Tucson Region
UA plan to merge minority centers is stirring protest
By Aaron Mackey
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona

Published: 06.08.2009
Several minority groups in Tucson are growing increasingly concerned over steps taken by UA leaders that they say show the administrators' inability to understand the difficulties minority students face.
Key alumni and community leaders are rallying against a plan to consolidate six minority student support centers as part of a budget cut that will save the University of Arizona about $1 million and trim nine positions.
Beyond saving money, the consolidation of the centers — which include services for Hispanic, black, Asian and American Indian students — reflects a generational shift away from students identifying themselves in such static ethnic terms, UA officials said.
The larger minority center would provide programming to all minority students in a central location with the goal of increasing retention and graduation rates.
UA leaders plan to complete the reorganization this fall, but members of the community are asking that the changes not be made.
The decision to eliminate individual centers has many charging that UA President Robert Shelton isn't committed to serving Tucson's diverse community.
In a letter to Shelton last week, several prominent Hispanics said the UA "has gone out of its way to systematically exclude this community."
"Thus, the overarching and ongoing issue is the university's lack of commitment (as demonstrated through the actions of many of its administrators) to serve the Hispanic community," the letter continues.
Another letter sent to Shelton by several members of the UA's Mexican American Studies and Research Center echoes the concerns.
When asked about the issues raised in the letters and by other people, Shelton offered a short response.
"I remain, as always, firmly committed to a diverse student population, staff, faculty and administration," he wrote in an e-mail. "It is simply the way for all of us to make better decisions in our diverse world."
Oscar Miranda, president of the Tucson Hispanic Coalition and who helped write the first letter, said he was frustrated that plans to close the Chicano/Hispano Student Affairs Center were made without exploring other possibilities, such as trimming excess programs.
While Miranda, a UA alumnus, speaks positively of Shelton and his ability to lead the university, he doesn't believe the president has involved enough people in decisions that impact minorities.
"The top administrators don't see beyond the walls of the university," he said.
Melissa Vito, vice president of student affairs, said UA officials have held at least 50 meetings with outside groups to go over the changes and have posted regular updates on university Web sites.
She also took issue with charges that the UA isn't committed to minority students, pointing out that the number of Hispanic students entering and graduating from the UA has increased in recent years. Hispanic enrollment at UA has increased 8 percent since 2004, while the six-year graduation rate for the same students has increased about 2 percent, figures show.
Additionally, a scholarship program designed to give low-income students a shot at graduating from college debt-free also has boosted the number of minority students on campus, Vito said.
"I'm aware that this is a move that is creating anxiety for a number of people," she said. "At the same time, it's a process that we've tried to get as many people as possible involved in."
Gloria Alvillar, a former UA employee who helped write the letter to Shelton, said the group also is upset that the director of the Chicano/Hispano center, Socorro Carrizosa, was given only a six-month contract.
Carrizosa, who is widely credited with creating many of the successful mentoring and advising programs within the center, will have to reapply for her job once the consolidation is complete, Alvillar said.
Because administrators usually sign 12-month contracts, the move is seen as a sign that officials don't have faith in Carrizosa, Alvillar said.
While Vito said she couldn't speak about particular employees, she said there have been several layoffs, reassignments and shortened contracts as part of the reorganization.
"My goal is really to make sure that as we continue to go forward, we have flexibility to continue to improve the organization," she said.
And with the recent dismissal of Juan Garcia, vice president for instruction, Alvillar said the Hispanic community has lost an important voice in Shelton's Cabinet.
"He was the person who would listen, who would hear us and who is a Hispanic-American," she said. "His absence shows an inability to realize that we need a presence there."
It's not just members of the Hispanic community who are upset by the change to the minority centers.
Clarence Boykins, president of the Tucson Southern Arizona Black Chamber of Commerce, said many people are upset about the closure of the African-American Student Affairs Center.
"I understand that there's a need to do this because of budget cuts, but we still have our own individual needs," he said. "The needs of our kids are different, and they need to be nurtured individually."
For Jason Wong, the closure is eerily reminiscent of attempts more than a decade ago to close the minority centers on campus.
Wong, who as a student helped maintain the minority centers, said the consolidation would discourage Asian-American parents from sending their children to the UA.
"Just because they're a minority doesn't mean they're all the same," said Wong, who serves on the UA Alumni Association's national board of directors.
On StarNet: Read Aaron Mackey's blog about the goings-on at the UA campus at go.azstarnet.com/campuscorrespondent
Contact reporter Aaron Mackey at 807-8012 or at amackey@azstarnet.com.