Photo by Richard G. Anderson
The Community Connection
Q & A with Louis Mendoza, chair of the Chicano studies department
Why should community engagement matter to students?
[It helps] them more fully understand the notion of “praxis”; that is, it gives them an opportunity to test the relationships between theory and practice in a real-world setting. Most committed students can master factual information and interpret and analyze historical or hypothetical scenarios. But being in a community-based setting presents a different set of challenges because success is defined and determined in ways outside of the usual academic criteria by which we measure intelligence. Here students are accountable for their actions, not just their thinking.
What they learn is that success is measured beyond the successful completion of an assignment and their own individual well-being or success. Their actions are part of something larger than themselves, and so success or failure at their work is more complex.
How does partnering with undergraduates benefit faculty?
Going against the image of the lone intellectual studying in the ivory tower, Chicana/o students today continue to bridge the “town-gown divide”; working closely with students on community-based projects offers faculty an opportunity to do the same—and stay true to our intellectual roots.
Also, partnering with students on research, particularly projects that involve community engagement, productively disrupts the traditional teacher-student dynamic and sets the stage for a mutually beneficial learning experience involving the community organization, student, and instructor where the knowledge and experience we seek to gain is located outside of the University. The flow of knowledge comes from the community into the University and positively impacts the lens through which we see each other.
I am constantly reminded that these students are what Chicana/o Studies is all about—they are not studying or working in some abstract community; they are vital members of the very same community. They are a dynamic example of emerging leadership and the rich potential of theory put into practice. Working with students who are advocates in a grassroots campaign reminds me of the limits of book knowledge and dogma; their experience is a book yet to be written.
Why should the issue of higher education for undocumented immigrants concern people who won’t be directly affected?
For a great portion of the mainstream, supporting and advocating for the DREAM Act is affirmation that the values of the civil rights movement and the fundamental humanistic principles of justice and fairness have not died. I do not believe this is a campaign that can be simply categorized as “us” versus “them.” While there are indeed a great many people who are against extending the privilege of education to undocumented students, there are also a great many people in the mainstream who understand that we are part of one large community and that our destinies are intertwined. Their well-being is tied to ours.
Politically and economically, the future of this country depends on having an educated workforce. The failure to educate all young people today will have drastic consequences for this country in the future.
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