Estimated read time: 7-8 minutes
OGDEN — As Weber State University phases out several cultural centers geared to Black, Latino, LGBTQ+ and female students, among others, the reaction has been strong.
"It's abrupt, it's sad, it's very surprising," said Rob Steedley, a Weber State undergraduate. Standing outside the Black Cultural Center on Friday, when the Ogden university held "closing receptions" to mark the looming closure of the varied centers, he added, "It's been an emotional train wreck."
Hannah Sutton, a student who works at the Women's Center — among the several centers to be eliminated — said the space has been a refuge of sorts ever since she discovered it. "I immediately felt safe. I felt like I found a home. I found a community," she said Friday, commiserating with others in the common area the center shares with the university's LGBTQ+ Center, also to be shuttered.
Now she wonders how students from the student groups the varied cultural centers have represented will manage. "I don't think it will be easy for people to find the support they need," she said.
Effective Monday, cultural centers at Weber State and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City will close, one of the ripple effects of HB261, legislation approved by Utah lawmakers earlier this year, targeting diversity programs at Utah's public universities. Many are lamenting the change, and representatives from some of the centers at the two universities held receptions and open houses this week as a farewell gesture.
"I want to cry," Marylinda Gonzalez, a senior at the U., said at a reception Thursday to bid farewell to the U.'s Center for Equity and Student Belonging, geared to Latino, first-generation, Asian and other "underrepresented" student groups. "I'm getting teary-eyed talking about it."
It didn't take long for Gonzalez to find the center — and the community she had been searching for — and apply to take part in its Diversity Scholars program. "Not only did it help me start and become a successful student my first year, it also helped me to fund my first year," she said.
HB261 calls for a dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, typically geared to minority and marginalized students, at Utah's public universities. Instead, they are to create offerings geared to all students based on need, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation and other personal identifiers. Per the legislation, the Utah System of Higher Education created new guidelines governing cultural centers, but rather than change the centers to comply with the new parameters, Weber State and the U. opted to do away with them.
Jessica Oyler, vice president of Weber State's Student Access and Success division, said university officials worried that had they retained cultural centers, with the required changes, they still could have faced changes in a year. Among other things, cultural centers may not offer "one-on-one" services to students, Oyler said, but rather, per the guidelines, are to focus on "cultural education, celebration, engagement and awareness."
At Weber State, the new Student Success Center will absorb cultural center functions, providing services to students who need extra help without regard to personal identifiers.
The University of Utah will launch a pair of new entities to help take over cultural center functions, also to serve students regardless of their race, ethnicity or other identifiers. The Center for Student Access and Resources will coordinate student resources such as scholarships, advising and mental health and wellness services. The Community and Cultural Engagement Center will focus on cultural education and celebration.
"As we've evaluated how best to comply with the legislation, I want to be clear that we've faced very difficult decisions," said Lori McDonald, vice president for student affairs at the U. "The law and subsequent guidance require a foundational change in how we approach student support, and we will follow the law. This isn't about changing the words we use; we're changing how we approach the work."
'A safe place for me'
Steedley, who also works as business manager for The Signpost, the Weber State newspaper, was one of the few people present outside the Black Cultural Center for Friday's goodbye activities. Though many staff and faculty are leery of changes brought on by HB261, he wonders if the changes have sunk in for students, most of them gone for the summer. "My biggest concern is I've not heard student voices," he said. "If they're not here, they don't know."
In the common area shared by Weber State's Women's and LGBTQ+ centers, several students, including Sutton, had gathered.
"It feels genuinely like a safe place for me," said Page Mantz, a Weber State student. Maneuvering the broader campus, "It can feel kind of hostile. That all goes away in here... I'm just allowed to exist."
Mantz lamented the lack of inclusion of students in crafting the changes at Weber State. "We weren't included at all. We were just told, 'This is what's happening. This is the date and it's going to hurt,'" Mantz said.
Aiden Lopez, also a Weber State student, emphasized the role of cultural centers in creating a support system for students of color and others outside the mainstream. "They create a space. They give resources. They connect you with people with similar experiences. These are marginalized groups that have to stick together," Lopez said.
Gonzales, the University of Utah student, said the resources at the U.'s Center for Equity and Student Belonging were "never not for everyone," countering HB261 proponents' contentions that diversity initiatives help some to the detriment of others.
Susan Truong, a U. alumna, attended Thursday's ceremony as a show of support as the center for belonging shuts its doors. When she was a student, she said, it was "just a welcoming place where we could all hang out."
'Closing them is a disservice'
On the occasion of the looming closure of the varied cultural centers, two Democratic hopefuls vying for posts in the Utah Legislature issued statements similarly critical of the change, perhaps boding for more debate on the matter as Election Day, Nov. 5, nears.
District 3 Utah Senate hopeful Stacy Bernal, an Ogden Democrat and member of the Ogden School Board, recalled her experiences at the Women's Center when she was a student at the university.
"Closing them is a disservice to our recent Ogden School District graduates and current Weber State students who rely on them," she said. HB261 "highlights why we need better leadership in office — leaders who focus on the real needs of our communities rather than engaging in culture wars and partisan politics without considering the fallout of their actions."
Jake Fitisemanu, a member of the West Valley City Council who's running for the District 30 seat in the Utah House, also had critical words.
"Women, students of color, LGBTQ+ students and other communities deserve supportive spaces on campuses specifically dedicated to their success and unique needs," he said, noting the "profound impact" cultural centers can have. "Utahns deserve a legislature that prioritizes supporting our communities, our students and our families rather than engaging in unproductive culture wars."
Bernal is challenging Sen. John Johnson, a North Ogden Republican vying for his second term. Johnson told KSL.com that HB261, which he backed, doesn't contain language specifically requiring closure of cultural centers. "There was nothing that forced them to close the cultural centers. In fact, we avoided that on purpose," Johnson said.
Rather, he said, those sorts of decisions were left to university presidents to make. "I think they see a need to focus on the success of all students," Johnson said.
Incumbent District 30 Rep. Judy Weeks Rohner, a Republican who favored HB261, is running for the Utah Senate this cycle. Fitisemanu will face off in November against Fred Cox or David Parke, pending the completion of counting of ballots from Tuesday's GOP primary. Cox was leading Parke by a 51.8%-48.2% margin, according to the ballots counted as of Friday.
