The commitment that the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee made in the 1970 accord with the Latino community was to create a Latino cultural based educational services program to serve the much needed educational services and the retention of Latino students at the university, which has been successfully practiced for more than 54 years, and unfortunately is now being gradually phased out under UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Gibson, who is Black.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
May 3, 2026
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Under Chancellor Thomas Gibson, the Roberto Hernández Center (RHC) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) apparently lost its executive director Alberto Maldonado, 55, who was promoted as Assistant Vice-Chancellor For Connections And Achievements within the Division of Student Affairs, and Gibson hasn't announced Maldonado's replacement as executive director at the RHC to date. Which, if Chancellor Gibson and UWM fail to replace Maldonado with a new executive director at the RHC, it would be a clear violation of the 1970 agreement between UWM and the Latino community accord of the establishment of the Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute (SSOI), now known as the RHC. The 1970 accord between UWM and the Latino community was that the RHC (formerly the SSOI) would have an executive director who would become the liaison between UWM and the Latino community in order to assure UWM would continue to provide adequate educational opportunities for Latinos enrolling at the university. RHC program would also remain independent and continue to serve the Latino community and Latino students by establishing an advisory committee, which today has allegedly been phased out by the previous Chancellor Mone and under Gibson, the current Chancellor at UWM.
At no time, did the previous UWM Chancellor Mark Mone and the new Chancellor Gibson including the UWM administration informed or attempted in good faith to allegedly include the RHC advisory committee including the Latino community that the UWM decision making was moving forward under the radar to gradually begin phasing out the RHC from its current offices at Bolton Hall by merging the RHC with 7 other affinity centers, which is currently drawing a backlash from the Latino community and students of color at UWM.
Chancellor Gibson's decision to move forward and allow the RHC merge with the 7 other affinity centers at the Student Union is a clear violation (betrayal) of the 1970 accord with the Latino community and Gibson must continue to follow the 1970 accord in order to prevent the Latino community from being unjustly phase out of UWM services and an open door policy to secure educational opportunities and services to the Latino community and students of color.
If Chancellor Gibson continues with his decision to merge the RHC with the 7 other affinity centers, Gibson and UWM will definitely face major opposition from the Latino community and most likely the 1970 UWM Takeover of the Chancellor's office will come back to haunt him. (HNNUSA article at link: http://hispanicnewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/08/revisiting-1970-hispanic-takeover-at-uw.html)
In other words, if Chancellor Gibson and UWM proceed with merging the RHC in the proposed Hub Center in the Student Union, Latino community protests and demonstrations will definitely ignite again at Chapman Hall. It would be wise, for Chancellor Gibson to keep the RHC at its present offices and expand its services, since he enjoys playing Congas at the RHC. (RHC Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1LHQRzb1ii/)
The RHC on Saturday celebrated its PALM Graduation Gala 2026 at the Flores Hall in the Southside of Milwaukee.
Recap: UWM announced in January 2026, that it would consolidate 8 affinity centers into one student focused Hub Center in order to secure federal funding after Trump and the U.S. Department of Education engaged in their MAGA (Make Amerikkka Great Again) relentless racially motivated effort to end all related Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, and had threatened to withhold federal funding from educational institutions who failed to comply and eliminate all related DEI programs. Although, multiple federal courts ruled Trump's executive order to eliminate DEI programs and threatening to withhold federal funding from educational institutions who did not comply with his order was illegal and unconstitutional. The U.S. Department of Education later confirmed that it wouldn’t appeal the federal court rulings declaring that eliminating DEI and its funding was unconstitutional because it infringed on the free speech rights of instructors in classrooms. Although, despite the federal court rulings, both the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) proceeded to eliminate their DEI related programs. MATC President Anthony Cruz decided to eliminate the Office of Multicultural Student Services and terminated 4 student service specialists serving Latino/Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American and Native-American students in August 2025. The Office of Multicultural Student Services was replaced by the Office of Community Impact at MATC.
UWM also proceeded to merge the 8 affinity centers despite, federal court decisions that Trump's elimination of DEI related programs and threatening to withhold federal funding was illegal and unconstitutional.
When the 8 affinity centers moved into the Student Union Hub Center in the Fall of 2026, the affinity groups will gradually lose their identity structures and their known names as we know them today, and will eventually be phased out, according to allegations made by UWM students who will be affected and say that they were never taken into consideration in the UWM decision resulting in the drastic and controversial change. UWM students and numerous student organizations opposed the controversial move by UWM Chancellor Gibson in creating the 8 affinity Student Union Hub Center.
The affinity centers services will also be restructured, according to UWM students.
The legacy of the Roberto Hernández Center and its history:
The actual creation of the Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute (SSOI), which later became the Roberto Hernández Center at link: http://bit.ly/1hgQkaB
Historic video of the UWM 1970 Takeover and the creation of the SSOI, today the Roberto Hernández Center-UWM https://youtu.be/FzOpOxI_GKw
The Latino community and UWM accords in 1970 (UWM Library archives):
Also: Statement, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the representatives of the Spanish Speaking community = Declaración, de la Universidad de Wisconsin-Milwaukee a representantes de la comunidad hispanohablante - UWM Student Activism - UWM Libraries Digital Collections https://share.google/uQW9hSCqRNFtVKCBn
In addition: Revision of the original list of demands made by the Council for the Education of Latin Americans (CELA) = Revisión de la lista original de demandas del Consejo para la Educación de Latinoamericanos (CELA) - UWM Student Activism - UWM Libraries Digital Collections https://share.google/lK7MvnyYfEDUdelfY
UW-Milwaukee and CELA agreement at link: Press Release: "Council for Latin American Education and UWM announce new Spanish Speaking outreach institute" = Comunicado de prensa: "El Consejo para la Educacion de Latinoamericanos y UWM annuncian el nuevo Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute" - UWM Student Activism - UWM Libraries Digital Collections https://share.google/EPAj9cK6OKCpolW5f
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