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The University of Arizona has fired the director of the Women and Gender Resource Center as part of its plan to consolidate the school's Cultural Resource Centers — a move critics say erases decades of hard-won support for marginalized student communities.

Kim Dominguez posted a video addressing her termination on the center’s Instagram account last Thursday, which has since garnered more than 18,000 views.

Dominguez said she received an email from the university informing her she would be laid off, with her last day in the position set for Aug. 2. Dominguez has served as director since 2019 and has been with the program since 2017.

The center has served as a hub for education, programming, collaborations and advocacy on issues of gender and equity, giving special attention to the need for preventative measures around sexual assault and violence on the UA campus.

Dominguez’s firing comes on the heels of the UA’s announcement last month of the consolidation of the school's seven Cultural Resource Centers into a single Student Culture and Engagement Hub, and the termination of Native American Student Affairs Director Julian Juan.

The centers include Native American Student Affairs, Asian Pacific American Student Affairs, African American Student Affairs, the Guerrero Student Center, LGBTQ+ Student Affairs, the Women and Gender Resource Center, and the Disability Cultural Center. Together, they serve about 28,000 students.

The announcement came the week after graduation festivities, when many students had already left campus for the summer.

UA spokesman Mitch Zak declined to comment on Dominguez’s firing, referring instead to the UA’s May 27 statement about the consolidation.

“It outlines the new structure and staffing, affirming that student workers and coordinators will continue in their current positions through the upcoming academic year to ensure continuity of support,” Zak said of the statement. “A few positions are impacted by this transition, and we have communicated directly with affected employees, handling the process with care and respect.”

Dominguez is the second of the seven directors to publicly announce her firing, fueling further concern about the university’s decisions. The status of the remaining five directors is unclear.

“The reason these centers have two professional staff was because students demanded more resources, and a decade later, incoming students will have less than previous cohorts,” Dominguez said in the video.

She said the decision to eliminate the director positions is the result of “retaliation and fascist politics.”

“This spring, directors met with the provost and vice provost and refused to participate in a consolidation plan that would eliminate or whitewash the cultural and resource centers and reduce resources and staff,” Dominguez said in the video. “Administration dismantled 50 years of progress for women, communities of color, poor, working class, disabled, trans, queer youth and students. I’m losing my job, but we’re losing a women’s center that is 50 years old.”

Nearly 100 people have commented on the video, with students, alumni and community members expressing their support for Dominguez.

“We are all with you and the rest of the directors,” wrote Associated Students of the University of Arizona Sen. Eddie Barron.

Others spoke about the impact of the centers on their time at the UA.

“I literally would not have graduated without the support of the Cultural and Resource Centers and without your leadership and mentorship,” Karlyn Bradley wrote.

Hannah Nguyen, who worked as a desk assistant at the center during her freshman year in 2018 and 2019, said she vividly remembers the center as a safe space that fostered positive relationships and helped empower students.

“It was something I felt lucky to be a part of. I remember feeling shocked that I stumbled upon this center and that there wasn’t more awareness toward this amazing resource,” she wrote. “Because of you and the student job you gave me all those years ago, I am a more informed and socially conscious individual, and the flexible hours you let me work allowed me to make money, make a difference, and graduate with honors.”

Many of the comments focused on the impact of the centers’ centralization on future students.

“I built my deepest, longest lasting relationships through the centers and you are one of the people that created the biggest impacts on me, especially when navigating my lowest points during that time,” @denisseisdead wrote. “It breaks my heart that the future students won’t have these spaces that served as sanctuaries for us.”

In the closing moments of her message, Dominguez encouraged students to focus on their education.

“The best way to honor your time with me and the center is to graduate,” she said.

Sarah Arellano is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at saraharellano@arizona.edu.

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