Case in a response to the Coalition to Reclaim MATC says in an email that the MATC Board of Trustees will not allow any discussion of personal matters concerning MATC personnel at Tuesday's meeting including the 4 student services specialists unjustly fired when the Multicultural Affairs Office was eliminated in mid-August 2025.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
October 27, 2025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Monday, Erica L. Case, the Chairperson of the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) Board of Trustees responded to a letter by the Coalition to Reclaim MATC in regards to add an agenda item to deal with the elimination of the Multicultural Affairs Office in mid-August 2025 and the unjust termination of 4 student services specialists affecting the Latino/Hispanic community including the African-American, Asian-American and the Native-American communities in the metropolitan area of Milwaukee County.
The Coalition to Reclaim MATC (CRMATC) composed of 15 organizations on October 20, 2025 submitted a letter to the Milwaukee Area Technical College President Dr. Anthony Cruz and the Board of Trustees demanding for the Multicultural Affairs Office and 4 student services specialists that were terminated in mid-August 2025 be reinstated. The CRMATC wrote, "This coalition does not agree that the proposed services to replace the Multicultural Center will adequately serve the needs of the student body. We are calling on MATC to recommit to an improved environment for students and staff of color...Services for multicultural students must be restored to revive the MATC principles for serving the community...There have been previous calls for an audit of MATC HR actions, and we jointly echo that call. Without responsive action, many stakeholders are concerned that they will not be able to recommend MATC as a place for higher education."
In response, Case, the Chairperson of the MATC Board of Trustees responded on Monday, October 2 7, 2025 wrote to the CRMATC, "Your request for an agenda tem to discuss personnel matters is declined. The MATC Board is a policy governance board, not a direct management board, and therefore it is outside of the jurisdiction of the Board to direct individual personnel decisions of College departments. The Board cannot direct MATC's administration to reinstate specific individuals or to provide particular benefits to certain individuals Moreover, personnel decisions are generally confidential in nature and inappropriate for open discussion at board meetings. MATC cannot discuss with third parties matters involving individual personnel."
"Additionally, MATC's administration has the delegated authority to handle requests such as interna audits, which are shared in various ways with the college.
"Given that these requests are not within the purview of the Board, and that such matters are also nappropriate as Board agenda items, this topic will not be added to the October 2025 meeting agenda."
The continued stand by MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz and the MATC Board to ignore multiple requests by local community members, instructors, students and organizations for transparency and to publicly address the unjust elimination of the Multicultural Affairs Office elimination and the termination of 4 student services specialists has ignited a community at large and a multi-organization campaign to continue to address the matter and a planned peaceful protest to demand reinstatement of the Multicultural Affairs Office student services and the reinstatement of the 4 student services specialists who were unjustly terminated on mid-August.
The MATC administration has had a history of ignoring Latino staff and faculty, and they don't take them into account regarding decisions made that would affect them at any level.
Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) received a copy of a resignation letter by Josephine Gomez, Director of High School Relations, Transfer and Articulation, and International Programs dated Agust 26, 2023, which Gomez claimed she was being mandated to take on a candidate for an open position that she wasn't taken into consideration whether she wanted to participate in that decision. So, she submitted her resignation and did not comply with the MATC's administration's corrupt practices at the time, which ignoring Latino faculty and staff at the technical college has become a standard practice, which continues today, and has reached the MATC president's office and the Board.
As a response to Gomez's resignation in 2023, the MATC administration offered her the position as dean of community education and strategic engagement since December of 2024, and currently is also in charge of the MATC Education Center at Walker’s Square in the Southside of Milwaukee.
According to a large consensus by multi-sections of the community in the metropolitan Milwaukee area today, it seems that the community has lost confidence in President Dr. Cruz's ability to lead with fairness and compassion. To many, his continued leadership at MATC represents a barrier wall to healing, progress, transparency and trust. Therefore, a call for his resignation or removal, so that MATC can begin the process of genuine recovery and reconciliation continues to echo across Milwaukee.
A protest will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at the Northwest corner of S. 6 Street and W. State Street outside of MATC, 700 W. State Street at 3:30 p.m. and during the scheduled 4:00 p.m. Board meeting at Room M210.
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