Records of El Centro

Collection

Identifier: UELC

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Records of El Centro consists of documents dated 1921 to 2017, with the bulk falling from 1980 to 2014. Topics include higher education, immigration, health, government, Latinx culture, and student activities at Colorado State University. Materials consist of newsletters, memos, fliers, books, photographs, posters, a plaque, a CD, and newspaper clippings. For nearly 30 years, El Centro staff compiled a substantial number of newspaper clippings from national and local newspapers covering a range of topics of interest to CSU's Latinx community. Other materials of note are 39 publications from the Colorado State University Chicano Reading Room and 1981-1991 and 2000-2003 issues of the newsletter, La Voz Estudiantil, published by El Centro.

Dates

Creation: 1921-2017
Creation: Majority of material found in 1980-2014

Creator

Colorado State University. El Centro (Organization)

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

History

El Centro, established in 1979 as El Centro/Chicano Student Services, provides support for the Latinx/é, Afro-Latinx/é, Chicanx/é, and Hispanic community at Colorado State University and Fort Collins. El Centro supports personal, social, cultural, and academic needs to empower students, and they offer a place for discovering heritage, traditions, cultural awareness, and a diverse educational experience.

El Centro's origins trace to Project GO (Generating Opportunities), implemented during the 1968-1969 academic year, in an effort to financially and academically support all diverse students at CSU, specifically students from ethnically diverse backgrounds and/or low income households. In 1976, Project GO added the Chicano Student Services Program. In 1979, Project GO was renamed the Group Advocacy Program (later Student Diversity Programs and Services). It supported five offices, among them El Centro/Chicano Student Services. Over the next 30 years, El Centro's name changed several times from El Centro/Hispanic Student Services, to El Centro Student Services, and finally to El Centro in 2009.

El Centro has had several directors over the years. In 1976, Abel Amaya, Curriculum Coordinator for the Office of Chicano Studies, became Acting Director of Project GO's Chicano Student Services Program, and he served as Director of Centro Chicano/Chicano Student Services until 1979. From 1979 to 1989, Lawrence J. Estrada directed El Centro. Dr. Guadalupe Salazar led the organization from 1989 to 2020, followed by Dora Frias. Aaron Escobedo Garmon is El Centro's current director. El Centro supports a wide variety of programs and activities, including but not limited to Latinx Heritage Month, La Conexion, Somos RAMS, Triunfo, Todos Juntos, and Dia de los Muertos.

Extent

7.5 linear feet (5 record storage boxes, 1 plaque, e50 posters)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

With roots in the 1968 founding of Project GO, El Centro, established in 1979 as El Centro/Chicano Student Services, provides support for the Latinx community at Colorado State University and Fort Collins. They support personal, social, cultural, and academic needs to empower students, and they offer a place for discovering heritage, traditions, cultural awareness, and a diverse educational experience. The collection consists of newsletters, memos, fliers, photographs, posters, a plaque, and nearly 30 years of topically-organized newspaper clippings created or collected by El Centro. Also present are 39 publications from the Colorado State University Chicano Reading Room.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged as found and consists of 5 boxes, 1 plaque, and e50 posters mounted on foam core.

Acquisition

Records of El Centro was transferred to CSU Libraries, Archives & Special Collections on July 1, 2019.

Related Collections

The Collection on Student Unrest and Records of Project GO contain materials related to early Chicanx/é activity and activism at Colorado State University. The CSU Alumni Oral History Collection contains an interview with Manuel Ramos, a leader of the Mexican-American Committee for Equality (MACE), a predecessor to current Latinx student groups at CSU.