This fall, eight centers at UW-Milwaukee that serve specific groups of students are expected to be merged into one resource hub. That hub will become part of the Division of Student Affairs. UWM says the move will “provide greater collaboration, shared goals and broad-based student support to enhance student success.”
But many students and staff are worried about the consequences. That includes people who use or work at the Women’s Resource Center. It was established in 1993 by UWM student government to focus on the needs of female students.
The center in the UWM Student Union offers services like education about safe sex and violence prevention, and advocacy for women who have been victims of violence or harassment. For sophomore Sierra Lee, it’s been the welcoming space she’s needed as a Black woman on campus. "When I popped in, immediately Mia — she instantly opened her arms and was like, 'hey, what’s up? What’s goin’ on?' And I immediately felt welcomed, like it was an energy and a vibe that I never received at any other college," Lee says, referring to Mia Valenzuela, the assistant director of the Women’s Resource Center.
Lee is disappointed that the physical space will disappear this fall when eight student centers are merged into one. "I don’t wanna just come into a open center hub and be like, 'yeah, I’m going through some womanly things right now,' and I’m looking at a man and a man (who says), 'yeah, so let’s go in my office.' That’s weird for me because I’ve had negative experiences with men, so to connect with a woman — specifically me being a Black woman — a Black woman or a woman of color would do me justice. And I don’t get that on campus a lot where I’m interacting with other like-minded women such as myself," Lee says.
The other student hubs that are being merged into one new facility are centers that serve Black students, Latino students, Southeast Asian students, LGBTQ+ students, veterans and students who are in the military, commuters, and first-generation college students.
The union that represents UWM faculty and academic staff is opposed to the merger.
AFT Local 3535 calls the merger an “unnecessary decision to ‘comply in advance’ with dictates from the Trump administration which already have been overturned in the courts.” The union accuses UWM of making the decision “amid manufactured austerity.”
Read the rest of the article at WUWM: https://www.wuwm.com/uwm-students-staff-worry-merging-eight-resource-centers-into-one-student-hub