APSU’s Latino Advisory Council makes supporting Latino students a campus-wide initiative
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Last year, Austin Peay State University unveiled its newly rebranded and redesigned Latino Community Resource Center (LCRC) in the basement of the Morgan University Center. The inviting space – decorated with couches, tables, a television and even a small kitchen area – provides students with a safe place to relax, study and connect with friends.
The center is one of the reasons why the Education Trust of Tennessee applauded the University’s efforts last year in enrolling and supporting Latino students. According to the trust’s report, Austin Peay had “the highest Latino access score of any public institution in the state.”
Yanaraliz Barnes, the center’s director, is proud of the work the LCRC does, but she doesn’t want it to become the only source of support for Austin Peay’s growing Latino student population.
“Sometimes when people think about Latino students, they think about the center, but we wanted Latino initiatives to be university-wide efforts,” she said. “We wanted to bring a group together and work on things that will improve their quality of life for Latino students here at Austin Peay.”
Last fall, Barnes partnered with LaNeeça Williams, APSU chief diversity officer and Title IX coordinator, to establish the APSU Latino Advisory Council of Resource Advocates. They recruited members from offices across campus, and last October, the group hosted its first meeting. During the meeting, they set the council’s goals, which are:
- Focus on identifying areas of need within the Latinx community at APSU.
- Collaborate in the implementation of new strategies that will contribute to the recruitment, success and retention of Latinx students.
- Recommend speakers, programs and collaborations for the Latino Community Resource Center events.
Almost a year has passed since that first meeting, and the council has been busy over the last few months making strong progress on the goals it set. What has it achieved? Some of the accomplishments from last year include:
- Launching of the Community Ambassadors Initiative, which identified six community members who are helping to build stronger networks between Austin Peay’s Latino community and the Clarksville community.
- Creating a bilingual version of Austin Peay’s recruitment materials.
- Hosting registration workshops and two one-on-one registration sessions at the LCRC during the spring semester.
- Hosting an upcoming Spanish FAFSA workshop on Oct. 6, from 5-8 p.m., that will be open to the community. At the event, participants will have the opportunity to apply to APSU and learn more about upcoming preview days and the Parent and Family Portal.
- Developing Spanish-language financial aid information and others that will soon be printed and placed on the financial aid website.
For information on the council, visit https://www.apsu.edu/student-life/lcrc/advisorycommittee.
News Feed
View All News
A research team in the Department of Biology is working to identify and provide dignified burials for nine human skeletons and dozens of loose bones believed to be connected to the illegal body trade that shipped remains from India to medical schools from the late 1800s to the 1980s.
Read More
Austin Peay State University sophomore Erin-Kate Roeder is balancing one of the most demanding majors on campus -- engineering physics -- with her role as goalie on the university's inaugural women's lacrosse team, with sights set on a career in biomedical engineering and 3D-printed prosthetics.
Read More
Austin Peay State University's Full Spectrum Learning program celebrates its 10th anniversary with Autism Awareness Week events April 13-18. Free and open to the public, the week features workshops, a student showcase, a forum, and an anniversary celebration honoring a decade of supporting neurodiverse students.
Read More