Written and designed by the staff of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Reproduce with permission only.
"A lot of courses don't teach everything. Hispanic culture is so huge that you can't really encompass everything into one. A lot of people stereotype and say things like 'Mexico is poor. Mexico is all aliens coming over here to take our jobs. It's falling apart.' People don't see the beauty in all of our cultures. And that's when I take offense."
In 1996, the Hispanic student population at UNC totaled 351, representing 1.5% of the student body. Despite the small percentage indicated in these numbers, the Hispanic community at UNC is growing rapidly. It is difficult to categorize Hispanic students as if they represented a homogeneous group. At UNC, these students come from a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The term "Hispanic" denotes students of the Spanish Diaspora who share a broad cultural heritage. At the same time, however, these students have individual cultural identities that are tied to the history of countries in Central and South America and of their indigenous peoples. "Hispanic" applies to students from such different countries and areas of the world as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Latin America, and Mexico. Often Hispanic students will even have ties to two or more of these cultures.
The inability on the part of most North Americans to recognize the group's diverse composition is a point of tension for Hispanic students in the classroom and on campus. Because of the varied nature of the community, it is difficult to discuss Hispanic history and culture in a single context. It is impossible and misleading to attempt to articulate a definitive Hispanic perspective because the diverse cultures and histories of the countries included in the term resist a monolithic interpretation. For this reason, Hispanic students are often apprehensive when called upon to provide "their" perspective. They worry that the professor is looking for "the Hispanic perspective" when, for example, the Mexican American viewpoint may differ widely from the Venezuelan or the Costa Rican viewpoint.
Many Hispanic students complain of stereotypes regarding their language capabilities. One of the biggest assumptions about these students is that they are all fluent in Spanish. On the contrary, some of these students may not speak Spanish but simply have a Hispanic cultural background and a Spanish name. Others may only possess spoken communication skills because they have not been brought up to read or write in Spanish. They will thus face the same challenges as non-Hispanic students do when learning a new language. Even so, because of their background, Hispanic students are often expected to perform better than their peers in Spanish language and literature courses.
Hispanic students' physical appearance may not reflect their cultural background and they are often mistaken for white students. As a result, these students may encounter insensitive comments or jokes about Hispanics from white students who believe they are part of a homogeneous group. Because they are not immediately identifiable as Hispanic, these students must face the daunting task of "educating" potentially hostile peers who are taken aback by the presence of Hispanics in the conversation. Or they must remain silent in order to remain part of the group and not to antagonize the white students.
Another concern for Hispanic students is that they are not an officially recognized minority population. Without this designation, Hispanic students lack access to those resources and support services created to address the specific needs of minority students. Many students feel that the university recruits Hispanic students merely to "reflect" cultural diversity for political purposes, and then leaves them out of discussions of minority needs when they get here. Currently, CHispA (Carolina Hispanic Association) exists as the primary organization for Hispanic students to explore and communicate their culture to others. As a student organization, CHispA can foster cultural awareness on campus but some students feel that it has only a limited impact on the classroom. It is important for professors and administrators to adopt a sensitive and inclusive approach to dealing with Hispanic students that will integrate them more fully into the classroom and life on campus.
An important first step in dealing
with the Hispanic community on campus is to remember that the term designates
a broad and varied population. Avoiding generalizations about Hispanic Americans
in the classroom will give Hispanic students more confidence to explain the
uniqueness of their culture without feeling as if they are speaking for all
Hispanic students. Students are always more comfortable when they are asked
to contribute their individual experiences. Modifying the syllabus of a class
to include the contributions of Hispanic authors, scientists, and statesmen
will also help to dispel the notion that Hispanic culture is alien and monolithic.
Quotes from interviews with Hispanic
students on campus
"A lot of times the professor will single me out because of my last name and say, 'Well, since you seem to have a Hispanic last name and you kind of look it, what do you think about this?' At times I feel there's a pressure for me to be the voice of everyone."
"I think that when they ask you to speak on behalf of the Hispanic community they don't realize how diverse that community is. Because, you know, we're not all from Mexico or Cuba. A lot of people don't even take South Americans into account. There are a lot of countries."
"I've lived in American culture all my life and everyone always expects me to be able to read and understand Spanish. I don't."
"I grew up in a situation where I didn't get a chance to learn Spanish. But once people find out your background, they automatically expect you to speak Spanish. When people find out that I don't then they want to know 'What happened? Why didn't your mom teach you?' Then I have to get into this long story. They definitely make you feel like you're not that much of an Hispanic. "
"I don't sound like the rest of the Americans. The teacher automatically assumed that I'm literate in Spanish because my vocabulary is high. But I had no grammar learning. So when I wrote something down, it came out like I spoke. The teacher would get on me for not trying. I felt that she was putting me above the other students because I was Hispanic and she felt I should have known these things. But she didn't realize that [I was writing] spoken Spanish. "
"Spanish was the first language I learned since I grew up speaking it. But I was never taught it in school. So I came here to Carolina, I placed out of Spanish and I got into trouble in the literature classes. People expect that because you speak it you should be able to write it. They're really hard on you and your grammar and they really expect you to know it. They expect more from you than the other students."
"I took a Spanish course and the teacher had us record our speeches. The teacher didn't like the way I was speaking because I had this American accent and she kept marking off. She wouldn't accept that Spanish sounds differently in different parts of the world."
"I remember taking this accelerated course and at the beginning of the course the teacher kept saying, 'Keep in mind there are all these other accents, but we're just going to learn Castillean.' I eventually dropped the course and took it again later. The new teacher was like, 'We're going to try and expose you to a variety of accents.' That does actually make you feel good."
"If you're living in the US, I think it's more important to have a Cuban, Mexican or Puerto Rican accent."
"I think the problem just isn't in the classes that are available but in the classes that aren't available. There just don't seem to be very many classes that I would really want to take. Not that many really cover Hispanic issues."
"The Institute of Latin American Studies offers courses but at other schools like Duke. They have a good variety of courses but the effect is felt at Duke. Students have to go there to take a lot of the courses."
"I was excited about this course because I thought I was going to learn about a lot of cultures. Instead, we learned a lot about sexuality. The only thing we learned about Latin America was about Hispanic Americans. It really didn't get into the truth of Latin American cultures."
"I think the university uses us. I think our presence here is good for showing diversity, but when you look overall, Hispanics aren't included in programs that provide extra help and support to other minorities. They really don't put forth an extra effort."
"How are we supposed to feel when we're not included in programs for minorities? We realize there are many of us and the university doesn't recognize us as a minority and so we can't get a lot of things [that are] provided to other students. We're trying to advance, but I feel like we're a non-entity. We're all equal and we should be treated equally. "
"When I came to UNC, I thought there was a strong Hispanic population. I thought the university would have done a better job of letting you know there were other students on the campus. Getting involved with CHispA actually helped me. That's been my link to other students really."
"I think the university needs to increase its Hispanic faculty. It's important to have people with a knowledge of Hispanic culture. You need to have people who understand the culture."
"Avoid stereotypes. A lot of students and professors are not exposed to Hispanic culture. They kind of rely on the media for what's out there. People need to foster dialogue and confront those stereotypes."
"Don't necessarily give special treatment. But acknowledge that in the term 'Hispanic' there's a lot of diversity. Each country has it's own culture. People need to understand the differences."
"There needs to be a long term mission from the university. North Carolina has one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the country. The university should be a leader in this area. It should take the initiative in educating future leaders."
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Last Updated: January 30, 2001