer be acts of juvenile delinquency, but revolutionary acts.
6. CULTURAL values of our people strengthen our identity and the moral
backbone of the movement. Our culture unites and educates the family of La
Raza towards liberation with one heart and one mind. We must insure that our
writers, poets, musicians, and artists produce literature and art that is appealing
to our people and relates to our revolutionary culture. Our cultural values of life,
family, and home will serve as a powerful weapon to defeat the gringo dollar
value system and encourage the process of love and brotherhood.
7. POLITICAL LIBERATION can only come through independent action on our
part, since the two-party system is the same animal with two heads that feed
from the same trough. Where we are a majority, we will control; where we are a
minority, we will represent a pressure group; nationally, we will represent one
party: La Familia de La Raza! Action
1. Awareness and distribution of El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan. Presented at every
meeting, demonstration, confrontation, courthouse, institution, administration,
church, school, tree, building, car, and every place of human existence.
2. September 16, on the birth date of Mexican Independence, a national walk-out
by all Chicanos of all colleges and schools to be sustained until the complete
revision of the educational system: its policy makers, administration, its
curriculum, and its personnel to meet the needs of our community.
3. Self-Defense against the occupying forces of the oppressors at every school,
every available man, woman, and child.
4. Community nationalization and organization of all Chicanos: El Plan Espiritual
de Aztlan.
5. Economic program to drive the exploiter out of our community and a welding
together of our people's combined resources to control their own production
through cooperative effort.
6. Creation of an independent local, regional, and national political party. A nation
autonomous and free - culturally, socially, economically, and politically- will make
its own decisions on the usage of our lands, the taxation of our goods, the
utilization of our bodies for war, the determination of justice (reward and
punishment), and the profit of our sweat.
El Plan de Aztlan is the plan of liberation!
de
Santa. Barbara
A CHICANO PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
ANALYSES AND POSITFJNS BY THE
”
CHICANO COORDINATIN;~ C OU NC f L
”
ON HIGHER ED!JCAllON
LA CAUSA PUBtiCATlONS
OAKLAND
:.-’ _ ,ii
__
‘,,_
Copyright 0
by
LA CAUSA PUBLICATIONS, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
.
,s,I~ part of this boo& may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except fn the Cfwe of brref
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Printing: October, 1969
Printed in Alta California de Aztlan
CONTENTS
MANIFESTO
ORGANIZING AND INSTITUTHG
CHICANO
STUDIES PROGRAMS
RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONS:
A CHICANO POSlTlON
SUPPORT PROGRAMS
CURRICULUM
P O L I T I C A L ACTlON
NOTES ON MKHA: CAMPUS ORGANlZlNG
A SELECT BIBLIOGRAPH!!
THE UNIVERSITY AND THE CHICANO
COMMUNITY
c
APPENDICES
CHICANO COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON
HIGHER EDUCATION :. I
A PROPOSAL FOR A CHICANO STUDIES
PROGRAM: ME SANTA$ARBARA
MODEL
BACHELOR OF ARTS PRkAM: THE SAN
FERNANDO MODEL
AN ASSOCIATE ARTS DEGREE PROGRAM
IN CHICANO STUDIES
A CHICANO STUDIES CbRE UST
MEXICAN AMERICANSAND THE SCHOOLS
CHICANO HISTORY: A COURSE OUTLINE
CONTEMPORARY POUTICS OF THE
SOUTHWEST: A COURSE OUTUNE
MEXICAN AMERlCAN SOCIOlOGYi A COURSE
OUTUNE
OUTUNE OF A BARRIO CENTER PROGRAM
9
13
24
29
40
*
49
54
63
77
81
92
104
117
122
133
140’
144
148
154
MANIFESTO
POR MI RAZA HABLA
EL ESPIRITO
For all people, as with individuals, the time comes when
they must reckon with their history. For the Chicano the present is a time of renaissance, of renacimiento. Our people
and our community, el barrio and la colonia, are expressing
a new consciousness and a new resolve. Recognizing the historical tasks confronting our people and fully aware of the
cost of human progress, we pledge our will to move. We
will move forward toward our destiny as a people. We will
move against those forces which have denied us freedom
of expression and human dignity. Throughout history the
quest for cultural expression and freedom has taken the form
of a struggle. Our struggle, tempered by the lessons of
the American past, is an historical reality.
For decades Mexican people in the United States struggled to realize the “American Dream.” And some --a few-have. But the cost, the ultimate cost of assimilation, required turning away from el barrio and la colonia. In the
meantime, due to the racisr structure of this society, to
our essentially different life style, and to the socio-economic
functions assigned to our community by anglo-american
society--as suppliers of cheap labor and a dumping grOUn0
for the small-time capitalist entrepreneur--the barrio and
colonia remained exploited, impoverished, and marginal.
As a result, the self-determination of our community
is now the only acceptable mandate for social anz -3litical
action; it is the essence of Chicano commitment. Culturally,
the word Chicano, in the past a pejorative and class-bound
adjective, has now become the root idea of a new cultural
identity for our people. It also reveals a growing solidarity
and the development of a common social praxis. The widespread use of the term Chicano today signals a rebirth of
pride and confidence. Chicanismo simply embodies an ancient
truth: that man is never closer to his true self as when he
is close to his community.
Chicanismo draws its faith and strength from two main
sources: from the just struggle of our people and from an
objective analysis of our community’s strategic needs. We
recognize that without a strategic use of education, an edu-
10
cation that places value on what we value, we will not realize
our destiny. Chicanos recognize the central importance of institutions of higher learning to modern progress, in this
case, to the develoP;nent of our community. But we go further: we believe that higher education must contribute to the
formation of a complete man who truly values life and freedom.
For these reasons Chicano Studies represent the total
conceptualization of the Chicano community’ s aspirations that
involve higher education. To meet these ends, the university and college systems of the State of California must
act in the following basic areas:
1) admission and recruitment of Chicano students, faculty, administrators and staff,
2) a curriculum program and an academic major relevant to the Chicano cultural and historical experience,
3) support and tutorial programs
4) research programs,
5) publications programs
6) community cultural and social action centers.
