Transfer Receptive Culture Supportive or Discouraging? Latino Men Transfer Students at Midwest University During COVID-19

• In Event: Institutional Agents Impact on Latino Men's Transitions Into and Through Higher Education

Abstract

This project draws from semi-structured interviews with five Latino men who transferred to Midwest University, a Predominantly White Institution in Illinois, during COVID-19. Recent research has shown that men of color struggle to transfer from a community college to a four-year institution (Felix & Gonzalez, 2022). Further, studies show that for Latinx students who use the community college as a pathway into higher education, not having access to transfer agents that can provide access to information and resources about the transfer process can place them at a disadvantage during the transfer process (Bensimon & Dowd, 2009). Therefore, this study adds to the limited literature that focuses on documenting the institutional culture at the receiving institution that would create opportunities for Latino men to succeed and obtain their bachelor’s degree. This paper explores the transfer receptive culture confronted by five Latino male community college transfer students who transferred to Midwest University (MU) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a transfer receptive culture framework (Jain et al., 2011) along with transfer agents (Bensimon & Dowd, 2009), this paper aimed to highlight aspects of the transfer receptive culture for Latino men that hindered or supported the transfer process from the community college to a four-year institution during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Preliminary findings reveal that the current transfer receptive culture at MU creates more challenges than opportunities to succeed for Latino men to succeed during the pre-and-post-transfer process. While participants benefited from the support of transfer agents at their community college, the lack of support post-transfer, highlighted a major need from their receiving institution. This study shows the need for transfer receptive agents at the receiving institution to limit or eliminate Latino men's cultural, institutional, and structural barriers during the pre-and post-transfer experience. Furthermore, this paper provides recommendations on “how” and “what” university academic affairs and student affairs officials can do to support Latino men community college students transfer and complete their baccalaureate degrees.

Author

• José Reyes Del Real Viramontes, University of California - Riverside
  Presenting Author