Latinx Student Services and Outreach (LASSO)
Institution:
Georgia State University
State:
Georgia
Academic Level:
Baccalaureate
Issue Area:
Retention
Program Focus:
Key Personnel:
Libia Jiménez Chavez
Contact Info:
ljimenezchavez@gsu.edu | 404.413.2616
Overview
Established in 2002, the mission of Latinx Student Services and Outreach (LASSO) is to offer holistic programming that support Latinx student success through educational, cultural, social, and career services that contribute to their recruitment, retention, empowerment, and graduation.
Program Description
The goals of LASSO provide order and structure to our daily interactions with students. They also allow us to measure our progress towards achieving success. LASSO is strongly committed to the following: Providing a safe space for all students irrespective of class, sexual orientation, nationality, citizenship, or immigrant status To support the development of self-advocacy of students so that they may attain their academic and professional aspirations. LASSO increases the academic, social, and leadership opportunities for Latino/Hispanic students at GSU while also increasing collaborative efforts amongst Latino/Hispanic faculty, staff, and students. Additionally, they bring awareness about the value of family involvement in a student’s educational journey and engage the family through outreach initiatives. LASSO aids Georgia State University in the increase of Latino/Hispanic student retention, progression, and graduation rates.
Outcome
Students that participated in LASSO one time had a graduation or retention rate of 93% while those that participated more than twice graduated or continued at GSU at a rate of 96%, in comparison to 86% for those that did not use our services.
In Fall 2019, students that interacted with LASSO had GPAs higher than students who did not use our services (7 points higher for those that used our services only once and 29 points for those that used our services more than twice).
LASSO students achieved an average 3.35 GPA.