We insist that Chicano students, faculty, administrators
employees, and the community must be the central and deLisive designers and administrators of those programs. We
do so because our priorities must determine the nature
and development of such programs. Only through this policy
can the university and college systems respond efficiently
and justly to a critical reality of this society. Through such
a policy universities and colleges will truly live up to their
credo, to their commitment to diversification, democratization, and enrichment of our cultural heritage and human
community,
We assume the sacrifices and responsibilities inherent
in our commitment. It was in this spirit that we n-#et in
Santa Barbara in mid-April: over one-hundred Chicano Students, faculty, administrators, and community delegates representing the northern, central, and southern regions of La
Alta California, Aztlan. Away from the sensationalism of
the mass media, and from the alarms of self-seeking policicians, we set out to formulate a Chicano plan for higher
education.
Workshops on recruitment, support programs, campus
organizing and the curricular and institutionalizing aspects
of Chicano Studies produced analyses and recommendations.
We never lost sight of the simple fact that these programs
will be effective only to the extent that we can influence decision-making within and without the university and college
11
systems. What follows, El l‘lan dc Santa Ilal-bara, reflects
one critical dimension of the Chicano SWLI:!,$c.
The destiny of our people will be fulfilled. To that end,
we pledge our efforts and take as our credo \:l;l;lf .Josc Vasconcelos once said at a time of crisis and hupe:
“At this moment WC do not come to
work for the university, Ijut to demand that
the university work for our
people.”
ORGANIZING
1
AND
INSTITUTING
CHICANO PROGRAMS ON-CAMPUS
Introduction
i
Rd etorical liberalism is omnipresent in higher education
perhaps more so than in other sectors of the society. Nonetheless, the contradiction between rhetoric and reality that
is CQaracteristic of ‘America’ is a feature of the campus,
also. : The existing interests and traditional structures have
no intention of sharing power, providing access, extending
presi$ge and permitting plural participation. Power must
be taken, here, as elsewhere.
The institutionalization*of
Chicano programs is the realizat+on of Chicano power on campus. The key to this power
is found in the application of the principles of self-determination land self-liberation. These principles are defined and
prac$$iced in the areas of control, autonomy, flexibility, and
partrcipation. Often imaginary or symbolic authority is confused with the real. Many times token efforts in program
insti(utionalization
are substituted for enduring constructive
programming. It is the responsibility of Chicanos on campus
to insure dominant influence of these programs. The point
is not to have a college with a program, but rather a Chicano
prog$am at that college.
If Chicanos do not exert dominant influence over the program, better no program at all. For without the requisite
control, Chicano participation provides an ersatz legitimizatio b for the continuance of the pattern of dominant-subordinate relations that characterizes Chicano colonial status
within the larger society. The demand for self-determination in higher education is not a question of puerile power
* Institutionalization is defined as the process by which programs are conceived, structured, and their continuation
and further elaboration secured.
15
discussions but, in this area as in others of community life,
a matter of survival, progress, and dignity. The practice
of self-determination serves best the interest of the Chicano
community and the long range interests of society as a
whole.
But old patterns may persist, the anglo may move to
deny and limit Chicanos, and there will be ‘Mexican-Americans’ to serve him. Chicano faculty and administrators
and even student groups, can function as ‘tio tacos’, the
same as politicians, storemanagers, radio announcers, police officers, ad nauseum. It is all too easy for programs
to be co-opted, for them to function as buffers of denial
and agencies of control; in that case better no program at
all. Yet the colleges and universities, through Chicano programs may serve the community.
The premises for Chicano programs are: that thecolleges/
universities must be a majcr instrument in the liberation
of the Chicano community; colleges/univ@rsities
have a three
fold responsibility: education, research, and public service
to the Chicano community; only by comprehensive programs
instituted and implemented by Chicanos, for Chicanos that
focus on the needs and goals of the community will the larger
purposes of the academic institutions and the interests of
the Chicano community be served. Thqse premises are in
turn local particularizations of a wider system of values
beliefs, ideas,. organizational modes, and commitments t;
which the Chicano is dedicated. One of th’ese that has a direct
bearing on Chicano-University relations ,is, that the concept
of “community” is all inclusive. The $hicanos on campus
are an organic, integral part of the Chicano community.
Among Chicanos on campus there car-$ be no distinctions
or separations because of personal occupational differentiations.
Moreover, the Chicano community on campus is an
extension of the larger community. The base of the Chicanos
on campus is the Chicano community. Participation for the
Chicano means total access to institution& by the total com/
munity.
The primary goals of the various p&grams must be to
serve the interests of the Chicano people through the institutions of higher learning, In education, as in other matters there is one loyalty--the community; one criteria--service to La Raza. In higher education, the thrust is directed
toward the creation of parallel institutions that are controlled by Chicanos serving the interests of the community.
These interests are defined only by Chicanos. Education
can not be isolated from other factors determining the situation of the Chicano in this society.
The base, the strength, of any action on campus depends
on the Chicano community at that campus--employees, students, faculty, and administrators. This base must be well
organized and the group must possess general agreement
as to its orientation before moving to secure,programs. Without a position of strength it will not be able to exercise control over the programs and without unity of goals, the programs would be constantly in jeopardy because of internal
differences. It is no accident that programs that best fulfill
expectations are to be found where the student groups are
Before
strong, more sophisticated, and most demanding.
moving overtly, the Chicano must assess the situation; he
must be organized and committed, otherwise, co-optation
and tokenism will result, The Chicano cannot depend on
the good will and false promises of others. He must recognize that he will secure his rights only to the extent that
he is strong.
i
Initial
Steps
Usually there are three preliminary steps toward the
institutionalization of programs on campus involving the
areas of organization, intelligence and advocation. They
are for the most part political, in fact the whole process
of institutionalization may be considered a political one:
1. Organize a Junta Directiva composed of Chicano students, employees, administrators, faculty and other members
of the community to initiate, organize, direct and supervise
all aspects of the institution’s implementation of its obligation to serve the community, This will be the top policy
and decision making body for the programs.
