Orienting communities
Parents, families benefit from Spanish-language IntroDUCKtion
Parents who, with their incoming students, attended this summer’s University of Oregon orientation program, IntroDUCKtion, had an an opportunity to learn about La Vida Académica y otros temas. Yes, in Spanish.
This year’s event marked the first formal Spanish-language IntroDUCKtion.
Emilio Hernandez, assistant vice president, Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED), and Cora Bennett, director of Student Orientation Programs, led an effort to provide a translated schedule for parents, slideshows in Spanish, and a panel of Spanish-speaking students who have been integrally involved in OIED and the Office of Multicultural Academic Success, among others.
“This year, we had a structured program, where we were with the parents all day,” Hernandez said. “It made the parents feel more relaxed and able to ask the questions that they wanted to.”
“Given the rapidly changing demographics of Oregon, including extraordinary growth of the Latino student population, providing support like this to Spanish-speaking parents and families is essential to encouraging their children’s success,” says Charles Martinez, vice president for institutional equity and diversity.
The collaboration involved not only Hernandez and Bennett but also more than a dozen other staff and faculty members. With additional support from other departments, Eugene’s 4J school district, and the federally funded High School Equivalency Program, plans are firmly grounded for future expansion.
“Growing our program in terms of participation is going to be our next focus,” Bennett says. “We have a really solid, core group of people who are devoted to the program, who really care and are invested. So now we have to get the word out to the community.”