M.Ed. Higher Education, Student Services - Capstone research paper

1. Ashley Watts
Hispanic Male Retention at 2-year Colleges
In working with the Dean of Student Affairs, I was asked to focus on creating a program for the
minority male students on campus. The event, titled the Minority Male Success Summit, was
targeted at African American and Hispanic males. While putting the event together, I began to
read a number of articles and studies about minority male students. One report in particular from
the College Board peaked my interest. The Educational Experience of Young Men of Color
(EEYMC) clearly laid out the staggering differences between the educational attainment of
minority males, particularly Hispanics, African Americans and Native American/Pacific
Islanders, and their Caucasian and Asian American counterparts (Lee, Ransom & College Board
Advocacy & Policy, 2011). The high school drop out, unemployment and incarnation rates of
these populations was unconscionable (Lee et. al, 2011).
According to the EEYMC (2011) only 18 percent of Hispanic males have and associate
degree or higher (Lee et. at, 2011). When you consider the fact that Hispanics are the majority
minority making up 14.8 percent of population in America in 2006 and are the fastest growing
population at a rate of three times that of the general population, the education of Hispanic males
in becomes a national issue (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). This fact is supported by President
Obama's signing of “Executive Order 135555, renewing the White House Initiative on
Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans... [which] provide[s] advice and guidance to the
secretary of education on education issues related to Hispanics and to address academic
excellence and opportunities to the Hispanic community” (Lee et. al, 2011, p. 73).
While research has consistently proven that the attrition rates for community college
students are much higher than that of students at 4-year institutions, Hispanics who pursue higher

2. education attend still attend two-year schools at a rate of 54.4 percent (Saenz and Ponjuan,
2009). Unfortunately, “Latino students are [also] more likely to drop out if they begin their
college studies at a two-year college,” and in 2003 the graduation rate of students attending
community colleges was about 17 percent (Martinez, 2004; Garcia, 2010). Furthermore,
Hispanic males are the least degree earning demographic (Lee et. al, 2011). These statistics paint
a clear picture of how important it is to keep this population in school and to help them to be
successful in their journey and transition to “senior” institutions or into the workforce.
There are several factors that affect student retention and attrition, as well as several
theories that have been developed to explain this phenomenon; however, “research specific to
Hispanic students attending community colleges [is]… in its infancy stages, and there is no one
comprehensive theory to explain the specific factors influencing this unique group of students”
(Crisp, 2010). Drawing from the work of scholars Tinto, Nora, and Bourdieu, which focused on
retention and attrition of traditionally aged students at 4-year institutions, Crisp (2010) was able
to create a framework for understanding retention specific to the this population. The variables
were then grouped into five (5) categories: pre-college variables, demographic variables, socio-
cultural variables, environmental pull factors, and academic experiences (Crisp, 2010). Summers
(2003) through his work on student attrition at community colleges formulated five (5) similar
groups of variables that are comparable to Crips’s (2010). They are academic ability; student
characteristics; other student characteristics; noncognitive factors and availability and use of
student services, respectively. The challenge is determining what makes Hispanic male retention
a unique issue and once it is those specific issues are pinpointed, establishing ways in which
community colleges can address it through new or existing avenues.

3. There are several pre-college variables linked to persistence that are common to all
students, such as high school courses taken, high school grade point average (GPA) and delayed
enrollment in college. Burns (2010) cites that “academic preparedness is the single most
important factor in determining college success” (pp. 34-35). The problem is that students
enrolling in community college typically come from low-income neighborhoods with subpar
schools and where students are inadequate prepared for the challenges of collegiate level work
(Burns, 2010). For students of color these problems begin very early on. According to Saenz and
Ponjuan (2009) “boys in grades 4 through 8 are twice as likely as girls to be held back a grade,
and the rate is even higher for boys of color” (p. 59). Additionally, “Latino students are more
likely to be overrepresented in special education, and recent data suggest that they tend to be
especially overidentified during their high school years… which makes their college pathways
that much more difficult to navigate” (Saenz and Ponjuan, 2009, p. 60).
Often compounding negative pre-college variables are demographic and socio-cultural
variables, such as language barriers, parents who have not attended college and family
responsibilities (Crisp, 2010). “Students who are first in their family to attend a postsecondary
institution have no knowledge about timelines and deadlines for filing federal financial aid”
(Garcia, 2010). If deadlines for aid are not met, there is increased pressure to work in order to
pay for school and possibly help with family financial obligations, which begins to pull students
away from academic endeavors. The work of Saenz and Ponjuan (2009) sheds more light on the
issue explaining the cultural “expectations for the Latino male to work in order to contribute to
the family’s well-being” (p. 55). This is even more pronounced among young immigrants still
entrenched in more traditional ways of thinking (Saenz and Ponjuan, 2009). Unfortunately,
“students who [work] full time [are] more likely to drop out of college when compared to those

