Despite UF’s Multicultural and Diversity Affairs’s effort to emphasize transparency surrounding the upcoming renovations to the Institute of Black Culture and “La Casita,” the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures, some students feel like they’ve been left in the dark.
Christopher Wilde, a UF microbiology and cell science senior, made it clear at a Wednesday afternoon meeting that he felt the voices of students are not being accounted for. Having been an ambassador for La Casita for five semesters, the 21-year-old joined the advisory board to help make decisions and oversee the renovations of his beloved institute.
Wilde said the MCDA staff has been butting heads with some members of the advisory board regarding what to do with the building design of the institutes located on University Avenue.
At The Institutes Project Update Webinar held at the Reitz Union on Wednesday, Wilde explained that in the upcoming renovations, the MCDA staff wants to join both the IBC and La Casita together, transforming it into a “U” shape — which would essentially make it a multicultural building as opposed to honoring the two separate races.
At an advisory committee meeting about two weeks ago, Wilde said he presented information to the MCDA staff and the rest of the advisory board explaining the significant history of La Casita and why a “U” shaped building would not be in the best interest of students.
Wilde, who thinks his concerns were overlooked by the MCDA staff, said when he suggested a survey be sent out to students to get a true quantitative opinion of the issue, the idea was shot down. He said the MCDA was only interested in a qualitative survey that stated pros and cons of the building design.
“It’s clear that administration has their own desires for what they want, and they’re not really listening to students,” Wilde said.
Wilde said he thinks combining the two institutes together would be detrimental to the future generations of students and could potentially affect the retention and recruitment rate of those who are either Black or Latinx.
“If the process is not transparent, the administration can’t design a building that properly serves students,” Wilde said. “Because they are not involving students.”
During the meeting Wednesday, Wilde said members of the advisory board were unaware of the agenda and were taken aback when they saw their presentation of the history of La Casita displayed without the inclusion of their renovation concerns.
Of the students at the meeting, only one student on the advisory committee agreed with the MCDA staff about the “U” shape building. That student gave the presentation at the meeting Wednesday, Wilde said. He also added that this student, who has only been an ambassador for La Casita for one semester, is very friendly with MCDA administration.
Wilde stood up in front of the crowd to criticize the lack of transparency and said the advisory committees were “a facade,” and the administration is claiming that they want to hear the public’s opinion but will not take it under advisement if it does not align with their views.
“All of this, if you haven’t noticed, is clearly a show,” Wilde said.
Since taking the position of executive director of the MCDA in April, Will Atkins said he is committed to ensuring the department increases transparency and engagement.
In an attempt to do so, Atkins said the MCDA formed an advisory committee, provided regular updates on social media, created an institute update listserv and launched a public dashboard on their website with a timeline — all to increase transparency in regard to the renovations of the institutes.
The meeting itself was livestreamed so anyone could tune in.
“We appreciate everyone’s commitment to the success of MCDA,” Atkins said to the crowd at the beginning of the meeting.
Attendees were able to submit questions they had regarding the renovation on an index card, which Atkins read and answered aloud at the meeting.
Atkins did not speak out against the claims Wilde made when voicing his opinion about the transparency of the MCDA. Instead, Atkins thanked him for his feedback.
Toward the end of the meeting, people in the crowd continued to voice their opinions, mostly in a negative fashion. Atkins urged the crowd to behave in a civil manner, and after a few minutes he concluded the meeting.
MCDA administration has not given a clear answer regarding the design of the building.
After Wilde had expressed his discontent with the “U” shaped plans, Nicole Nichols, one of the architects for the project, stood at the podium to applaud the university for considering public opinion.
“You guys should be proud that the time and money is being spent making sure your voices are heard,” Nichols said.
Nichols said at this point, the outcome of the project has not been finalized.
Wilde said the architect should have been unbiased in regard to the design of the building — but Wednesday, Wilde said Nichols said the “U” shaped building was the best option.
“With all due respect, it’s not her place to tell me what’s important,” Wilde said.
