Major and Classification
Political Science
Faculty Mentor
Jane Junn, Ph.D.
Department
Dornsife: Political Science
McNair Project
“Discrimination Against Latina Students within the California Community College Board of Trustees”
Project Abstract
The California Community Colleges are home to over 2.7 million students. These students are in community college for different reasons, but all represent the United States’ reputable educational system. With California Community Colleges being the most extensive network of undergraduate educational institutions in the nation, it is important to identify matters that may prohibit students from getting the education they seek. California’s 112 Community Colleges are divided into 72 districts, each governed by their own Board of Trustees. Trustees are publically elected officials and serve four-year terms setting policies and dealing with matters that enable student success. In matters of research, there are 449 Trustees and over one million Hispanics enrolled in California Community Colleges. This paper looks at discrimination against Latinas by California Community College Board of Trustee members and discusses the forms of representation that enable more minority groups to obtain better representation. Through an implemented field experiment, the results add to the dialogue that looks at district wide and at-large elections to better support the needs of constituents.