Four employees in Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Office of Multicultural Services were fired on Aug. 20. They specialized in working with African American, American Indian, Hispanic and Asian American students.
Less than a week later, students and MATC alumni packed a board of directors meeting. They were there to call out what they see as leaders’ cowardice in the face of the Trump administration. Floyd C. Griffin III is one of the student service specialists fired by MATC.
“Many of the leaders driving this decision are themselves leaders of color. This is not just about race in the simplistic sense," he says. "It is about a culture of fear and retaliation that has overtaken this institution. A culture so deep that even leaders of color are weaponizing their positions against the very communities they should be protecting.”
In a statement to WUWM, MATC said that it terminated the employees to comply with a letter from the Department of Education. The letter indicated “colleges and universities could face investigation and loss of federal funding if they employ race-conscious practices in hiring, promotion, compensation” and other areas.
Griffin says he and the others who were let go were given little information and just three weeks notice of their termination.
“After years of commitment, this is how the college treats its employees of color," he says. "Rushed, silenced and discarded.”
MATC's multicultural center a crucial guide for first-generation college students, alumna says
Students say that targeted support by people who grew up in the same community makes all the difference.
Becky Quesada is a graduate of MATC and worked on campus until her retirement. When she worked for the multicultural office, she said specialists were responsible for more than 3,000 students each.
“Especially for low-income and first generation (students). They don’t know what to ask for. They don’t know what they need," she says. "That’s why you go to that department. They’ll tell you what you need and guide you on what you need to do.”
As a first-generation college student and child of immigrants, Quesada says the multicultural center was a lifeline for her a hundreds of others coming to the U.S. to make a better life for themselves.
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This latest development at MATC shows how higher education institutions are being forced to either comply with the Trump administration’s demands or risk losing funding.
Unlike Ivy League universities with multi-billion dollar endowments and strong donor pools, leaders of small universities and technical colleges say they have a lot more on the line if the federal government pulls support.
But MATC is a proud majority-minority institution. More than 60% of students enrolled are students of color and the college’s own website advertises MATC as “one of the most diverse colleges in the Midwest.”
Students described confusion and chaos following the news of changes at the multicultural center. At first, it was rumored that the entire center staff of around 30 people lost their jobs. Advocates launched a petition for staff reinstatement and a call for no confidence in MATC president Anthony Cruz. Cruz is the first Hispanic leader of the college.
MATC later clarified in a public statement that four positions were eliminated and two new jobs were created.
“The Office of Multicultural Services existed solely to serve students who identify as a specific race or ethnic group. However, not all positions were eliminated," the statement reads. "We created the Office of Community Impact and transitioned some employees there.”
That’s not enough for members of the community who want to see MATC take a stand and support its students. Devon Hayden is a current MATC student who spoke to the board.
“To terminate (the multicultural center) is a betrayal of every principal that our staff, faculty and students have worked for," Hayden says. "What is a community without diversity? What is a community without inclusion? What is a community without culture? MATC deserves better.”
MATC’s board of directors did not take any action on the multicultural center at last week’s meeting. Classes began at the technical college on Aug. 18.
Katherine Kokal is the education reporter at 89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee's NPR. Have a question about schools or an education story idea? You can reach her at kokal@uwm.edu