4. who worked part-time or not at all” (Summers, 2003, p. 71). These conflicts between school and
family obligations are often cited among the reasons a student drops out (Summers, 2003, p. 71).
Financial aid received and hours worked are part of what Crisp (2010) calls,
“environmental pull factors” (p. 178). These factors can be mitigated if students have good
academic experiences, such as spending time with faculty or academic advisors and taking
developmental coursework (Crisp, 2010). Fike (2008) found success in developmental
coursework to increase the likelihood of retention. In the same study, involvement in Student
Support Services which “requires students to meet regularly with their advisors, complete
midsemester grade checks, and complete a long-term plan of study” was shown to improve
retention (Fike, 2009, p. 82). Summers (2003) informs us that “students who were contacted by
and visited with a counselor were more likely to persist than other students,” (p. 72).
It is important, however, for those teaching and counseling Hispanic males to understand
their culture. It is well documented that students who are matched with mentors of the same
ethnicity and gender feel their mentors are more helpful personally and professionally (Santos
and Reigadas, 2002; Campbell and Campbell, 2007; Pope, 2002). However, there is a “lack of
Latino male teachers at all… levels” (Saenz, p. 62). This is problematic because, as Martinez
(2004) explains:
teaching and learning is a contextualized process in which certain cultural forms
become legitimized through their inclusion or delegitimized through their
absence… Nowhere perhaps are these issues more relevant than in the context of
the community college where more and more diverse students are seeking
educational opportunities and mobility. (p. 56)

5. Even students with positive pre-college variables may eventually drop out if environmental
variables are negative, according to Bean and Metzner (Summers, 2010). The opposite, however,
is also true. A positive environment can help a low-performing student to persist (Summers,
2010).
Martinez (2004) points out that “Latinos will continue to turn to higher education as a
vehicle for upward social, political, and economic mobility and our social institutions will
depend on community colleges to prepare, train, and support” them (p. 60). As student affairs
professionals, whether serving at a 2-year or 4-year institution, we can play an integral role in
changing the landscape of higher education and the nation by helping creating an environment in
which Hispanic males succeed. Though we cannot control students’ pre-college experience,
socio-cultural variables or demographics, we can influence the college environment and
academic experiences. We can become mentors and advocates for these students, ensuring that
they are aware of the resources available to them. We should be leading the way, linking arms
with faculty to serve every student to the best of our abilities.

6. References
Burns, K. (2010). At issue: Community college student success variables: a review of the
literature. Community College Enterprise, 16(2), 33-61. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Campbell, T., & Campbell, D. (2007). Outcomes of Mentoring At-Risk College Students:
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Crisp, G. (2010). Hispanic Student Success: Factors Influencing the Persistence and Transfer
Decisions of Latino Community College Students Enrolled in Developmental Education.
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Fike, D. (2008). Predictors of First-Year Student Retention in the Community College.
Community College Review, 36(2), 68-88. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Garcia, M. (2010). When Hispanic Students Attempt to Succeed in College, But Do Not.
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Martinez, M. (2004). Latinos at community colleges. New Directions For Student Services,
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7. U.S. Census Bureau (2007). Population Trends in the Hispanic Population. Retrieved April 9,
2010 from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hispanic/ files/
Internet_Hispanic_in_US_2006.ppt.
Pope, M. (2002). Community College Mentoring: Minority Student Perceptions. Community
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