2. Make a thorough investigation and analysis of the
climate within the institution and the surrounding locality.
Research the legal/theoretical structure of the institution
and assess its actual functional operations.
3. Secure from the institution the commitment that it
will give the highest priority to the needs of the Chicano
community, not because of morals or politics, but because
it has the obligation as a public institution charged with
serving all of society. This is not a novel responsibility
but rather both a past and present one on which the institution has defaulted. The commitment must be clear as
to the seriousness of the institution’s intent in aIlocating
its facilities, personnel and resources to bear on the deplorable conditions that exist for the Chicano community
and it must entail more than a strictly educational aspect.
If the commitment is first made in the form of a verbal and
,
I
16
private understanding between the institution and the Chicano Junta it should be in this form for only as long as
expedient : eventually the relation must be overt and defined.
As pledge of the commitment in higher education a tangible first step is the designation of these programs ‘as Chicano or La Raza, in their descriptive titles. These are
self denoting, affirmative and positive from the perspective
of the Chicano people. These terms, Chicano--La Raza
inherently embody the national and universal philosophical
and ideological values and principles which Chicanos affirm
as a people and that the programs are charged with fulfilling.
Experience in organizing on and off campus suggests nine
principal guidelines to be observed for the creation of satisfactory and viable programs. These fall into the areas of
control, autonomy, participation and responsibility. The guidelines by necessity are expressed in general terms and it is
up to the local groups to apply them to the particular context:
1. Control: Chicanos must exercise maximum control
over all programs initiated. This will be resisted, but without control the program is worthless. Minimum of control
is a simple majority in the governing board, with the Chicano element holding the directorship. Optimum is of course
total control, vertical and horizontal. This is not unrealizable for it has been secured in someprograms. If non Chicano participation is necessary, then the Chicano element
should have the right of nomination and selection of all
participants.
Policy and executive responsibility is to be
held by the Junta; ‘if there is to be a predominant element
within the Junta, it should be the student. This insures
a continuous fresh input and avoids the entrenching of personal interests.
2. Autonomy: The programs at the different phases must
have the niaximum autonomy feasible within the context of
the institution. This applies to both operating procedures as
well as structure, and also to traditional guidelines and
conventions of the institution. For the programs to be effect’vo, independence and wide latitude of operation must
be assured from inception. New programs can not be hampered
i,y old -Yotrictions
TOP
developed for different interests and needs.
Often, as rational for denial of legitimate demands, regulatory and legal limitations are invoked. Often the only
:
answer to this is pressure, until it is clear that for the
sake of larger interests existing regulations shouldbe changed.
In addition to pressure, more politic means for bridging
existing prohibitions can be devised. Once the Chicano programs become operational and their viability- and attractiveness apparent, it is likely that other sectors of the college
or university will endeavor to co-opt and restrict them to
protect their own interests and maximize their area of operation. The Chicano programs must be as free and independent of all existing programs as possible.
I
3. Structure: The administrative unit under which the
Chicano program operates should be the largest subunit
within the institution, which facilitates most the desired
control and autonomy. The structural label is not important, i.e., college, center, dept., etc. What is important
is the freedom. Lines of communication must be direct
to the highest executive officer or body bf the campus,
and independent of existing structural hierarchy. In time,
a top level general administrative position must be secured.
If a designation or structural concept that suits the need
doesn’t exist, invent one.
‘C
4. Organization: Internally the Chicano operation must
be designed for efficiency and harmony. T e program or
programs must be centralized in terms of %!ultimate policy
and executive responsiblity to maintain control, insure coordination and maximize the use of resouices. Essential
to the success of any programs is. the Teduction and/or
elimination of unnecessary friction, duplic%ion, and internicine competition within the program. Co.70rdinating the
program effectively means the harmonizat-&n of relationships with its subcomponents.
5. Flexibility: Flexibility must be built/ into the programs in order to insure sufficient latitude $or a constantly
increasing effectiveness. As the programs unfold, * --perience will dictate adaptations, changes or elir$inations; these
must be anticipated. Moreover, flexibility mdst exist within
the Chicano operation and in its relationships to the larger
institution. Administrative options must be kept open.
6. Finances: Chicano programs must bade a permanent
adequate proportional budgeted allocation of funds from the
institution. In addition, the freedom to seek and obtain funds
independently must be secured. Not abrogating the strictest
accountability, the programs should have the minin- 1 of
restrictions in disposing of these funds. The rnaj”- decisions on expenditures belong to La Junta.
7. Participation and Support: Participation and support
at every level and in any position must be open to all Chi-
19
cano.. __ ,,nould not be restricted by temporary or artificial
status. Participation should include the total Chicano community. Special efforts should be made to include sectors of
the community not usually concerned with campus based
activities. In every case the total community must be constantly informed as to plans and actions on campus a.nd its
active participation and support sought. Emphatically, when
the situation arises that there is need for more support than
rhat provided by on campus Chicano personnel, this support
should be obtained from the Chicano community rather than
from non-Chicano campus groups. This is not saying, reject
all non-Chicano support or participation. Mobilize- it, but
clearly define the quality and quantity of this support and
participation.
8. Staff: Staff for the programs must meet four quali- 4
fications: knowledge and expertise in the area of concern:
experience in the field: sensitivity as a person: and a firm
proven commitment to the goals of the programs and the ’
welfare of the community. Delegated, specific, administra-e
tive responsibility is best vested in those who have an over 1
all conceptual grasp of the programs and its goals. Any i
effort is dependent on the quality of the individuals involved. f
Enfortunately some programs are already being subverted /
by individuals whose commitment to La Raza is questionable. 1
Keep the “tios” and the reactionaries out.
