There was no question for Hispanic microbiology senior Alia Ramirez whether she would have a college education.

Ramirez said she considers herself lucky to have had the help of her father, a first-generation college graduate, in pursuing her education.

“A lot of us are having to pay for our own college and don’t get help,” Ramirez said. “So many people don’t realize Hispanic students face different obstacles.”

The four-year graduation rate of Hispanic students who enter OU in 2006 was 23 percent, up more than 3 percent from 2005, according to recent reports from OU Institutional Research and Reporting.

However, according to a recent New York Times article among Mexican immigrants age 19-23, fewer than six-percent are enrolled in college.

“It is important that the university continues its efforts to ensure Latino students are not only enrolling in college but graduating with a degree,” said Crystal Garcia, Hispanic American Student Association adviser.

OU has numerous programs offered specifically to Hispanic freshmen, such as Project Threshold and the Trio program. These federally funded programs help economically disadvantaged students and first-generation college students.

But Ramirez said the support for such programs dwindles after the freshman year, recruiting the students into the university but not providing the emotional support they need to continue their university education.

Garcia said the university is providing what it can.

“I feel the university is well aware of the high drop-out rate and has done all that it can to ensure all Latino students have the same opportunity to graduate as any other student at OU,” Garcia said.

Ramirez said she hopes for programs such as the Dream Act, which provides temporary residency to people who have graduated from a United States high school and attend two years of higher education.

“The multicultural life on campus is getting better every year,” Ramirez said. “They’re getting more involved and growing in numbers. I think things will get better.”