EU Student Workers Share Concern About Future After Funding Cut Forces El Centro Closure

Brandon Sarabia and Martin Serrano speak with The Leader in El Centro Oct. 30. Sarabia and Serrano have both been student works in El Centro since 2023. (PC: Ian Murphy)

El Centro de la Promesa Azul, Elmhurst University’s cultural center funded by Title V grants from the U.S. federal government, will be closing on Dec. 15. This includes the termination of staff members and student workers funded by the grant working in the office.

The closure follows the federal government’s decision to cancel many minority-focused funds, including Title V grants, which were commonly referred to as Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) grants.

“It has been our commitment to try to fund the continued employment of team members in El Centro through December if grant funding was not reinstated,” EU President Troy VanAken stated in an email sent to students and staff on Oct. 22. “While we filed an appeal for a one-year extension of the grant, an appeal has not been approved.”

El Centro opened in 2023 to offer academic resources for Hispanic-Latino and first-generation students. It also serves as a source for mentorship, advising, and campus programming.

Christian Guzaro-Cruz, the student manager for El Centro, learned of the closure while boarding an airplane to Guatemala. Guzaro-Cruz said he felt shocked and heartbroken.

“I think ‘okay’ is an understatement, I feel like I’m just trying to process everything,” Guzaro-Cruz said. “I don’t really know what to feel, I don’t think I’m okay, I’m really sad.”

Guzaro-Cruz began as a regular student worker at El Centro’s opening before becoming a student manager overseeing day-to-day operations. He said seeing El Centro grow has made this announcement more heartbreaking and deeply personal.

Concerns surrounding grant funding began in September when EU notified campus of uncertainty surrounding Title V grants, the funding primarily supporting El Centro. Guzaro-Cruz said he reached out to administrators for clarity but received very open-ended responses.

“The people that should be giving you answers aren’t giving you the answers,” said Guzaro-Cruz.

Brandon Sarabia, another student worker in El Centro, claims there was very little communication to student workers surrounding the closure and that he discovered he was losing his job via VanAken’s email.

“It kind of does just feel like a slap in the face. [VanAken] didn’t even let us know beforehand,” said Sarabia.

The Leader’s requests for comment from various senior staff members were not responded to.

The grant also covered stipends that helped students afford unpaid internships, transportation, and study abroad opportunities. Guzaro-Cruz said he received support that allowed him to study abroad in Spain.

El Centro office assistant and EU sophomore Alejandra Gonzalez-Avila said, “El Centro provided a sense of belonging that is often difficult to find for students navigating college on their own, the timing feels bad and during these times we feel like we do not have a voice.”

The lost funding affects not only El Centro, but also programs affiliated to the same grant. This included the President’s Scholarship for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which provided $3,500 per year to support diversity and student success.

El Centro’s closure cuts off more than financial resources. According to Guzaro-Cruz, El Centro offered advocacy workshops, academic guidance, and a place to study or relax between classes. He also described the space as a second home, where people could attend cultural events, meet new friends, or seek help from the community.

Martin Serrano, a senior student worker, elaborates: “It’s just like a safe space. It’s like a home, basically.”

In remembrance of El Centro, Sigma Lambda Beta, the historically Latino multicultural fraternity Guzaro-Cruz is a part of, asks students to wear black on Nov. 5 to symbolically mourn the closure. This will be followed by a full week of remembrance from Nov. 19-24, ending with a community memorial.

The students hope the space that El Centro occupies will remain accessible even after the closure. El Centro’s student employees worry that without proper space, future students will lose a key support network.

“The people make the community,” Guzaro-Cruz said. “It feels like family, and losing that space is like mourning someone.”