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CSU-Pueblo Cultures and Ethnicities A Glimpse A special publication prepared by students in the reporting public affairs class at CSU-Pueblo Photo by Daniel Potter 2 REPORTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS 2015 Index of stories CSU-Pueblo demographics show increased diversity ............................................... 2 Overcoming language barriers and adjusting to the United States .......................... 6 Student campus involvement reflects Hispanic roots .................................................9 Small town students meet big time college experiences .......................................... 12 International program educates campus by bringing diversity ............................... 14 Athletics is a culture ................................................................................................ 18 Some student profiles .............................................................................................. 20 The staff The students in the 2015 spring reporting public affairs class examined some of the cultures and ethnicieties at CSU-Pueblo and this publication is the re- sult. While it wasn’t possible to Kierren Duncan, Co-Editor compile a comprehensive report, Gianna Lisac, Co-Editor the editors hope this glimpse will illistrate the rich and diverse population on campus. Michelle Pham, Co-Editor Kiersten Senff, Co-Editor Richard A Joyce, Adviser CULTURES & ETHNICITIES AT CSU-PUEBLO 3 Colorado State University-Pueblo cheerleaders drive gameday bass drum around downtown Pueblo during the “Celebration of Champions” back in February 2015. Photo by Jessica Warren. 4 REPORTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS 2015 CSU-Pueblo demographics show increased diversity By Kiersten Senff .6 percent of the population and identify as white, African American Co-Editor Islanders with .1 percent of the and Hispanic you will be counted population on campus. as Hispanic. And it is all self-report- The Colorado State Universi- These numbers have not changed ing,” said Kreminski. ty-Pueblo campus community has much in the last few years. In fall of This change happened some- a more diverse range than might 2009, according to the CSU-Pueb- time in 2008 or 2009, which be expected, considering the census lo Fact Sheet, the total population would explain the rise in numbers statistics of the state of Colora- on campus was 4,728 with the of Hispanic students coming to do, which show that of the over 5 majority demographic still being CSU-Pueblo. million people estimated to be in white, at 55 percent. Another change on the Colorado in 2014, 88 percent of Hispanic demographics were the CSU-Pueblo campus is a rise from them identified as being white. second largest group in 2009, just 2.2 percent of the foreign exchange In comparison, the 2014 Fall as now, but constituted 25 percent and international demographics to Census on the CSU-Pueblo cam- of the population. Since that time its current 3 percent. pus showed a population of 4,528 students, and of those, 49.9 percent “Our percent that is Hispanic of them were white. This means CSU-Pueblo has a more diverse went up because the federal guide- population than does the state of Colorado. lines were expanded. If you identify Almost half of the student population in fall 2014 was white. with multiple ethnicities you will be The other large population here was Hispanic, at 31 percent of the counted as Hispanic.” student body. Even with recruiting from the for- —Rick Kreminski eign exchange program, only about 3 percent of the student body is made up of exchange and interna- the Hispanic population has been Unfortunately, CSU-Pueblo also tional students. gradually rising while the white experienced a loss in some of the That’s about 135 students rang- population has been decreasing. other demographic areas. This may ing from countries as diverse as “Some of that is there was a be attributed to the 200-person loss France, Germany, Korea, Italy point where how people report in enrolment from 2009 to 2014. and many more. Every semester being Hispanic changed. It’s more In 2009, there was a 9 percent somewhere around a dozen of our general now,” said Rick Kreminski, population of African-Americans students exchange with students provost and executive VP for Aca- and 2 percent for Native Ameri- from other countries. demic Affairs. cans. Some of the other smaller de- “Our percent that is Hispanic When the total population went mographic groups include Afri- went up because the federal guide- up in the fall of 2011 to 4,960 stu- can-Americans, with currently lines were expanded. If you identify dents the campus saw a small influx about 7.4 percent of the campus with multiple ethnicities you will of people in the Hispanic demo- population, Native Americans with be counted as Hispanic. So if you graphic reaching 28 percent and a CULTURES & ETHNICITIES AT CSU-PUEBLO 5 small reduction in the white demo- The African-American popula- NSE Coordinator Heidi Laino said graphic dropping to 53 percent. tion dropped another