9. Responsibility: Chicano programs demand the highest’standards, the strictest sense of responsibility and the most.’
complete fidelity. This is an integral part of the commitment.&
%!
to the Chicano communitv.
lntewal
Comeonents
A complete program that codifies the college or uni- I!
versity’s obligation in the education, research, and publici
service includes the following minimum components.
1. Department
i
a. design and administer degree program
b. counseling of enrolled students
1
c. faculty
2. Recruitment, financial support, and tutorial services
for students
a. identification and recruitment of students for the
college/universitv
b, maintenance and support
c. tutorial services
d. housing
I
.-
3.
Research
a. design, sponsorship, and administration of research
projects that serve actual needs of the Chicano community.
b. graduate followship programs
4. Publication
a. publish materials of research projects
b. publish materials needed by local community
c. publish materials by. Chicano writers and artists
$5. Community Social Action ’
a. sponsoring of community services
b. community organizing, education/cultural programs,
information
dissemination.
6. Policy and Executive Body
a. nominated by Chicanos representing students, faculty, administrators, employees and other members
of Chicano community
b. propose policy and specific projects and activities
c. oversee staff
d. secure community support
Prnposals
Usually, at a certain stage, the specific‘s of -the goals anti
structure of the Chicano program are spelled out in proposal form. There are two general types of proposals each
according to the type of structure desired.
Department proposals outline the framework for the academic unit, detail requirements, curriculum and the faculty
resources, etc. They divide into five parts: Part I: introduction. 1) designation of degree, 2) objectives and values
of degree, 3) precedents, 4) relationship to exlstmg curriculum and research programs, and 5) timetable for development. Part II: 1) admissions criteria, 2) curriculum,, deflnition of proposed degree program, 3) recommended electives, 4) foreign language requirements 5) criteria for granting degree, 6) relationship to existing masters and doctoral
programs; Part III: 1) staff resources existing and to be
recruited: Part IV: 1) course descriptions, existing and to
be designed, 2) the instructors and bibliography: Part V:
1) library resources, actual and anticipated.
Proposals for centers, institutions, schools, colleges.,
etc., include the following: introduction, statement of justification, precedents, purposes, specific focus, components,
administrative design, anticipated effect on current structure
of college or university, relationship to existing programs
and structures, number and criteria for staff, participating
21 .-
20
students, necessary research resources, physical plant, timetable for implementation, project budget, and regulatory
changes. Proposals for Chicano units should be advanced by
the entire Chicano group.
The type of structures possible for the Chicano programs
ranges from departments to the ideal, a university. A Chicano Studies department is the best vehicle for the development and implementation of a Chicano curriculum and for
securing the necessary staff. A department offers courses,
either unilaterally or in association with other departments;
it of course enjoys the autonomy proper to it. The department may be uni-disciplinary or inter-disciplinary; often
the combination of both is the most practical and flexible.
Centers, institutes and schools are organized around a broad
multi-faceted program which includes academic and community service activities that cut across various intracollege/university boundaries. The college is perhaps the most
suitable structure for a wide set of programs because of
its defined autonomy in nearly all areas considered as integral for a viable Chicano program. Of course, a university is the optimum institute for Chicano higher education-and it will be realized i.e., Universidad de la Raza Chicano
University of the Southwest, Universidad Autonoma di Aztlan.
or unconsciously they will endeavor to prevent and subvert
them. One target where hostility can focus most dam;lgingl)
is funding. Academic validity is another poinr of attack;
often the question of standards, criteria, etc., merely cloaks
racist attitudes and assumptions. .\nother focus of attack
is the socializing aspects of the programs; by csagerating
their political content, critics can undercut their public
support.
In some instances programs are not onI)., beset by difficulties from external sources but suffer from within. Xiost
of the problems are common to pioneering efforts of an!
indicates that problems and difficulties
sort. Esperience
in the process of institutionalization are compounded \vhcn
they are joined with similar efforts carried on I>!. other
minority groups. To date joint efforts have been counter
productive; they should be considered carefully. The Chicano
programs develop internal bottlenecks for a number of reLlsons. One is that the sponsoring individuals arc nvt in full
agreement as to the basic propositions of the propr;lm
and the implementation phase becomes the i~L!ttlc~round ior
these disagreements. In some cases difficulties develop
from the lack of clear definitions of the roles of staff and
students in the program; Of course Jll programs arc hampered
by the lack of proper staff but many are undermined by st;iff
who do not share movement values and who were hired
without thorough evaluation.
Recommendations
Problem
Areas
~-
There are several external factors that effect Chicano
programs which should be considered. Obviously the general
pol ii ical climate within the state is worsening. Reactionary
attirud~s held by politicians will affect the context of inno\‘:I[ i vc programs especially those whose mission is social
,11~(1 educational and whose focus are the disenfranchised
ethnic minorities. To compound the problem the institutions through which the Chicanos are trying to work are,
per se, the current political scapegoat. In the area of public
attitudes there are several other factors influencing programs.
‘!‘hough the colleges and universities believe themselves to
1: e progressive, often the opposite is true. They share and
harbor the more reprehensible idiosyncracies
of the general
society. College and university personnel can be racist and
reactionary and so can sectors of the student body, They
will refuse to accept the legitimacy of needs and corresponding programs that are not orthodox; further, consci6usly
Given the current difficulties si-.d the project needs of
the future, the following recommendations are made:
1. The establishment of a central information bunk 011
course descriptions,, proposals, programs, and personnel.
2. Directory of potential and current students, and faculty,
available for distribution.
3. Design and financing of an inservice training And
support program for graduate students to enable them simultaneously to obtain higher degrees while filling teaching
and staff positions in the programs.
4. Priority in hiring for program positions be given
to graduates of Chicano student groups and those Chicanos
who have a record of community service.
5. The possible recruitment of Mexican Nationals for
faculty positions to fill special temporary needs, provided
they have the necessary orientatim and commitment.
6. Chicano departments, centers, colleges, etc., as they.
become operational mutually support each other by the sharing of resources and the development of .joint progranls.
