Cultural centers at Butte College have, until this year, held celebrations to honor student groups, from a powwow called the annual Big Time to the LatinX Council’s graduation event for students of Latino heritage. The celebrations reflect a rich mix of traditions from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
In April, students began learning about a decision to adjust how cultural centers use some funding sources to celebrate graduations. Now, some students and even a few staff say that the move to revise the use of some funds reflects a broader shift away from prioritizing inclusion. There’s also concern about transparency in the decision-making process.
After the college this year made changes to how the celebrations would take place, the LatinX Council and BLAC Center opted not to participate in what were seen as modified celebrations, college sources told ChicoSol.
Butte College spokesperson Christian Gutierrez said the Latinx Celebration would be held May 21 “on a smaller scale than in previous years” — even though the LatinX Council appears not to be involved.
Concerns in the campus community come as California educators grapple with the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives to support historically marginalized students.
Jared Smith, a student trustee on the Butte College Board of Trustees, worries that the college is no longer upholding its stated equity and inclusion values.
“Given the climate, it feels to many of the students that I’ve spoken with that this is a slap in the face and a walk back on our commitment to honor what we say is a Hispanic-Serving Institution that affirms its commitment to equity for the diverse, intersectional communities we serve,’” Smith told ChicoSol.
Community colleges generally receive more than half of their public funding from state and local governments, although federal funding has increased in recent decades, according to the Community College Research Center.
Butte juggles concerns in a new political environment
About 20% of Butte’s Student Equity and Achievement (SEA) funds go to cultural centers, Gutierrez said. This year, he said the college set new guidelines and established a baseline funding level for celebration events.
“Prior to this year, there was no institutionally set budget for end-of-year celebrations such as our graduation celebrations, pinning ceremonies and certificate-attainment ceremonies, among others,” Gutierrez said. “Instead, groups and departments used various funding sources, such as one-time funds, Student Equity and Achievement funds, and department budgets, to hold end-of-year celebrations.
“This led to inconsistent, unpredictable and inequitable funding for these events,” he said.
Gutierrez pointed to several events precipitating the decision, citing the Attorney General’s July 29, 2025, memo which he said “prompted the college, along with its legal counsel, to examine its funding practices to ensure compliance with established laws, including Title VI, California Proposition 209, and SEA Funding Guidelines.”
In a Butte College Board of Trustees meeting April 15, student frustrations with these decisions came to a head. Smith, who attended as student trustee, told the board, “There is an erosion of trust in our administration and students are disappointed.”
Smith said the college’s unilateral decision negatively impacts the celebration of graduating students who “overcome many barriers and obstacles in their education.”
“I feel that financial decisions like this should be made with our students and not for our students, especially in regards to a celebration of the culmination of our work and determination,” he said.
Several staff members who spoke with ChicoSol anonymously said it isn’t easy for them to speak up about these issues; they fear it would affect their job security.
A source close to the LatinX Council, who asked not be identified, said the center chose to cancel its participation in the celebration for two reasons — they cited a lack of transparency and poor timing.
“We weren’t going to have the funds for the things we need for the celebration,” they said. “It’s upsetting for sure for the students — for a lot of our students, it’s another day for them to have their loved ones, family and friends there, and seeing our culture being represented in another way.”
The LatinX Council, contacted directly, referred ChicoSol to Gutierrez.
Other sources at the college – both students and staff – said the Queer Resource Center would hold a small graduation celebration and that the BLAC Center had cancelled its yearly celebration. However, the BLAC Center did not respond to requests for comment.
Asked why cancellations took place, Gutierrez said: “When centers or departments received this year’s allocations, they were given the freedom, within the parameters, to plan their events in a way that worked best for them. Some centers chose to continue holding ceremonies, while others, like the BLAC Center, opted to host Cord and Stole pick-up days, a method that our first-gen group has used in the past.”
Gutierrez said the college reviewed its SEA allocation, and found that it could not support certain ceremonies and “pivoted” to move $3,000 from the unrestricted general fund to each department for end-of-the-year celebrations.
The college established guidelines “to ensure that funding was allocated equitably across all departments and groups wishing to host a celebration and that events were held at locations accessible to all students,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez noted an announcement in September 2025 that the Trump administration “would effectively eliminate $350 million in grants to minority-serving institutions.”
In addition, the college lost a $3 million grant for the Center for Access, Success and Achievement program (CASA), but identified funding to support its service and merged it with the Culture and Community Center, he said.
