UC Berkeley Students Criticize University’s Actions: Thrive 4Lupe Demonstration
Thrive For Lupe Demonstration on Sproul
Photo by Noah Mendieta
On Wednesday Sept. 30, several UC Berkeley students assembled for a demonstration on Sproul Plaza in support of Lupe Gallegos-Diaz, director of Chicanx Student Development (CLSD), the Latinx Student Resource Center (LSRC), and lecturer. She was abruptly placed on administrative leave in late August.
At the demonstration, multiple CLSD interns, ASUC senators, students and alumni publicly criticized university administrators for continued lack of transparency regarding CLSD and LSRC programming.
In an email to UC Berkeley’s Latinx community sent Sept 11., Chancellor Rich Lyons and Interim Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion Fabrizio Mejia reaffirmed their commitment to Latinx students and programming. They uploaded the LSRC/CLSD Continuity Updates document for students to stay up-to-date.
However, CLSD interns believe the university’s handling of CLSD and LSRC programming updates does not reflect transparency and accessibility.
Emma Enriquez, UC Berkeley student and assistant to Gallegos-Diaz, said the email was not sent to the majority of the community, and does not properly communicate ongoing changes at the centers or work the administration is doing to support them during Gallegos-Diaz’s absence .
“A majority of the [CLSD] interns didn’t receive it,” said Enriquez. “Now that you [the administration] have given us this working document, give us a timeline of how frequently it’s going to be updated.”
Multiple students and ASUC senators spoke at the demonstration about Gallegos-Diaz’s crucial role to the success of the centers and to the Latiné community. ASUC Senator Nikki Aguilar also criticized the administration for failing to provide answers to students about the future of LSRC programming.
“We demand real answers to what is happening with her [Gallegos-Diaz’s] programming,” said Aguilar at the demonstration. “Not PR-trained responses and temporary fixes, we demand communication with all students.”
CLSD’s popular “Latinx Leadership” seminar remains cancelled for the fall semester.
The demonstration was held as a part of the Thrive4Lupe campus movement to reinstate Gallegos-Diaz, which is independently bringing students across student-advocacy organizations, such as Brown Issues and Latiné Caucus, together.
Adrian Garcia, UC Berkeley student and facilitator for both organizations, voiced the anger of the Latiné community for being left in a precarious position from the administration's contradictory response. Since Gallegos-Diaz’s leave, CLSD staff have absorbed her responsibilities.
“This university has contradicted itself and has left us to pick up the pieces,” said Garcia at the demonstration. “They (the administration) are doing everything to further hurt our community that they so desperately claim they’re working towards supporting.”
After the students finished their remarks on Sproul Plaza, they marched to California Hall and continued to demand transparency from the administration while standing outside Chancellor Rich Lyons’s office. Alumni and community members further expressed their support for the reinstatement of Gallegos-Diaz via megaphone.
As students expressed their distrust in the university’s promise to support their Latiné students, the one open window on the second floor was closed.
CLSD interns and Latiné students urge community members to spread the word of Gallegos-Diaz’s leave to continue to build support for their absent director and the CLSD and LSRC.