Chancellor pledges to review Latino center

Students are excited about the possibility of a Latina/o center at UNC but University administrators want to proceed more cautiously.

More than 75 students and faculty attended a forum Tuesday night to discuss possibilities for the center.

Despite their enthusiasm and past support from South Building current administrators have committed only to studying the idea.

The center is one of two student recommendations included in the University's response to UNC Tomorrow which outlines how the UNC system can help meet the state's needs in the next 20 years.

In April as administrators were preparing the University's response to UNC Tomorrow Chancellor Holden Thorp then-dean of the College of Arts and Sciences expressed reservations about the necessity of the center.

In an e-mail sent to Vice Chancellor for Public Service and Engagement Mike Smith" Thorp explained his reasoning:

""With the curriculum in Latin American Studies and the Center for the Americas" it's not clear what is missing" Thorp wrote. I'd hate to create the perception that we have a problem with Latino students when they're actually doing well.""

Thorp added that students may have been trying to push the issue of undocumented Latinos" writing" ""I doubt we want to get into that.""

But on Tuesday"" Thorp changed his tune.

""The provost and I need to look at the proposal on its merits" with a fresh start and that's what we intend to do" Thorp said. The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences is different than the chancellor. I'm doing my new job now.""

Thorp said he is no longer concerned that the center would unnecessarily bring the issue of undocumented students to the forefront. He also said he isn't concerned about the political statement it could make.

Instead" he said he questioned only the center's feasibility.

Smith who in April replied to Thorp's e-mail with support for including the students' recommendation" on Tuesday echoed Thorp's desire to further explore the idea.

""The part that I'm not clear about is" are there gaps in the needs of those students on campus" and are we meeting those needs?"" Smith said. ""That's why we're going to do the study. I just don't know.""

Thorp said he and Provost Bernadette Gray-Little will meet next week to discuss the center"" adding that more than one meeting will be necessary to make any decisions.

""In a few weeks we should be able to say something definitive"" Thorp said.

The center has been on some students' agendas for two years, when the idea developed in a Carolina Hispanic Association meeting.

Since then, students have talked with professors and former Chancellor James Moeser to explore how the center could unify and expand on the programs already offered at UNC.

The center's specifics ­— location, funding, mission — are not yet decided.

In a spring 2008 meeting, Moeser described the center as the next logical step for the University in addressing Latino issues on campus"" said Ron Bilbao, a member of Chispa and the student advisory committee to the chancellor.

The student advisory committee will meet with Thorp for the first time on Monday.

The one thing that I can commit to you is that I'm going to study it very thoroughly"" Thorp said. And that's what it deserves.""



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.