Will Chapman ever become a Hispanic-Serving Institution?

Photo Collage by Easton Clark, Photo Editor

With its location in the heart of Southern California, one might expect Chapman to be an incredibly diverse school, especially when it comes to its Hispanic/Latinx population. After all, Latinx people make up 40% of California’s population, and make an even stronger showing in younger age ranges, with 50.2% of Californians aged 18-24 identifying themselves as Latinx. 

Yet, Chapman has never qualified for federal recognition as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), which requires that at least 25% of a college’s full-time undergraduate population identify as Hispanic.

Many students of Chapman’s Hispanic population expressed that their identity wasn’t a factor in why they applied to Chapman. 

“My background didn’t influence my decision to attend,” said junior broadcast journalism major Ryan Kiser. “In fact, I knew Chapman was a predominantly white institution, so it probably did the opposite. I knew being in Southern California meant that there would be a Hispanic population somewhere nearby, so I wasn’t too worried.”

That isn’t to say that Chapman’s Hispanic population isn’t strong. In fact, the Latinx percentage of Chapman’s population has grown by 25% over the past five years, with 22% of the fall 2024 undergraduate population identifying themselves as Hispanic.

“I remember as soon as I was admitted to Chapman, so many Hispanic clubs and resources were presented to me,” said public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing junior Marisa Lamas. “There were so many opportunities for me to feel more connected to my family and Hispanic background. There’s definitely a sense of pride that comes with that, and I absolutely feel connected to my culture at Chapman.”

It’s a connection that Chapman has attempted to foster over the past several years, with efforts ranging from offering a digital Latinx Resource Center to introducing Hispanic sororities and fraternities to the campus, with the latest being the Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity this past spring.

“At Chapman, I think I have found a community,” said Kiser. “I’m very proud of being Hispanic, I indicated it on my application to Chapman and will continue to do so as long as that question exists.”

Hispanics are typically one of the most underrepresented demographic groups in American higher education, and account for nearly half of all first-generation college students. As a result, the Department of Education has historically used HSI status as a method for dispersing grants and other funding in order to level out the playing field and make colleges more affordable and accessible for Hispanic students.

HSI status has long been a goal for Chapman faculty to attain, with new President Matt Parlow highlighting it as a chief priority while speaking to The Panther in fall 2024. 

“It’s very consistent with our mission,” he told The Panther. “We want to attract the best and brightest students from all throughout Southern California and beyond.”

However, the current federal administration has thrown many diversity-related goals of colleges across America into limbo, and HSI status is no exception. 

In June, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a lawsuit alleging that the program “perversely deprives even needy Hispanic students of the benefits of this funding if they attend institutions that don’t meet the government’s arbitrary quota.” 

While the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) filed a motion to intervene in the case, the Department of Justice has declined to defend the program, placing hundreds of millions of dollars of funding in jeopardy.

For Chapman, the blow to its potential HSI status comes amongst a larger pushback by the federal government against programs related to diversity, with faculty seemingly acquiescing to federal pressure by ending its DEI program last semester. Even if Chapman crosses the 25% population threshold with the class of 2029, Parlow may find himself unable to achieve the goal he laid out in the runup to his freshman term as president.

Regardless of the pressure, Chapman’s Hispanic population still remains dedicated to maintaining its identity

“Although I fear for what may come, considering all that the current administration is doing to oppress communities that I am a part of, my background and identity remain the same,”  said Lamas. “I can’t hide who I am due to fear. I can only hope that our voices are heard.”

For Kiser, the feeling of solidarity in identity and pride in heritage was mutual.

“The changes coming from the current administration have not changed how I identify. I’m proud to be Hispanic and that’s not dependent on who is in office or who is in congress,” said Kiser. “No matter what the political landscape looks like, I will still represent that part of my identity and make my family who immigrated proud.”