Programs may move to 1 location

By Lisa Heller
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 30, 1996

A 3-year-old request by Chicano/Hispano Studies and Mexican American Studies to combine the location of the two departments may be granted this summer.

Mercy Valencia, director of the Department of Space Management, said the two programs would relocate to the Economics building, but the move is not definite.

However, Salomon Baldenegro, assistant dean of Chicano/Hispano Student Affairs, said the move was "completely definite." He said the move to the proposed Economics building would probably take place during the first part of June.

Baldenegro said his office was not opposed to the move. But Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de AztlĘn, a student organizations that works closely with Chicano/Hispano Student Affairs, is opposed.

Rudy Molina, MAS freshman and MEChA member, said MEChA is fighting to either obtain its own building with the Chicano/Hispano Center and Mexican American Studies combined, or stay in the Bear Down Gym.

"If we're told we can't get our own building, we'll take over a building. The issue then is who we'll fight against, but we're not taking that as the first route," Molina said.

A proposed move would take the center, along with MEChA, from its current location in the Bear Down Gym to an area on the first floor of the Economics building. The space has 2,562 square feet - 20 less than what the center has now.

Mexican American Studies, which is located in the Douglass Building, would also expand to Economics as part of the proposal.

TomĘs Martinez, MEChA president, said, "The university wants to sugar coat this issue by moving the Mexican American Studies with us, but for MAS, it's a win-win situation because they would be expanding,"

Molina said the University told MEChA that if it moves to the Economics building, the organization will be close to the professors in the MAS department.

But Martinez said the proposal would not necessarily bring MEChA closer to MAS professors, because there is only one professor in the MAS department. The rest, he said, are cross-listed in other departments.

If the Chicano/Hispano Center moves to Economics, it will be bumping the Center for Transfer Students out of the Economics building and into Bear Down.

Erlinda Torres, director of the Center for Transfer Students, was unavailable for comment.

Martinez said the Economics building is not a user-friendly building. "Right now, we're in Bear Down, and the center is open until the time we need to leave. The Economics building is only open until 10," he said.

"Also, in Economics, we would be tucked in a corner. There is no foot traffic. The resource center in Bear Down attracts students with our banner, and also with students (gathering) on the steps outside. If we move into Econ, that whole process is eliminated," Martinez said.

Both Molina and Martinez said they have University of Arizona President Manuel Pacheco's backing to explore options other than moving to the Economics building. In a meeting with MEChA April 2, Pacheco said, "If you don't want it, we won't do it."

However, Molina said the move, which is planned for this summer, is fairly likely.

Valencia said it would not be possible for MEChA to move into its own building.

"There is a 1.4 million square foot shortage on campus. There is just no place to locate them," she said.

Valencia added that there have been no definite plans made yet.

She said there is also talk about remodeling Bear Down Gym. The Subcommittee on Campus Planning and Development has received suggestions about the fate of the gym, including to refurbish it, or make it a food court, an integrated instructional facility, a reference room for the main library, part of the student health center, or a computer lab. The subcommittee is considering these suggestions, and is still in the discussion stages, Valencia said.

If the subcommittee decides that renovation is best for Bear Down, the centers housed in the gym will be temporarily relocated.

"The university said they want to use the space in Bear Down Gym more wisely, but it seems contradictory. They're moving us out and planning to bring the transfer student center in. If they're planning on renovating, they'll have to move them out too," Molina said.

Valencia gave no time frame for the renovation and said that all stages are still being discussed.

"They're not taking our input into consideration. Our wishes should be respected," Molina said. "We are a student center, not a university center. The move to Economics will hurt us rather than help us. They should think about the center's best interest."

MEChA is currently building a coalition to speak out to other groups on campus.

"We'll be talking to organizations on campus to inform them about what's going on," Molina said. "If it happened to us, it might happen to everyone else."

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