^..
i,
23
22
7. A just number of student slots in “Study Abroad”
programs be secured for ‘Chicano students and that these
be nominated by the student organizations.
8. Chicano student and faculty exchange programs be
implemented.
9. The various students groups, MAYA, MASC, UMAS,
etc. adopt a unified name as symbol and promise; such as
C: [\L!Sr\ (Chicano Alliance for United Student Action) or ME CHA
(hlovimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan).
10. That Chicano authored or sponsored publications be
given preference as course materials. That Chicanos publish
through Chicano journals. That Chicano publishing-houses be
established,
11. That Chicano students, faculty, staff organize a united
statewide association for the advancement of La Causa in
the colleges and universities.
4
Conclusions
In the last two years, across the state student organizations on college campuses have addressed’ themselves to
the following objectives: increased admittance of Chicano
students, the vindication of their cultural he%itage, the utilization of institutional resources for the benefit of the
larger community, and the implementation o! courses relevant to the Chicano. During this time a coherent set of vital
components for a satisfactory program have emerged: admissions and recruitment, curriculum, research $tblications and
community action, The process has taught t?kt in any and all
programs the guiding determinants must be the principles
of self-determination for self-liberation.
11 modicum of success has been obtained< at a few institutions, but these were not freely given ‘and they were secured
not without cost. The Chicano was here befo?e and has been
present these hundred odd years but it was ionly in the last
two years that the institutions have been moved to satisfy
their obligation to our community. This resulted because
of the self-sacrifice, militancy, dedication and political maturity of student organization. ,There have been a few, isolated conscientious Chicanos who tried to gain the attention
of the colleges for the community prior to the last two years.
They were ignored, though the need was no less urgent,
and the arguments no less valid than today. It is because
of the spirit and style of the present generation that progress
has been made. r?dclnnte!
Appcndis
1. CC33 proposal
2. San I%~~.c, State proposal
I
Scope of Recruitment
RECRUlTMENT
AND ADMISSIONS
Instituions of higher education recruit and admit or hire
Chicano students, faculty, staff, and employees. Recruitment must take place according to the following policies:
1. The number of Chicano students who qualify for admission shall determine the funds that must be procured
by the institution in providing adequate support programs
academic and non-academic. It is totally unacceptable
that funds continue to determine the number of Chicano
students to be enrolled.
2. Chicano faculty, staff, and employees must be recruited
for positions in all areas--and at every level--of the
university and college structure. Obstructive criteria
must not limit Chicano access to these positions.
3. Institutions must immediately accept and establish
the principle of proportional representation for Chicanos-students, faculty, staff,” and employees--in all areas and
all levels of higher education. For example, the percentage of Chicano students enrolled at those institutions located in areas with a significant Chicano population must equal the percentage of school-age Chicanos
in those areas. Thus, the percentage of Chicano students
at UCLA must equal the percentage of school-age Chicanos in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area: so for UCSB
and the Tri-Counties area and for Cal State Hayward
in South Alameda County. Those colleges and universities situated in areas with few or no Chicanos must
refer to the percentage of Chicanos in the state to determine the percentage of Chicano students they must
enroll. Presently the Chicano student-age population in
state of California is approximately seventeen percent.
4. For recruitment of Chicanos to be effective, committees--made up of Chicano students, administrators, employees, faculty, and community people--must be established with the responsibility for recruiting Chicano students and for screening Chicano candidates for campus
positions.
24
Institutions’ of higher education must accept fundamental
responsibility for recruiting Chicanos who will enroll as
students or work as faculty, staff, or employees. Given the
traditional and systemic indifference, even hostility, of higher
education to Chicanos, institutions must never assume that
Chicanos must first seek them out.
Various sources can be contacted and used in recruiting
Chicano students. Chicano Community organizations, Chicano
student organizations, high schools and junior colleges, Chicano graduates, sympathetic schools, clearinghouses, high
school and junior college graduates, the Chicano Press Association and other media, must all be thoroughly and regularly informed of available educational and financial aid opportunities. A uniform application form and’ procedure must
be established and all literature (and otheIi media) must be
in both English and Spanish. Throughout the recruitment
process the importance of higher education to Chicanos
must be emphasized and Chicanos strong$y encouraged to
continue their education.
In the final analysis, recruitment activities in institutions
of higher education must contribute to the kecruitment process by bringing their resources to bear on the deplorable
conditions affecting Chicanos today in the elementary and
secondary schools and in the junior or community colleges.
Elementary and secondary school systems’urgently need to
develop effective counseling services, Chicano Studies programs, and other support services. More gilingual Chicano
teachers, counselors,
and administrators? must be hired
to work with Chicano students. Those schools with a majority of Chicano students must have a Chic&o principal, and
those schools having a significant number! of Chicanos an
assistant to the principal, whose responsib@ty will be Chicano affairs.
!
What applies to the secondary and ele@entary schools
applies with equal force to the junior or community colleges
which, almost with no exception, are failing in their role
as a transitional institution between high school and fouryear colleges and universities. Chicano &dents in community colleges do not receive adequate prdparation for lack
of necessary counseling, tutoring, and relevant study programs. Four year institutions must help the community colleges develop effective programs in all these areas and to
utilize Federal funds for student support must be sought,
i
,:
:
,:
Ii
26
including Economic Opportunity Grants, National Defense
Student Loans, and Work Study Programs. Healism must
replace the multiple myths that surround the community
colleges, one of which is that they are free. Fees are in
fact negligible, but there are other costs (totaling it is
estimated at $900 a year) which must be taken into account:
book expenses, transportation costs, parking fees, and so
forth. For the Chicano, another “cost” is even more significant, namely, by choosing to attend a community college
he deprives his family of income that he would otherwise earn
(about $3000 annually). Another myth is that the community
is academically less demanding than four-year institutions.
While competition may not always be as intense, -the community college does in fact require students to do collegelevel work.
In all those matters it is assumed that the responsibility
of private institutions of learning is the same as that of
public institutions. Moreover. because. of their greater administrative and financial flexibility major private institutions have greater opportunities to attack and solve problems.
