Transforming the First Year of College for Students of Color (review)

Sara is a new first-year student of color at her first choice of institutions for higher education. She could be Asian/Pacific American, Latina, American Indian/Alaskan Native, African American or multiracial/biracial. She probably will have some difficulty financing her education, and her transition to college or university will challenge her ethnic identity, academic ability, and social skills. This is the first time she has been away from home for any appreciable amount of time, and she is the first person from her family to go away to college. She is just starting to realize the enormity of the differences between her home community and her present situation. Although a good student in high school, Sara is concerned about her ability to compete in this new atmosphere. Very few people look like her in most of her classes or in the residence hall. She generally finds herself spending a lot of time by herself or with the few students of color that she has already managed to meet.

Sara's first-year experiences are typical of those from many students of color attending traditional institutions of higher education. The services and first-year student programs provided by the university usually do not take into account the multicultural nature and complexity of this growing student demographic. Also, many student development theories and practitioners have a long history of viewing students of color in ways that describe them as special needs, first-year/low income, or disadvantaged.

In "Transforming the First Year of College for Students of Color," editors Rendón, García, and Person attempt to holistically address the first-year transition experience of students of color. This monograph provides higher education practitioners with compelling arguments for and practical steps toward a holistic revision of that experience. Their writing is rooted in a commitment to social justice and the critical theory of Paulo Freire, Sylvia Hurtado, Henry Giroux, James Banks, and others. The chapter contributors make a compelling argument for a paradigm shift from the traditional services and theories that have, until now, guided our thinking about minority student first-year retention programs. This new paradigm places the need for new thinking about the first-year transformation process of students of color squarely on the shoulders of the institution and those who design first-year services.

The chapter contributors paint vivid, three-dimensional portraits of these students, giving voice to their cultures, survival skills, academic assets, and adjustment issues. This work also provides excellent statistical and anecdotal evidence, as well as descriptive characteristics of this emerging student population.

At first blush, much of the information in the monograph may sound standard and common sense. Nevertheless, it is this book's organization and respectful treatment of the diversity of the student of color experience that I find refreshing. It characterizes the unlimited potential for changing how we in higher education think and design programs and services for this growing segment of our new student population.

The monograph is divided into four sections: "Identifying Students of Color and Their Unique Needs," "Supporting Students of Color in the Classroom and Beyond," "Working with Specific Populations," and "Moving toward the Future." Their common theme is the focus on a need for institutional change and for respecting the values and knowledge of this growing new student population. It convincingly argues that traditional higher education practices for students of color in their first-year transition programs leave many needs unaddressed.

Student development practitioners assisting these students must rethink the design of transformation services, practices, and student development philosophies so that they embrace the complexity of American higher education's multiracial and multicultural future. Chapter contributors stress the need for transition programming and services that respond to the full range of cultural experiences, academic preparation, and financial needs.

The transition to college is often...