WHEREAS, The English Student Learners (ESL) are approximately 1.1 million in California, that makes California the largest state with ESL student population [1] and the first barrier for ESL students is the language transition and often when they are trying to enroll [2] they do not have the best experience in service, because there is no option of their native language translated on the enrollment page, or assistance from staff, that are fluent in their native language, which can cause discouragement amongst students, increasing language barriers, misunderstandings and the student's withdrawal from the institution;
WHEREAS, The ESL students that are about to enroll and are becoming fluent in English should receive translation service support and ESL students often face challenges in college due to the lack of appropriate academic ESL programs, that could provide them with the support to develop the necessary skills they need to succeed, ultimately reducing feelings of intimidation and fostering greater confidence to achieve their academic pursuits [3];
WHEREAS, ESL students need access to information in multiple languages and various forms of communication to support their process of language acquisition and fluency development [4] [5]; and
WHEREAS, ESL students like all human beings, are social beings and have the need to feel like they belong, and it is of utmost importance to offer opportunities for them to be engaged in the community [6]; Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges recommend that the California Community College Chancellor's Office offer more support for ESL students during enrollment and the option to translate the institution's webpage into all languages;
RESOLVED, That Student Senate for California Community Colleges support, with the California Community College Chancellor's Office, to hire more multilingual staff, who can speak more than one language and implement an app with simultaneous translation services;
RESOLVED, That Student Senate for California Community Colleges support with the California Community College Chancellor's Office, to create employment opportunities for students that speak more than one language so they also support other ESL students in their transition to fully speaking English, as well as to create programs that offer degrees in translation; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges work with the California Community College Chancellor's Office to encourage more opportunities for community engagement by fostering partnerships for students to integrate into the community and getting involved in assisting students, creating both employment opportunities and a way to participate, into the society that they belong to, so they don’t feel marginalized.
Citations:
[1] Who Are California’s English Language Learners?
https://transformschools.ucla.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2023/06/CAMTSS_Rese…
[2] Multilingual Education: Key to Quality and Inclusive Learning https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/multilingual-education-key-quality-and-inclusive-Learning
[3] U.S.-Educated Multilingual Students in Community College: Transitioning from ESL to English 101 (PDF) U.S.-Educated Multilingual Students in Community College:Transitioning from ESL to English 101
[4] Undocumented Students in Higher Education https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/undocumented students_in_higher_education_2023.pdf
[5] English as a Second Language (ESL) Learning: Setting the Right Environment for Second Language Acquisition https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330356157_English_as_a_Second_Language_ESL_Learning_Setting_the_Right_Environment_for_Second_Language_Acquisitio
[6] Social Connectedness as a Determinant of Mental Health: A Scoping Review Social connectedness as a determinant of mental health: A scoping review - PMC