Effective recruitment of Chicanos--students, faculty, staff,
and employees--cannot take place unless and until there is
a satisfactory relationship between recruitment programs on
the one hand and hiring and admissions criteria and decisionmaking on the other.
In the area of student recruitment, the present relationship between recruitment and admissions is highly unsatisfactory. Colleges and universities are using “standard”
admissions criteria--grade point average, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, etc .--to evaluate the college potential
of Chicano students. Evidence shows clearly that these criteria are culturally biased and thus they are not reliable
indicators of college success for Chicanos. CulturalIy relevant tests and indicators must be used in identifying the
college potential of Chicano students. Also useful in evaluating applicants are recommendations (but not necessarily
from traditional sources such as high school teachers and
counselors) and personal interviews. Most importantly, institutions of higher learning must recognize that the assessment
of a Chicano’s college potential depends, in the end, on a
subjective interpretation of his motivation, ability, and background. Only people that relate to and understand the back-
27
ground of the Chicano student can satisfactorily make such
a subjective interpretation; hence Chicanos must make tho
final decision on student admissions.
Colleges and universities must also use culturally relevant criteria in hiring Chicano faculty, staff, and employees.
Above all, they must not be inflexible and rigid in using traditional indicators of qualification. This applies to training
programs for non-academic personnel.
Training programs must be .set up to assist non-academic
(technicians,
and non-administrative C hi c an o personnel
groundsmen, clerks, and skilled maintenance personnel in
advancing in their respective Fields. Bilingual skills must
be recognized as a special talent and adequate compensatian
made for such capapbilites. Effective means for resolving
personnel grievances must be provided. Academic opportunities must be opened to all Chicano personnel and encouragement given to them to take advantage of these opportunities.
!
.s :.,
j,: i,::
.!‘.’
;T’.
I
:‘‘,. :
:
.:
+:’:i: _::.
//j
.: j
““‘-:j, .:I
SUPPORT PROGRAMS.
The current thrust by Chicanos for educational opportunities has created a situation where higher education is now
becoming accessible to Chicanos. Historically, public education was limited exclusively to the ruling powers of SOThis situation was especially evident in institutions
ciety.
of higher learning. Hence, the accessibility of higher education has always been regarded as a strategic source of
power. The power of a monarchy or aristocracy was always
synonymous with a monopoly of learning institutions.
Education for the ocher stratas of society is a recent
Twentieth Century phenomenon. However, a monopoly in higher
education still exists. Traditionally, the goals of higher education have been directed to meet the demands of the ruling
strata of society by training the specialized manpower required for the operation of their demands. The equivalent
practice today is found in training students in higher education to serve corporate industry and public agencies:
the two major economic entities of society. The socialization and indoctrination of these “students” to contorm to
this function and accept this limited range of alternatives
is a corrolary role of higher education today. Once properly trained, these students serve as agents of the controlling powers and in turn serve to perpetuate this process.
Hence the defense scientists, college faculties, journalists,
etc., have supplanted the scribes and priests of ancient
civilizations,
This is essentially the function of institutions of higher
learning today. Therefore all attempts to project Chicanos
into the mainstream of higher education as it exists today
are equivalent co enslaving La Raza to the controlling powers
of this society.
Goals of Support Programs
As a significantly larger number of Chicanos enter colleges and universities support programs are a crucial factor in determining whether the accessibility of higher education will mean a consolidating of educational gains by the
Chicano movement.
29
/
The focus of support programs must not be to facilitate
to adjust to college life, i.e., the survival syndrome,
Rather than accomodate Chicanos to these institutions, SUPport programs snould facilitate the development of educational processes to meet the unique interests of Chicanon
hence develop alternative goals to thnae nreamibd hv
ciety. This role encompasses efforts to establish a stable
academic, political and financial base for Chicano students
and rules out those therapeutic programs conceived as remedial or compensatory which are directed to alter the student to conform to a prescribed norm of academic and social
behavior. Support programs must be developed as an extension of the Chicano struggle for liberation and as such must
create relevant educational experiences for Chicanos.
Support programs should be developed to encompass
and achieve these goals. This focus of Chicano support
grams require the development of new structurea 2nd
cesses which are not currently found in traditional structures in Zgher education. Hence the task is re&y one of
creating new structures and modes in higher edd ucation
..__. ~_ _.__
and
in making a significant contribution to the revitalizntion
. -..----..-wa.
of colleges and universities. Convential methods
_
f o _ r __ SUDDOl-t
programs are simply not acceptable and all attemncq=
hv
-----*r-- -.I
college and university administrators to impose leir
tl _ models
_--of support programs must be resisted. It cannot be over. -A
emphasized that the focus of Chicano efforts on campus
must provide “new” meaning and value to higher learning.
Chicano programs must not employ existing goals and structures of higher education as a frame of reference. To succumb to traditional structures and approaches is to legitimize their role in indoctrinating Cfrironno +n hafinma n ..,...c
of gabacho societv.
-It is the responsibility of Chicano student organizations
and the Junta Directiva to insure that support programs
maintain a strong relevance to the specific needs of Chicanos. They must clearly establish the role of Chicanos in
developing and directing these efforts. It is imperative that
Chicano student organizations at all times have a vehicle
which will continually act as an on-going collective control
to maintain evaluating mechanism over their support programs. This mechanism will ensure program vitality and
help avoid administrative stagnation. The responsibility will
not rest on one individual; all administrators have the responsibility of carrying out the policy decision which the
Chicano student organizations have developed. By the same
token, this exemplifies the great responsibility such organizations have and should help renew a genuine commitment to a greaterCAUSA.
Hence the mutual accountability
CEC~~OS
31
i’
of student organizations and staff in these programs is
clear: it is their responsibility to protect the program
from influences which will co-opt the focus of the program.