The college has not removed its Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Antiracism page, despite the fact that this office is, Gutierrez said, “in transition.” Gutierrez said the college is evaluating how to accomplish some of its work through the U in Butte initiative, “which focuses on fostering a campus environment where all students and employees feel affirmed, respected and connected.”
Kate Sheehy, a special programs clerk substitute, wonders if the college isn’t reacting preemptively to federal pressure out of concerns about potential litigation.
Not everyone saw their traditional cultural celebration change this year. Francisco Medrano, a member of the Tribal Council for the Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California, was formerly a retention specialist for the Butte College Native American Center. He told ChicoSol that during his time with the college, it relied heavily a $1.5 million state grant.
“Things were shifting with the new (federal) administration, a lot of worries to stay in compliance,” Medrano said. “We had the grant to protect us. We don’t operate exactly like the cultural centers do.”
Medrano said he still contracts with the college and helped manage this year’s 4th Annual Butte College Big Time for tribal and non-tribal students.
Board of Trustees grapples with federal directives and student concerns
The college’s Board of Trustees heard multiple student concerns voiced at the April 15 meeting, including from Student Senator Yasminn Freitas. She said she learned in November 2025 about the potential loss of federal funds prompted by Trump administration policies.
(ChicoSol did not attend the meeting but listened to a recording of it.)
“Since then, there has been no official communication from CASA or leadership about continuous support for Hispanic or Latino students like myself,” Freitas said. “There has also been little to no communication about the future of the culture and community center and its relocation, or of the inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility office, which no longer has a physical space and remains with outdated staff information online.
“For me, it sends the message that their (students’) voices are not prioritized,” Freitas added. “Their communities are an afterthought, and that’s a very painful feeling to sit with when all you’re trying to do is succeed. I do not necessarily feel supported or celebrated. I do not always feel a sense of belonging, and at times like this I do not feel safe.”
The trustees, at the meeting, responded in different ways. Trustee William McGinnis said that the board’s role is to protect the college’s fiscal sustainability, and that the college cannot fight potential legal battles over equity initiatives.
“We don’t have millions of dollars like Harvard or Yale, UC, to litigate these kinds of cases, and so, as a board, I think I’m hoping that this issue will ultimately be mitigated by [larger institutions] that have the money to do it,” McGinnis said.
“I have fought injustice for years and will not stop,” McGinnis added. “But at the same time, I have a responsibility to weigh that with the responsibility of this institution, to remain fiscally viable so that we can provide education for all students. I think with the change we made in the management of the students’ programs, better communication is moving forward. It is a tough time. And I hate seeing what’s going on.”
Trustee Rick Krepelka said the board has limited authority over broader administrative changes resulting from federal decisions.
“We’ve figured it out before … I think we’ll be OK,” Krepelka said.
“It’s like the state and federal governments are talking big above our heads and we don’t exist, so we just need to acknowledge that and say, ‘well, they’re not going to help us out,’” he added. “And if it’s just a matter of money, there’s ways to raise money and even in a short amount of time. Let’s figure out if there’s other ways to solve them, because we can do that as a community. We don’t have to sit here and wait for the federal government to get their act together.”
Following the meeting, none of the trustees responded to an email request for further comment.
Transparency becomes an issue
Student Trustee Smith is among those who are concerned about transparency at Butte.
Smith said he and other students had only found out about the funding decision by early April, as they began to hear about the cancellation of special graduation celebrations which typically take place in May.
Gutierrez said that college leadership began messaging about upcoming budget and celebration changes last spring. “The messages were disseminated through supervisors at various points as the college worked to implement these changes,” he said.
Gutierrez also noted that the college has not typically communicated internal processes, including the decision to change funding allocations. “There are no requirements to disseminate internal procedures to students. However, their concern has been noted by campus leadership,” he wrote in an email to ChicoSol.
Concerns about broader impact
Smith said in a phone interview with ChicoSol that he sees a growing culture of opacity “especially given the political climate right now and a sense of scrutiny to public institutions.”
“It’s a recurring theme painting a concerning picture,” he said. “It leads to a college that does not seem to be upholding its stated values, and a student body not feeling like we are part of the governance of the college. If we have a value but it crumbles the moment there’s a little bit of pressure, is it a value?”
The issue goes beyond Butte and other community colleges, Smith said. He said he has heard from other student trustees that they’re dealing with these issues at other colleges.
“There’s a walk back on stated values and changes in policy language, and those things where it doesn’t really feel like we’re standing up for the First Amendment right to free speech,” Smith said.
Natalie Hanson is a contributing editor to ChicoSol.