Cal Poly Humboldt will be opening two new student centers on campus
by Noelle Doblado and Maryanne Casas-Perez
An LGBTQ+ Center and Dream Center will be opening later this semester which will be an expansion of the existing Cultural Centers for Academic Excellence on campus. Dates have not yet been released but the faculty and students involved have shared their motivation and intent for opening these centers.
LGTBQ+ Center
Chrissy Holliday, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success, describes the plan for this center to be an expansion of the existing Cultural Centers for Academic Excellence on campus.
“I hope it provides another place on campus where our students can feel welcomed, included, and connected to campus community and resources,” Holliday stated in an email to El Leñador. “If we do it well, students who visit this center will be successful academically during their time here, while connecting with others and creating a larger sense of community here at Humboldt.”
The Eric Rofes Multicultural Queer Resource Center (ERC) is a student funded queer center that has been a support resource for students on campus. Jenn Capps, the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, highlights the work of the ERC and The Gender Diversity Task Force for supporting the LGBTQ+ community on campus. Capps hopes that the new center will bring these resources together to create additional support and safe spaces for students on campus.
Mira Friedman, the Lead for Health Education and Medical Clinic Support Services, has been advocating for an LGBTQ+ resource center that would bring together existing community and campus programs.
“We want to make sure that we have a place where folks can go to feel safe and comfortable and it’s a long time coming,” Friedman said.
Dream Center
El Centro Coordinator Brenda Perez, student Yaneyry Delfin Martinez and professor Andrea Delgado have been tasked with planning and eventually launching a Dream Center on campus for undocumented students. They are the main group working on the Dream Center project with the support of Capps and Social Justice Equity and Inclusion Coordinator Frank Herrera.
“With growing momentum and collaboration, I and many others remain committed to ensuring all undocumented students and their families receive the support they need,” Herrera said.
Delfin Martinez, the student who runs Scholars Without Borders, explained that the idea for the center started when she was working on her master’s project.
“The dreamer center is going to be and it is already a decision that is gonna highlight all those tensions but in a constructive way,” Perez said.
Since her time working at El Centro, Perez has noticed the tension and lack of trust from students due to the protests of Spring semester 2024, having a Dream Center may be a way to build that trust again.
“What we’ve been talking about is connecting Cal Poly to the larger community,” Delgado said. In conjunction with the Dream Center other resources in Humboldt for undocumented students can help.
Delagado explained that right now the only services on campus for undocumented students are SWB and some legal services.
As far as financial aid there is only the Dream Act, which is a federal aid. Delfin Martinez feels there are no opportunities for employment during an undocumented student’s educational journey and even after. She hopes the Dream Center will provide employment support and opportunities.
“Students right now are not getting the quality of education that they deserve and paying for, sometimes even more when they aren’t able to get in-state tuition,” Delfin Martinez said.
Degaldo also made a point to recognize that undocumented students can come from different cultures and groups but because Humboldt has been a Hispanic Serving Institution for over a decade, it’s time to provide more support to Latine students.
“The dreamer center will set the tone to protect and to stop that question of your immigration status. It should not happen, it should not. You should be able to access resources as an equal person. So we are going to flip la tortilla somehow,” Perez said.
On Feb. 13 CAPS and SWB will be hosting an UndocuTALK support group on campus. Students will have to slide their ID and go through a pre-screening process to avoid any agitators. To sign up email you can email the following three people:
