Whereas, the University of California, Irvine does not currently have an established location solely dedicated to support the growing Latinx community,

Whereas, for Fall 2018, UCI received the most Chicano/Latino California-resident freshman applications (25,390), [1]

Whereas, UCI’s current enrollment for 2017-2018 is 25.7 percent Hispanic, [2]

Whereas, UCI “has attracted enough Latino students to be designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI),” [3]

Whereas, for a university to be given the federal designation of HSI, it is required that the total Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25% of the total enrollment at the undergraduate or graduate level, [4]

Whereas, UCI’s designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution (AANAPISI) “increase UCI’s eligibility for funding and grants from the departments of Education, Agriculture and Housing & Urban Development that can be used for a variety of purposes: to boost financial aid and other student services, to purchase scientific and laboratory equipment, for faculty development and to improve classrooms,” [2]

Whereas, other UC campuses that are also recognized as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) such as  UC Santa Barbara [5], UC Santa Cruz [6], and UC Riverside [7] have established Latinx/Chicanx Resource Centers in their respective campuses,

Whereas, other UC campuses that are recognized as Associate Member Institutions (AMI), meaning that enrollment constitutes at least 10% of the total enrollment or where a minimum of 1,000 Hispanic students are enrolled at the undergraduate or graduate level [4], such as UC Davis [8], UC Los Angeles [9], and UC San Diego [10] have established Latinx/Chicanx Resource Centers in their respective campuses,

Whereas, UC Berkeley has established a Latinx Center of Excellence, [11]

Whereas, “UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara are the only HSI campuses among the 62 members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) — an elite network of public and private research universities that includes the Ivy League, UC, Stanford and USC,” [12]

Whereas, Mesa Unida is an umbrella organization of Latinx and Latinx-serving organizations that both benefits and unites the Latinx community at UCI,

Whereas, Mesa Unida has taken the initiative to organize a petition and spread it throughout the UCI student population to find and show support for the establishment of a Latinx Resource Center,

Whereas, Mesa Unida members are also enrolled in a Chicanx/Latinx Leadership Seminar, sponsored by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center and led by Andrea Gutierrez and Adelí Durón, with the purpose of identifying common and unique needs of the Chicanx/Latinx student population,

Whereas, Mesa Unida is currently affiliated with and has the support of other Latinx-serving organizations such as Ballet Folklorico de UCI, Chicanos-Latinos for Community Medicine, Cru/Destino, Eater Army, Hermanos Unidos, Latino Business Student Association, Latino/a Student Psychological Association, M.E.Ch.A. de UC Irvine, MAES: Latinos in Science & Engineering, Nu Alpha Kappa, Phi Lambda Rho Sorority, Inc., Sigma Delta Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Pi Alpha Sorority, Inc., Blum Ambassadors Council, and Students Advocating For Immigrant Rights And Equity,

Whereas, these organizations span undergraduate and graduate students, field and career interests, to cultural orientations that celebrate the rich diversity of Latinx identities,

Whereas, Mesa Unida also has the support of the Department of Chicano/Latino Studies,

Whereas, Mesa Unida has also received support and interest from Dr. Anita Casavantes-Bradford, Associate Professor and Mesa Unida advisor; Dr. Rameen Talesh, Dean of Students; Sherwynn Umali, Associate Dean of Students; Andrea Gutierrez, Coordinator of the FRESH Basic Needs Hub; Adelí Durón, Director of the Veteran Services Center; Jade Agua, Director of the Cross-Cultural Center,

Whereas, Vice Chancellor Thomas Parham has expressed enthusiasm and interest in working with Mesa Unida towards the establishment of a Latinx Resource Center,

Whereas, a Latinx Resource Center would help broaden and facilitate communication between Chicanx/Latinx students and the greater UCI student community,

Whereas, a Latinx Resource Center would provide a physical space that reflects the perspectives and culture of Chicanx/Latinx students,

Whereas, a Latinx Resource Center would provide Chicanx/Latinx students a secure and welcoming environment that will have a beneficial impact not only on their emotional and physical health, but also on their overall student performance,

Therefore, let it be resolved that the Associated Students of the University of California, Irvine (ASUCI) supports Mesa Unida’s efforts to establish a Latinx Resource Center and commits to serving and advocating for the growing hispanic student population,

Let it be resolved that a copy of this legislation be sent to Chancellor Howard Gillman; Vice Chancellor Thomas Parham; Bill Maurer, Dean of Social Sciences; Rameen Talesh, Dean of Students; Douglas Haynes, Vice Provost for Academic Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion; Michael Dennin, Dean of Undergraduate Education, and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning; Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, Assistant Vice Chancellor Educational Partnerships; Enrique Lavernia; Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor of UC Irvine; Luis Aviles, Chair of the Spanish and Portuguese Department; Louis Desipio, Chair of the Chicano/Latino Studies Department, and Sherwynn Umali, Associate Dean of Students.

Citations:

[1]

https://news.uci.edu/2017/12/14/sweet-116000-uci-again-breaks-undergraduate-applications-record/

[2]

https://news.uci.edu/2017/05/22/uci-meets-u-s-department-of-education-eligibility-as-a-hispanic-serving-institution/

[3]

https://www.ocregister.com/2017/05/22/feds-award-uci-designation-of-being-a-hispanic-serving-institution/

[4]

https://www.hacu.net/hacu/Membership_Information.asp

[5]

UC Santa Barbara

http://eop.sa.ucsb.edu/services/cultural-resource-centers/clcrc

[6]

UC Santa Cruz

https://elcentro.ucsc.edu/

[7]

UC Riverside

http://students473.ucr.edu/vcsa-csp/index.html

[8]

UC Davis

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-open-new-center-chicano-latino-students

[9]

UC Los Angeles

http://www.chicano.ucla.edu/

[10]

UC San Diego

http://raza.ucsd.edu/

[11]

UC Berkeley

http://socialwelfare.berkeley.edu/newsarticles/school-establishes-latinx-center-excellence

[12]

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-uc-irvine-latino-20170609-story.html