Orientation Program
In jthe past, higher education has failed to encourage Chicanos; it manifests itself as a hostile environment. Today,
an &tempt is being made through programs such as Upward
Boutid, High Equivalency Programs, High Potential and Educational Opportunities Programs, to bring more Chicano students to the college campus. It is imperative that these
programs understand and deal with the needs and deficiencies
withy which the student enters the academic scene. Support
programs must be developed to provide services and personnel to aid the student in order to assure his retention
and successful experience in college.
lt should be recognized that most of the students come
from an inferior or inadequate secondary educational system,
thus the college should provide an orientation program whose
obj&tive would be to give the student a transitional stage
from which he can move into regular college programs.
A. The Orientation Program must deal with the following
ne%!s:
; 1. Cultural-Identity: For the Chicano student, college
is ‘a different world with its own language, its own standards,
itsi:own expectations and pressures. The casualty rate is
hig!l. The demands for adjustments and conformity are heavy.
Activities to strengthen his cultural identity must be an
intigral component of every orientation program.
i 2. Academic: Experience has shown that many of the
students suffer a deficiency in reading skills. oral exnressioh and note taking, study skills, etc. which are vital to
acaihemic success in college. This deficiency is due to an
inferior education received in elementary and secondary
schools and must be acknowledged by a college orientation
3. Achievement: Some students reflect a need for a
redirection of personal goals. Some students need strong
reinforcement and encouragement even though they may
ne capable of performing well in the academic world. Twelve
years of negative self-image imposed by the school system
must be alleviated.
B! Support programs must recognize the above facts and
devise orientation programs which will alleviate the educational and psychological barriers that Chicano students
t
I.
’
ncounter when they enter the college environment. Orienation programs of any kind cannot resolve the educational
:amage that such students have suffered over the years in
: matter of weeks or months. However, this is a positive
;rep in the direction of changing negative attitudes towards
:&her education found within the student.
C. The Orientation Program must be conducted on campus.
41 the participants must be given credit for work accom;lished. Financial supports must be made available since the
rcudents would not have other -sources of income while
articipating in this orientation.
Orientation to the Campus: Arrangements to thoroughly
lmiliarize the student with all of the college facilities
health service, housing, food, recreational facilities,- etc. )
.nd procedures such as college regulation, adding and dropi:ng of classes, filling out forms, reading the catalogue
.nd registration should: be explained. It is in this marine;
:lar the Chicano stud&t is better prepared to cope with
.>llege life.
B. The Orientation Program should be divided into four
3 ajor categories:
1. Academic Pro$am : Courses in cultural-psychology
:nd English specificall tailored to teach academic skills.
his can be accomplish % d through group discussions, labora3ry sessions conducted by teacher aids and Chicano stulent advisors.
Individual and group.csessions can also deal with reading
ochniques, notetaking ‘?methods, preparing for exams, li;rary use and exploring all the resources on campus such
is learning labs, reading clinics, etc.
Ideas for course content description are as follows:
a. Cultural Identity: This course cab be designed to
;i:ie the prospective student a sense of confidence in exXessing his ideas. At the same time, a sense of “camara:eria”
should be developed. This would develop greater
self-insight which wou!d help him confront the barriers
:f college life. The course can also give a historical soc&
?.nd economic perspective of the Mexican America: in rel
ationship to his place : in today’s society. It can deal with
Jarrio life, barrio language and dialect and other current
ssues relevant to Chicanos.
b. Written Expression: This course can help with
?asic grammar and the mechanicas of writing papers. In
essence, this course can help the Chicano student express
o himself and to others, his feelings in written form. AC:
:ordingly, Chicano materials that are relevant to the stu:ent are vital to this course. This class can also help in
letermining the extent of tutorial help which a student might
I
need when he begins the regular academic: co1
rrse of study.
c. English as a second language: The student who
usually speaks Spanish at home is nonetheless expected to
speak English fluently. For these students a class concentrating on this area can build the student’s confidence and
enable him to acquire a better command of both languages.
d. Oral Expression: Group discussion can encourage
manv Chicanos to express themselves in any manner which
they-feel most comfortable.
2. Guest Lecturers: They can provide the students
with various points of view on subject which can make the
academic world less institutionalized and more alive and
meaningful. Known Chicano leaders should be invited to talk
to the students on their roles in the community, and other
topics related to community affairs.
College Resources
.
And Supportive Services
T o insure smooth and innovative implementation of support
programs, the institutions must have such structures built
into its programs so that they are relevant for Chicanos.
The kind of supportive services available to the students
must be coordinated and administered by dynamic Chrcano
staffs. Methods of approach concerning the survival of the
Chicano student must not remain static. Self-evaluating mechanisms must be im.plemented in coordination with the Chicano student organizations. The folfowing is a description
of support services which must be made available to partlcipants in support programs. It will not be an all lncluslve
list, but it will include the most important areas.
A. Counseling: Student advisors who maintain a personal
relationship with the Chicano participants in support programs
should be assigned the specific duty of analyzing a student’s
problem area and designating where the student can find
help. For instance, if a student has a legal or draft problem,
the counselors would then assign him to a lawyer or draft
counselors on staff. This procedure is efficient and personal if one or two main counselors: maintain close worlung
relationships with the ChTcano students and the staff of the
support
programs, The counselors should also be available
when training-programs for tutors or recruiters are developed. For instance, the newly acquired recruiters need
to know the criteria for a student’s performance during an
interview. What should they look for? What kind of communication, verbal and non verbal, existed during the interview?
The recruiters interview EOP applicants should undergo
an intensive training program handled by the EOP staff
and the Counseling staff.
This short intensive series aid the Chicano recruiters
by helping them to identify high potential students.
Counselors can also implement classes designed to specifically keep a close communication with the Chicano student advisors. Each student advisor who could advise up
to seven students would benefit by discussing his problems
and apprehensions.
Tutor and Counseling: Tutorial problems can be developed
to best suit each student. This means that tutoring should
be made available on a one-to-one ratio for the student who
needs intensive, in-depth tutorial assistance. Another form
of tutorial help is the one offered through a tutorial pool.
