COLLEGE PARK, Md.
The University of Maryland at College Park has decided to create a minor in U.S. Latino studies –the first such program at a major university in the Washington area.
A University Senate committee approved the creation of the minor on Friday. The program will become official in the fall, though two graduating seniors who have fulfilled the requirements will graduate this spring with the minor.
The decision prompted applause from activists who have been working to establish a formal program for a decade.
No school in the mid-Atlantic region has a full Latino studies program. There is a similar minor at Loyola College in Baltimore.
Scholars say too many schools neglect the study of Latinos, a group that represents 15 percent of the U.S. population. They say public universities have a responsibility to serve Latino communities.
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