Over the course of a year Wright State University has made the decision to merge colleges in an effort to work toward financial stability. There are now decisions being made to merge organizations on campus.
The Office of Latino Affairs (OLA) is set to combine with the Asian and Native American Center (ANA). Julia Acosta, the current director of OLA, is set to become director of both organizations in December.
The current OLA office became a separate entity three years ago, and is currently housed in the Student Union. According to Acosta, there has been a negative response from students in her office. With around 600 Latino students and just as many Asian and Native American students, the new office would be limited on space.
“I’m interested in doing what the student body wants,” Acosta said. Students from the OLA office have tried to protest the merge but there has been little success in preventing it.
Andrea del Mar Flores Hernandez, a graduate student at Wright State, has spoken out against the merge.
“There are so many cultural differences; combining would be uncomfortable. Latinos are loud and chatty while the Asian culture is quiet and reserved. Even though we may be friends, we might not connect as much,” said Hernandez. “We will also have to chair events with one another, I feel like that could take away the attention from one another’s culture.”
The organizations will also have to undergo a logo change to represent the three cultures.
The Asian and Native American Center did not respond with a comment with their thoughts on the merge.
The OLA’s mission is to foster a supportive environment that enhances the success of Latino students, the Latino community and the economic development of the region.
Students like Hernandez chose WSU because of the Latino Office being its own identity and resource for students.
“I decided to apply to graduate school and most of the schools that I had got into they didn’t have an identity office. They had an international office but that’s it,” Hernandez said. “These are safe spaces, and the safe space situation is so underrated. These people are probably here alone, they are here without their families so who are their families? Their offices.”
Interim Vice President for Student Affairs, Gary Dickstein was unavailable for comment about the decision.
Update 10/31:
Gary Dickstein, the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs backed his choice of merging the Office of Latino Affairs (OLA) with the Asian and Native American Center.
The decision was motivated by the changes by the budget crisis earlier this year. “I have cut three and a half million dollars and there were close to 25 full time positions in student affairs that have gone away from October 1 of last year to today,” Dickstein said.
Mai Nguyen, the current director of Asian and Native American Center, will be retiring before the end of the year and Julia Acosta, the current OLA Director, will be stepping in.
Dickstein has full faith in Acosta taking over the Asian, Hispanic and Native American Center. “I have total faith if she puts as much passion into helping and creating the relationship that she has with her Latino and Hispanic students that she does now with her Asian and Native American students, that combination will bloom and grow,” said Dickstein.
The office space is not being taken away from the Latino and Hispanic students, according to Dickstein. Acosta’s role will be expanding and her office will be in the College of Liberal Arts. Students are encouraged to visit the space in Asian and Native American Center, and the current office can still be available as a hangout space.
Renovations and office relocations will be taking place throughout the Student Union up through next September.
The OLA will be on the list of relocated offices, but not until next year.
