The Hispanic/Latino population may be rapidly increasing in the city of Winston-Salem; however, this increase is not represented on the campus of Winston-Salem State University.
The Forsyth County QuickFacts from the U.S. Census Bureau states that Latinos made up 10.1 percent of the population in Forsyth County in 2006. According to Hanes Mall Boulevard’s Winston-Salem Population and Demographics study, 8.64 percent, or 16,043 people in Winston-Salem are Hispanic or Latino.
Winston-Salem is the home of Que Pasa, the leading Spanish language newspaper and radio station in North Carolina. In addition, the city offers cultural events like Fiesta, a Hispanic street festival, and organizations like the Hispanic League. The city is showing effort in accommodating the growing Hispanic population, but there is a question of whether the university is doing the same.
WSSU students and staff have differing opinions.
Based on WSSU’s fall 2007 enrollment statistics, 76 students, out of 5,870, were Hispanic/Latino.
Maria Ortiz, Executive Assistant for Enrollment Management at WSSU says the University is trying to reach out to the Latino population by promoting international programs and using brochures and applications written in Spanish.
Ortiz, who is also the adviser and founder of Club Latino, says that student organizations like Club Latino are exposing students to international topics through literature, social and cultural events.
“This year I have seen more Latinos attending the university full-time,” Ortiz said. “There is also a mature Latino population who are taking courses, not in pursuit of a degree.”
Ortiz says that they[Hispanics/Latino students] attend WSSU over a non-HBCU because of the favorable location, the affordable cost, and its diversity.
WSSU has seen numbers increase in Hispanic/Latino transfers from Forsyth Technical Community College.
Johanna Nunez, a foreign exchange student from Ecuador says that there are a lot of Latinos in the University, but they don’t participate in activities so others may not know they are here. Nunez says that the University does its part to reach out to Hispanics/Latinos.
“We reach out to them through our international programs, like foreign exchange and study abroad programs,” Nunez said.
Malisha Propst, a junior finance major, said that the University could be doing more for Hispanic/Latino students.
“They pay tuition and fees just like everyone else on campus,” Propst said. “However the university does not offer many Hispanic/Latino studies classes, compared to the African-American Culture courses.”
“The University does a poor job at recruiting Latinos. We don’t offer enough multicultural events that relate to them.”