At UC Riverside, the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, also known as CHASS, embarked on a six-month bilingual marketing campaign to better serve its prospective and current Hispanic and Latino student population, spearheaded by the CHASS Office of the Dean. The first-of-its-kind initiative, launched in January 2024, aims to reach current, incoming, and prospective students and their families through outreach, events, and marketing in both English and Spanish.

“UCR stands tall among the Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Research Institutions,” said Daryle Williams, CHASS dean. “We, therefore, have the mandate to be intentional in efforts to provide our students and their families access to our world-class offerings in the languages spoken in their feeder schools, homes, and future workplaces. 

According to UCR's Institutional Research, 37% of UCR’s undergraduate student body is Hispanic or Latino. In CHASS, the figure climbs to 4,778 Hispanic or Latino undergraduate students enrolled during the 2023-2024 year. Recognizing the importance of effective communication and inclusion in this community, the college initiated the campaign to provide a stronger connection.

“It's the right time because we have the right people in place who see the need, who recognize the need, and also understand the community,” said Sandra Baltazar Martínez, a senior public information officer with UCR’s central communications office. Martínez is a former bilingual journalist and a 2001 CHASS alumna. Martínez has been coordinating and implementing the CHASS bilingual marketing campaign, including writing and translating content into Spanish for accuracy and effective communication.

Under the coordination of Jeff Girod, assistant dean for CHASS Marketing and Communications, the campaign is a collaborative effort involving various units and individuals across UCR, including the marketing and communications team, academic advisors, undergraduate admissions, and student affairs.

“CHASS’ Spanish language efforts enhance nearly every aspect of the undergraduate student experience,” said Ryan Lipinski, CHASS assistant dean of student success. “Providing information in Spanish, welcoming students and their families in Spanish, and by connecting them to a support network early on in their academic journey at UCR, CHASS is communicating directly to these students that they belong.” 

One of the first major tasks Martínez worked on was developing a comprehensive Spanish-language website for CHASS that went live in March 2024. This new landing site serves as a vital resource for Spanish-speaking students and their families, providing essential information about UCR and CHASS, including the application process, financial aid, and student life. According to Martínez, the website's goal is to enable families to explore the university together, fostering a deeper understanding of what UCR offers.

In addition to the website, the college’s Spanish initiative included creating bilingual printed materials, a social media campaign, videos, radio commercials, and organizing events tailored for Spanish-speaking audiences. Martínez worked on creating information about CHASS to be showcased in pamphlets and brochures with final designs to be completed over the summer.

In a series of social media posts, Martínez collaborated with the CHASS student marketing team, showcasing students, staff, and faculty to discuss their experiences and background in English or Spanish and share information about CHASS. “¿De dónde vienen tus raíces?” [“Where do you come from?”] was the focus of the first social media video, which had a reach of more than 35,400 views over eight days on Instagram alone. Other videos focused on safety and on finding community at UCR.

At events such as Highlander Day and Transfer Day, both held in May, CHASS welcomed Spanish-speaking families to campus at The Barn for “cafecito,” a cup of coffee, pan dulce, and community. Students and their families met academic advisors, peer academic advisors, and staff from Chicano Student Programs. Students and their families had a chance to ask questions, participate in conversations with faculty, staff, and current students, and receive a Los Highlanders t-shirt.

For both sessions, Lipinski collaborated with the CHASS Student Affairs Outreach and Recruitment committee, led by academic advisor Jennifer “Jen” Garrison, as well as Arlene Cano Matute, assistant director of Chicano Student Programs and co-chair of the Hispanic Serving Institution committee, to ensure the events’ programming was authentic and accurately served the community.

“A simple goal for our Highlander Day event that I shared with our committee was: make our Spanish-speaking students and families feel comfortable on our campus so they can experience the ‘magic’ that UCR creates for students,” Lipinski said. “Jen and the committee took that goal and ran with the idea for our Spanish Family welcome.”

“Events such as Highlander Day and Transfer Day help parents feel more comfortable leaving their student at UCR, especially after seeing how big and welcoming the Spanish-speaking community is,” Martínez said.

The two CHASS Commencement ceremonies on June 18 at Toyota Arena in Ontario featured a series of college-related videos on the Jumbotron, including a two-minute video of CHASS students describing their college experience in Spanish. The dean’s remarks as well as speeches for the two student speakers, were subtitled in Spanish. 

Brenda Liliana Jovel, an English and creative writing major, served as the 1 p.m. student commencement speaker. Her speech included a thank you in Spanish to her family for their support: “Gracias por estar conmigo y confiar en mis decisiones. Sé que no los he llamado tanto durante estos años de colegio, pero ustedes son la razón por qué estoy aquí”.

Martínez looks forward to CHASS expanding and refining its efforts to support all students and their families, from undergraduate admissions through post-baccalaureate studies or employment. 

“The goal isn't just to reach out to the Latino community and Spanish-speaking communities once. This will continue. CHASS also hopes to use this campaign’s framework to reach other bilingual communities,” she said. 

To view the CHASS Spanish-language landing website, please visit chass.ucr.edu/espanol.

FEATURED PHOTO. Los Highlanders CHASS T-Shirt