percentage to the center sends professional staff to Along with gaining those stu- 8 percent, and Native Americans other countries to recruit students dents, more may have self-reported dropped to 1 percent. The foreign for CSU-Pueblo. That may account to identifying as being multiple eth- exchange and international popula- for the slight rise in foreign ex- nicities, including Hispanic, which tion rose slightly to 2.4 percent. change and international students would count them as Hispanic on Assistant Director at the Center over the years. identifying documents. for International Programs and Colorado State University-Pueblo ethnicities 6 REPORTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS 2015 Overcoming language barriers and adjusting to the United States By Kiersten Senff does not have any history in speak- open to them and they feel secure Co-Editor ing English, he or she is put in the in their little groups of people from ELI or English Language Institute. their own country. Language barriers can be diffi- In the span of a year students are Hee Choi, sophomore geophysics cult to overcome when speaking taught or given a refresher on how major, came to CSU-Pueblo from with someone you may not fully to speak English so they can start South Korea. When asked what the understand and who may not fully working toward a degree. biggest adjustment for her was, she understand you. At Colorado State Laino’s job is to help new stu- said, “Carpets in our rooms.” With University-Pueblo there is an ex- dents coming to this country feel a laugh she explained that in South change and international program comfortable and get them accli- Korea people take their shoes off that gives students a place to go so mated. “We register them and help before entering a house so there is they can be understood and given a them to get situated with a cell no carpet, and all of the floors are chance to acclimate to our country. phone and shampoo. So we take heated. When new students come here them shopping in the first two or The second hardest thing to from other countries, to learn, they three weeks. We are always happy adjust to was our food. “Everything must first show they can speak En- to have volunteers to help us get in America is always fried,” said glish well enough to take university them settled in,” Laino said. Choi. Choi will only be joining classes. The test that measures this Having someone who speaks your CSU-Pueblo for this spring semes- ability is called TOEFL. It stands native language is very comforting ter, but she was given this oppor- tunity by her professor in Korea, who offered to sponsor her to study The hardest part, a lot of inter- abroad. Another job Laino is tasked with national students say, is that in this is getting applications and calcu- lating the grade point average of country, if people know students are incoming students because other countries have a different grad- foreign or from another country but ing system that may go either by percentage or numbers, so she must don’t know if they speak English, look it up in her database and see where they are from and what the those people just ignore them. grading system is and then evaluate them accordingly. —Heidi Laino Coming to a new country and for Test of English for Foreign Lan- to students when they first arrive, learning new culture can be an guage, according to Heidi Laino, Laino said. The hardest part, a adjustment. Each country has its the assistant director at the Center lot of international students say, own set of quirks and customs. The for International Programs and is that in this country, if people International program is always NSE Coordinator. know students are foreign or from looking for volunteers to help make A student must score a 61 on the another country but don’t know if the transition easier on students TOEFL exam to be able to take they speak English, those people coming here from another country. classes at CSU-Pueblo. If a student just ignore them. Americans aren’t The programe also hires students CULTURES & ETHNICITIES AT CSU-PUEBLO 7 who have been accepted for work helpful,” Choi said. “It gives me Those interested in becoming study as communication partners some confidence. In countries like communication partners or helping who will speak to the students and South Korea, children are taught the international program either as show them around campus to feel as young as 8-years-old to read in volunteers or work-study students more welcomed. English, but they may not get a lot may contact Heidi Laino at the “I have only met with a conver- of practice speaking it before they international office in the OUC. sation partner two times, but it is come here. HELLO HOLA MERHABA SALAAM ÜDVÖZLÖM NAMASTE HALO OHAYO HALLO YAH SAHS NAY HOH AHOJ OLÂ MARHABA SZIA HEJ CIAO BONJOUR JAMBO NÍ HÂO 8 REPORTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS 2015 Students participate in the university’s Celebrando a la Mujer festivities in 2015, which included folklorico dancing and tradi- tional Hispanic mariachi music.

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