This piece was part of my semester-long project in Journalism 202: Mass Media Practices. This story gives an overview to my entire topic, the creation of the Latinx Cultural Center.
The Creation of the Latinx Cultural Center
By Alexis Falci
Last year at a social justice leadership conference, three students, Michelle Navarro, Jonathan Godinez and Josue Velazquez were asked what they felt was missing for the Latinx community at UW-Madison. They discussed the lack of culturally-relevant resources on campus and the acknowledgement of Latinx students. They also talked about how the University does not have personalized mental, academic and spiritual resources for Latinx students either. All these missing pieces ended with one big idea: couldn’t all these end up in one space? For the past year, these three students have led a student-driven initiative to get a Latinx cultural center on campus in hopes of creating a space for students like them.
Students of color, including Latinx students, have a very distinct and different relationship with their University than majority of students. The fall 2016 campus climate survey reports only 65% of Latinx students feel welcome. Gabe Javier, director of the Multicultural Student Center at UW-Madison said there’s research that shows students of color at a predominantly white institution have a very different set of needs. For most Latinx students, UW-Madison’s campus is their first time in a space where they feel like a minority as their hometown may be more diverse than UW-Madison. Latinx students are the second-largest minority population on this campus with thousands of students. UW-Madison administration recently approved the Latinx cultural center to address their needs and provide a community for them.
The new cultural center has a different meaning to each student involved with starting it. For Navarro, it is more than just four walls; it is a place to foster and create community within your identity. She hopes the center can be a support system for Latinx students going through the same or similar obstacles. She also sees the Latinx Cultural Center as a place to honor and explore your cultural heritage.
The outside of the conference room that will be remodeled into the Cultural Center in January of 2019.
Javier believes it will be an important first point of contact and a place Latinx students can go to start their community-building journey, complementary to the Multicultural Student Center. Javier adds the center will also put the contributions of Latinx students front and center.
Godinez hopes the center has a lasting impact on students.
“It can be a beam of hope for a lot of people. A lot of students are uncomfortable on this campus and they don’t feel like they belong, or there’s no space for them to truly prosper and have their own resources that are designated towards them,” said Godinez.
Latinx students face many challenges that differ from the more general student population, which is why Navarro, Godinez and Velazquez saw a need for the center.
Godinez believes the biggest challenges Latinx students face are lack of acknowledgement and resources. Even though the university has a lot of resources, they are all generalized and not tailored to specific demographics.
Velazquez thinks first year students are usually lost at first and do not know what their sense of community is and where they stand, which is why he saw a need for the center. The Latinx center will be a community itself, but will also guide students to other organizations on campus and job resources that can provide a community for them too.
It took students months to get the Latinx center approved by the University because administration often said there wasn’t money available to start up a center and the grant them the space. However, the student leaders and Multicultural Student Center staff were able to work out a compromise with University staff. In May 2018, they were granted a space in the Multicultural Student Center. The spot they were given is small relative to how many Latinx students are on campus, but Navarro, Godinez and Velazquez all think it is a great start. Administration approved funding for the center, but it still lacks support because there are no staff members assigned to it.
The inside of the future center. The room itself is only 600 sq. feet, but with a little remodeling and new furniture, it will become a home for many Latinx students.
“We really want staff members. At the Multicultural Student Center there’s already so many staff members that care so much for the Latinx community but they already have so many other responsibilities. It shouldn’t be on them to have two jobs, you know?,” said Navarro.
The three students hope to eventually get a larger space from the University once the center starts taking off.
The Latinx center will be utilized in a variety of ways. Javier said there will be student organization gathering space, study spaces, timelines on the wall that show the impact and important key moments of Latinx students on campus and drop-in hours with University services.
Godinez hopes the center will implement culturally relevant mental health services and workshops in addition to immigration support for students.
Velazquez says the center is a space intended for Latinx students (or anyone else who wants to use it) for studying and hosting events and workshops. Velazquez hopes the center develops programs surrounding issues that pertain to Latinx students, such as DACA and first generation college student support.
“I personally don’t want it to be just for Latinx students. I want everyone and anyone to feel welcome in the space if people are interested to learn more about our community and the obstacles and issues that we go through because the space is also intended for that.” said Velazquez.
The entrance to the Multicultural Student Center where the new Latinx center will be. Photo by: The Daily Cardinal http://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2018/09/celebrating-diversity-of-latinx-cultura
This student-led initiative is an inspirational story of a powerful community. Even though Navarro, Godinez and Velazquez were crucial student leaders, they had the Latinx student population behind them throughout the process. Godinez doesn’t see the space as the end all-be-all for everything a student needs, but all three student leaders and Javier agree this center has the power to change a student’s life in a positive way and is an important asset to the University.
Alexis Falci 