By ALISSON HATA

The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that by 2050, there will be more school-age Hispanic children than school-age non-Hispanic white children, which emphasizes the growing need for Chicano/a Studies departments in today’s higher education institutions.

“By 2050, we’re going to be a significant portion in academics,” said David Rodriguez, department chair of Chicano Studies at California State University Northridge (CSUN).  “It is a response to academic neglect.”

The Latino population is expected to triple in size by 2050 and will make up 29 percent of the U.S. population, according to Pew Hispanic Center data.  In 2007, Hispanics or Latinos accounted for just over 47 percent of the population in Los Angeles County.

At CSUN, the Latino/a American population accounted for 30 percent of the student body in 2008. CSUN currently has the largest Chicano/a Studies program in the world. The department, founded in Fall 1969, offers approximately 170 courses each semester for students in the major, double major, minor or masters option.

“It’s really about connecting with your roots,” said Jessica S., a third generation Mexican American and senior at CSUN. “I feel that I now have a better understanding of women in my culture.”

Jessica, who wished to remain anonymous, compares the Chicana/o Studies department to the study of history. As an area studies field, Chicana/o Studies addresses the role of Chicana/os across disciplines such as history, politics, culture, language and education, according to the department. In classes, including the fall semester’s Day of the Dead course, students learn about topics such as the roles of women and children in Latin America.

According to CSUN’s department, Chicano/a Studies emphasizes a critical understanding of the Chicano/a and Latino/a experience in the United States. Many departments across the nation were created to address the needs of a growing student population. These programs provide curriculum related to the historical significance of Chicanos/as in the United States and their role in the future of the rapidly changing demographics of the country.

“Our lens is the Chicano experience,” said Rodriguez, who graduated from CSUN in 1971 with a minor in Chicano Studies. “It’s holistic and comprehensive, not only seeing the world from a Mexican experience, but also from different area perspectives.”

Chicanos, Hispanics and Latinos are oftentimes interchangeable in today’s society, according to Rodriguez. Students in CSUN’s Chicano Studies department see a great demand for the system to change, eliminating incidences of racism in academia and incorporating Chicanos into core curriculum.

According to the Department of Finance for the state of California, Hispanics (both foreign and American born) are well represented in most counties. CNN reported in 2008 that minorities will become the new majority by 2042, with the most dramatic gain in the Hispanic population.