This is to have tutors who specialize in various-subjects
available to the student throughout the week. There can be
supplemental services for the students. For example, a typing
pool can provide typists to type term papers, book reports
and other assigned papers for the students in order to allow
them more time to devote to rheir studies. The qualifications
which should be considered in selecting tutors are the following:
a. Ability to estab1isl-r rapport with Chicano students
b. Expertise in the.’ field in which he chooses to tutor
c. Legal services. Egch college or university receives the
services of a part ori full time lawyer. His main job is to
counsel all students on campus who encounter legal difficulty. Chicano student& must receive a special counselor.
They can reveal mar& of tife barrio problems of the police
records, parole, marriage difficulties, etc, to the counselor.
As enrollment of Chicanos increases, the school must hire
a Chicano lawyer or &? able to use the services of Chicano
law students, Report and understanding would more readily
develop aiding the student in solving his problem. In addition the lawyer can iraerpret and define contracts dealing
with such things as housing, loans, etc. This must be done
before any Chicano stud&t signs any contract.
Student Counseling Service: Academic and psychological
counseling are the twoi major areas of student advisement.
The job encompasses Tany roles. This due to the fact that
since the programs are new, the problems confronting the
students are recognizeq only to a certain degree. In other
words, there are still Imany unknown obstacles facing the
students which the staff are unaware of. To safeguard against
the students facing these unknown obstacles by themselves,
someone must clearly identify himself with the students.
Military Counseling Service: Draft problems. Another problem or need of the Chicano College student that needs careful consideration and immediate action involves the Selective Service System. This situation is important because it
greatly affects Chicano college students. Under the 1967
Selective Service Act, the undergraduates were “to be placed
in the draft pool with the age group facing maximum exposure to the draft at the time of 1) graduation 2) withdrawal
Or expulsion from school or 3) the 24th birthday, whichever
came first.”
At first glance this law appears to be clear-cut, but upon
Careful examination, it is not. This same law provides for
the induction of nineteen year olds first and guarantees local
board autonomy. The latter really means that even though
there is a uniform code, each local board can apply it in
the manner it sees fit. In application, the draft boards still
go by the four-year rule. That is fine for regular admittance,
however, a Chicano student’s general progress is about one
to tW0 years slower than the average.
In order for the Chicano to catch up to the “typical”
Anglo freshman he has to spend the first two semesters taking
classes that will help him understand the college system.
This takes care of one year of his four for demerits. BY
the time he reaches his fourth year, he has used up his
demerits and he is subject to be drafted. What is needed
is a uniform code that will protect or guarantee the Chicano student who is admitted to college under special federally funded programs the maximum protection from being
discriminated against under the existing Selective Service
Act because he will be in school ‘two or three semesters
longer than an Anglo.
Chicano Veterans: Chicano ex-GI Bill. This is important
to the Chicano veteran since it enables him to stay in college.
Any additional money could be arranged for by the support
programs in conjunction with the Job Placement Centers.
Health Facilities: All of the various health services available on campus should be explained and made available to
Chicano student participants in kupport programs. The Health
Center can be utilized especially by the student who lives
away from home, since the free services of doctor visitations, prescriptions, x-rays, and medical treatment are offered.
In addition, special insurance policies can be offered to
Chicano students who have “familia” obligations. Special
policies should be offered by the schools so that the whole
family can be treated at the center. Many of the Chicano
families, realizing that special service can be offered to
students, would find it more acceptable for their sons or
daughters to attend college.
Services: To avoid negative experiences and frustration
in their first year in college, the student advisor should try
to develop a relationship and should encourage a situation
in which the student learns from the student advisor and the
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student advisor also learns from the students in the program;
To enumerate the duties and responsibilities of the student
advisor would be impossible but in general, they can be
classified into three main areas. The three major areas in
which the student advisors are responsible when working
with their students are: 1) administrative role; 2) academic
role; and 3) student advisor-student relationship.
In summary the student advisor must always be aware of
his relationship with his student in the sense that it doesn’t
develop into a paternalistic relationship that the students
are respected as individuals and that they are no different,
except that they may have come from a different educational
environment’. Thus, the respect and trust that exists in the
relationship is one of the most important aspects of the
program. The family’s ‘preoccupation with meeting ehe basic needs
for survival has not allowed them the time nor the money
to seek preventive, and curative health services. As a result,
the student., though he may receive financial assistance, upon
being accepted, does not always have sufficient funds for
the medical -.attent.ion he -may need. His needs range frpm
paying for a health examination to getting needed prescrlption glasses; dental scare, etc. It must be emphasized that
medical costs needed to prepare the student physically for
college have been overlooked. Administrators have assumed
that rhe Chicano has a private doctor and the funds to take
care of his medical expenses, as well as the other added
expenses in preparing for school. If the student needs treatment for something other than a common virus or chest
infection, the health center usually recomm@nds that the
student see his private doctor or a specialist. Once the
student has enrolled he will need a medical plan that will
provide him with more than the minimal services of the
college health center.
The Housing Office must actively help the students to’
locate living accommodations and arrange housing for each
student. This aspect of the support programs js very important because it relieves the student of the arduous task
of finding appropriate housing. Chicano students will need
other Chicano students around them to maintain a comradeship. The Housing Office must make sure that housing con2
tracts do not mislead or discriminate against Chicanos.
Where college dormitories are the only form of housing
available the fees should be evaluated to fit the students’
needs adequately. For example, the cost of college housing
to date is approximately $1200 a year. The student who has
received the maximum amount of financial assistance &s
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a limited amount remaining to pay for books, clothes and
other incidentals.
Transportation facilities:
A major problem confronting
the incoming Chicano student 1s transportation. If he is
going to a commuter school, he will need to have either a
car or an efficient bus system. Each college and tiniversit)
has to realize that money will have to be made available
for the transportation of these students. One proposal is
to get money to brovide a work-study program for Chi,cano
college students ,to drive in car pools. A student would set
paid to drive his car 15 to 20 hours a week in picking
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