Centers for Diversity at risk

UIC prides itself on its diversity. But students from the Centers for Diversity are concerned that diversity is going to become a budget cut casualty.

A group of students from UIC's Centers for Diversity are planning a protest on Wednesday, February 10th, from 11:30-1PM at University Hall, to show their solidarity with their centers' mission.

UIC houses five Centers for Diversity - the African-American Cultural Center, the Asian American Resource and Cultural Center, the Women's Leadership and Resource Center, the Rafael Cintron-Ortiz Latino Cultural Center, and the Gender and Sexuality Center. Each center has been, for as long as they've existed, autonomous and collaborating units that provide services such as education and support to the students. These centers are responsible for putting on a host of events including the Chicago Latino Film Festival, the Vagina Monologues, and various other heritage programs.

The vision of the CFDs is that: "UIC, Chicago, and the world will be equitable communities that value racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual diversity and where all individuals achieve their highest potential without systemic discrimination."

Recently, under the stress of UIC's current financial situation, these Centers for Diversity face severe budget cuts that could compromise their autonomous existence. As this presented itself as a possibility, the Centers for Diversity held a series of community meetings at the Rafael Cintron-Ortiz Latino Cultural Center. Workers at the Centers, students, faculty members, and administrative staff were in attendance to pose questions, share thoughts, and express concern to the public forum.

The first question on the table was: "Which of the CFD's services/resources/programs have you been using, and in what ways have they been meeting [or not been meeting] your needs and/or expectations?"

First to offer input was Jane, a UIC sophomore: "I use the Rainbow Room as a place, well, I'm a lesbian, and sometime I'd don't feel safe on campus. It's just a matter of fact. I use the Rainbow Room as a place to hide sometimes to be safe. I really depend on the Rainbow Room and the Gender and Sexuality Center in general - for school and for emotional support".

The Gender and Sexuality Center has been around for over a decade and works to promote the well-being of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Both the Rainbow Room and the Gender and Sexuality Center are located in BSB.

Representatives from the other centers recounted the ways their particular center provided a particular service or resource to their UIC experience. The Writing Center, not a Center for Diversity themselves, often times refers students to these Centers as suggested safe spaces for all. Though there are five distinct Centers for Diversity, it was made clear at the meeting that there are other centers on campus devoted to diversity.

Roxanna, a representative of the Disability Center, shared that: "It's important to have an awareness as to why people with disabilities represent a culture. This is something that comes from the voice someone with a disability [She read from a paper]: 'People with a disability forged a group identity. We generate our own music, literature, and other expressions of our life and are influenced by our experience with disability.' I think it's important in the context of this meeting to share with you what these people think."

At this time, the Disability Center is not formally requesting to become a Center for Diversity, but is rather looking for feedback from the UIC community on the issue of disabled peoples as a community.

The dialogue which called for representatives to share what it was about the particular Center they go to that has fostered a sense of safety and community for them brought the discussion to it's largest question: How would you feel if the CFDs remained autonomous, but were physically brought together into one, shared space?

"Shared spaces is a significant step backwards - for someone to recommend that you combine them, it's naive. For someone working in diversity for 25 years, that step...that direction...there's a difference between collaborating, but to give up this type of space, it just dilutes the whole diversity discussion," said a member of the College of Dentistry.

"The idea of trying to mush everybody into some sort of potpourri would be a huge step back in terms of uniqueness and bringing something to the table. Students still come to me having been harassed, and I'm able to recommend these centers," said Veronica Arreola, co-director of ASCEND.

An intern from the Gender and Sexuality Center brought up: "Just a week ago, I got a call regarding a transgender issue. I don't think we would have gotten that call had we been in a general 'multicultural' center, and not been autonomous and separate".

As it is, the Centers are facing 5-12% cuts across the board, along with the rest of the University.