A new center for Latinx students is coming to Cal Poly. Here’s what’s planned
A new space dedicated to Latino and Latina students at Cal Poly is expected to open this fall, according to a news release from the university.
The Latinx Center is slated for a grand opening in September as part of Latinx Heritage Month.
“I honor and appreciate all of the individuals — students, staff, faculty and community members — who have advocated for the creation of a Latinx Center on campus,” said Daisy Paniagua-Uribe, the center’s new coordinator who oversees Latinx intitiatives at Cal Poly. “I am looking forward to a space where we can engage in intentional, intersectional work that celebrates our culturas (cultures), supports and empowers our Latinx students, and strengthens our comunidad (community) at Cal Poly.”
The center will be hosted in Cal Poly’s Science Building in room E-22, adjacent to the University Union. It is open to all students, and the university expects it will foster a supportive environment for Latino and Latina students. It will feature a computer lab, lounge space, workshops and collaborative programming.
Additionally, the new Latinx Center will host Heritage Month programs, including the State of Latinx each fall, along with events throughout the year to educate the Cal Poly community about the Latinx student experience and uplift Latinx culture.
“It brings me great joy to announce the establishment of the Latinx Center on our campus after deep conversations with our campus community,” said Keith Humphrey, Cal Poly’s vice president for Student Affairs. “This center will serve as a place for students to build community and lifelong bonds and participate in cultural traditions and learning that expand their personal and professional development.”
The Latinx Center will be part of Cal Poly’s division of Student Diversity & Belonging cultural centers. Currently, there are seven cultural centers on campus — the Gender Equity Center, LGBTQ Campus Life, Men & Masculinities, Black Academic Excellence Center, Dream Center, Multicultural Center and the Native & Indigenous Cultural Center.
The addition of the Latinx Center was long awaited, and comes many years after similar universities had established their own centers dedicated to Latinx or Hispanic students.
Cal Poly remains the whitest public university in California; 19.4% of its student body is Latino or Hispanic, compared to 39.4% of California’s population.
“I am grateful that we’re creating more spaces at Cal Poly that celebrate our culturas; however, it is important to acknowledge that this need has existed for a long time,” said Griselda Elizabeth Medrano, a second-year agribusiness student, who has has been working to make the Latinx Center a reality. “There has been a collective effort for many years from students and other campus members to empower and support our Latinx-identifying students. There’s power in comunidad, y estamos aqui para cambiar el futuro (There’s power in community, and we are here to change the future).”
