Bienvenidos / Welcome

Dear current and future CHAC members and supporters:

Over the spring ’07 semester in order to meet the changing demographics Cabrillo College currently faces and our recent designation as an HSI, an Hispanic Serving Institution, CHAC met regularly to discuss the future direction of CHAC; we begin the new 2007-8 year with hope and the anticipation of many good things to come.

Currently, Latino/a students comprise a quarter of the Cabrillo College student population, and demographic projections estimate this percentage to continue rising throughout the foreseeable future. As a standing Cabrillo College committee, CHAC accepts and desires to expand its role as an active participant on the Cabrillo campus. Throughout our numerous meetings as a collaborative group the spring ’07 semester, we drafted the various sections of a governing document: Nuestra misión/Mission Statement, Estructura governalmental/ Structure and Governance, Metas/ Goals, and Historia/ History.  These sections were then emailed to all group members for comments and suggestions. The current versions of these sections are included as part of this website, which we view as a living document open to change as needs require.  Hopefully you will read these documents and support CHAC as we address issues affecting Latino/as here at Cabrillo College.

On a final note and speaking as one of the conveners for CHAC: CHAC and Cabrillo College are politically situated to affect change here on campus, in the county, and should I even suggest statewide? It is by having a voice, by listening, speaking and being out there in whatever capacity our talents present that we can formulate a more equitable society, yes, beginning here on this campus, in our departments, in our classrooms, in the hallways and the quad.

Hopefully we will continue to work together to bring equity to the Latino/a community by beginning with what we do best: providing a solid, rigorous and enduring educational experience for each and every student that picks up that phone, mails in that application and who stands in line so that they can register for the classes that will lead them into their future. As a Cabrillo College standing committee, CHAC through the collaboration of its members and supporters is ready to contribute in all ways to Cabrillo’s success.

Looking toward a bright and prosperous future,

Adela Najarro

One CHAC convener