EWU’s inaugural Cinco de Mayo Latino Forum will be an all-day event featuring panel discussions and round tables presented by faculty and scholars, community leaders, administrators, and professionals from regional community colleges and high schools focusing on how to “serve” students of color. It will culminate in a fund-raising dinner aimed at providing scholarship support for Eastern students of Latino heritage.

Being pro-active, the forum is part of EWU’s ongoing effort to earn designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Eastern is calling on the community to participate in this development with the purpose of becoming one of the best Hispanic “Serving” University in the state of Washington.

The purpose of the Inaugural Cinco de Mayo Latino Forum is to provide a space in which Scholars, students and  Latina/o/x community share  ideas for:

• Best practices of Hispanic “Serving” programs for students of color,
• Exploring effective strategies for the recruitment, retention, and graduation of Latinx and diverse students,
• Developing stronger nexus and collaboration with the Latinx community and its partners (such as non-profits and other organizations)

If the “Serving” in the Hispanic Serving Institution is centralized in our conversations, then approaches to develop programs, academic curriculum, and inclusive/safe spaces can have clear objectives producing real-impact on the transformation of students lives. ~Dr. Torres García.

Forum presenters are invited to submit a short abstract, panel and/or round table proposals based on research and experiential knowledge on the following topics:

• Diversifying the curriculum with a focus on Chicanx/Latinx student population.
• Best hiring and retention practices of diverse faculty & staff
• Panelist will be addressing the vision of a Hispanic Serving Institution including best practices in the areas of recruitment, retention and graduation rates.
  • Community College Professionals (addressing opportunities, challenges and other issues)
  • Students (expectations regarding programs, services, curriculum, faculty & staff, etc.)
  • Community leaders (regarding expectations relevant to their community needs)
  • High school educators/professionals (serving at institutions that serve as feeder schools for EWU—addressing opportunities & challenges among others)

The forum is scheduled to be a one-day event (8am-5pm) with panels/round tables followed by a fundraising dinner (6-10pm).

Questions, please contact the Latino Forum Committee at chicanoed@ewu.edu

People needing accommodation should contact Aurelia Murguia at 509-359-2404 or amurguia@ewu.edu one week in advance.