A Title V Center as a Counter-Space for Underrepresented Minority and First-Generation College Students

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: First-Generation Students Navigating College: Challenges and Opportunities for Success

Abstract

Hispanic Serving Institutions have increased in number along with the Latinx population in the United States, resulting in federal funding for programs to support the needs of these students. This qualitative study examines one such program, a Title V Student Center and how it acted as a counterspace for the undergraduate student population. This center provided specific support structures that students utilized, such as mentoring, professor office hours, and programming. It also serves as a place where community was developed, offering a sense of safety, encouragement, belonging, and a place for people of similar backgrounds to meet. This study contributes to knowledge about how to support Latinx students along with the body of literature on this community at four-year institutions.

Authors

• Krista L. Lucas, Pepperdine University

• Sarah Ann Roberts, University of California - Santa Barbara