(Part two of a series. To read the first part, click here.)
By Rachel Helgeson, for the CVPost
Luis Solis is an Eau Claire resident and a first-generation college student who immigrated from Mexico with his family 18 years ago.
He is studying at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and, in the past year, has changed his major from finance to social work. The change came, he said, because a social work degree would prepare him to help those in need, especially immigrants like himself and others in the growing local Hispanic/Latinx community.
To read a brief explanation of the “Hispanic” and “Latinx” terminology used in this story, click here.
As that population grows, there is general agreement among public officials, educators and advocates that education and cross-cultural understanding are keys to embracing the Chippewa Valley’s increasing diversity. They are also key ingredients in meeting the needs of a community that is changing.
Joyce Anderson, co-chair with her husband of JONAH’s Immigration Task Force, said that sharing the common value of treating people with decency is woven into both sides of the story. Taking steps forward both personally and politically is imperative to overcoming differences within society, she added.
JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope) is a grassroots organization, largely faith-based, with a focus on social justice issues and a heart for compassion.
“. . . need to be an advocate. . .”
Solis said he chose a social work major because he recognized the need to be an advocate for people of color and those with disadvantages.
“Originally why I chose social work is because I felt that getting more understanding of the different benefits out there for people of color, for people who are disadvantaged, was important,” he said in an interview. “I think social work gives me a good foundation.”
The increase in the numbers of Hispanic/Latinx students enrolling each year at UW-Eau Claire is clear. Since 2016, the Hispanic population has been the largest minority group enrolling at the university and has surpassed Southeast Asian students, according to the UW-EC Office of Institutional Research.
Emmanuel Castellanos is a senior Latinx UW-EC student and a board member of Student Organization of Latinos (SOL). He said his purpose at SOL is to give Latinx students on campus a reason to stay, and to encourage them to explore and embrace their identity at college while connecting with students who have similar interests.
Lack of resources was a motivator
His motivation also came from his experience with a lack of resources when he first came to college. He took an immediate role in SOL, which he said had suffered from a lack of people available to participate.
“Since Eau Claire is a very white town it’s very hard to find students with similar experiences and similar identities,” Castellanos said, “so we try to have social events, fundraising events to bring the community together.”
Castellanos added that although the university is doing an adequate job of attracting a diverse group of applicants,, he hopes to see more resources dedicated to retaining students and assisting them post-enrollment.
The Eau Claire Area School District (ECASD) also wants to develop tactics for meeting Spanish-speaking people halfway in the community.
Dual Immersion program on tap
Joe Luginbill, president of the Eau Claire School Board since May 2018, said it is overseeing implementation of a Spanish Dual Immersion Program. The program, to be based at Longfellow School, will consist of instruction in both English and Spanish for all enrolled students, both native and non-native Spanish-speaking.
The push for this program comes at a revolutionary time as the world diversifies and globalizes, Luginbill said.
The number of Hispanic/Latinx students in the Eau Claire district has increased by 1.7 percent between the 2013-2014 school year and this year, as reported by the Wisconsin Information System for Education Data Dashboard. To put this increase into perspective, the number of white students has decreased by 3.6 percent since the 2013-2014 school year.
“We want to make sure that we’re adequately providing services for those (diverse) students, but also that we’re harnessing our diversity as a real strength in our school district, as something that (works with) all students with different needs and different backgrounds,” Luginbill said.
The ECASD also passed a Non-Discrimination for Immigration Status resolution in March 2017, assuring that students, regardless of their immigration status, will have access to free education.
‘Fitting in’ shouldn’t require assimilation
Becoming a part of a white-majority city or university should not require people to compromise their true cultural identity, according to Gerardo Licon, an assistant professor of history in the UW-EC Latin American Studies program. Giving Hispanics/Latinx people space to be themselves and simultaneously a part of the community is not about erasing their cultural heritage or background, he said.
“It’s not about getting rid of one to make space for another,” Licon said. “There’s room for all of it. I think as a society hopefully we’ve gotten more and more away from the idea that in order to fit in you need to assimilate.”
El Centro de Conexion de Chippewa Valley (ECCCV) serves as a major local support group for Hispanics/Latinx in Eau Claire. Rev. David Anderson, a member of the ECCCV board who is also the other co-chair of JONAH’s Immigration Task Force, said ECCCV serves as a connection point for newcomers of all ages and provides resources for the Hispanic/Latinx community.
Within this group, immediate assistance is available if needed. Board members take turns being responsible for an on-duty phone which any community member may call at any time.
The phone calls bring a variety of requests for assistance, ranging from needing a ride somewhere, to wanting to find furniture for a new place of residence, to requiring child care for a short time.
Note: Rachel Helgeson was a CVPost reporting intern in the Spring, 2018 semester. She graduated from UW-Eau Claire in December and began a full-time reporting position for RiverTown Multimedia this month.
An earlier version of this story was published on “Inside Eau Claire.” The story was originally prepared for the Advanced Reporting course at UW-Eau Claire.