The University of Wyoming (UW) is replacing its Multicultural Affairs office with the Pokes Center for Community Resources.
The change comes after legislative cuts led the school to eliminate many of its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
UW claims the changes are meant to respond to those cuts.
The Multicultural Affairs office advocated for marginalized students through intersectional programming and clubs.
Programs like the Students of Color and 2SLGBTQIAP+ Student Circles – as well as the Moviemento Estudantil Chicanx de Aztlán group and the Asian Pacific Islanders Association – that fell under the office will now need to be run and supported by students themselves if they stay on campus, according to UW President Ed Seidel.
Heather Martinez, who’s Hispanic, is a sophomore who previously took advantage of one of the office’s clubs, which has since disbanded.
“We're all equal, you know. I'm no better than you, you’re no better than me,” said Martinez. “But still, at the end of the day, I think it's an important resource to have. I mean, it helped me a lot. I made a lot of connections last year, connections that I still have today.”
Another student who spoke to WPR and who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution said, “It makes me wonder: How is this affecting student admissions? How is this affecting the diversity of students who are coming in?”
“My friends have told me they no longer feel comfortable in that space,” the student continued. “They will walk in [where the Multicultural Affairs office used to be] and they'll see that all the things that made them feel welcome, from the decorations to the music going to the overall atmosphere, [are] completely gone. A lot of them treat it like a funeral, and they call it that. They come in to mourn and to see how it once was.”
Seidel said four employee job descriptions under the office will change, but no jobs will be eliminated.
Wyoming Public Radio is a licensee of the University of Wyoming, but its newsroom operates independently.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
