After months of delays, new move-in date is scheduled
Sitting unassuming on the corner of West Wabash Avenue and South Grant Avenue, many Wabash men have passed by the future home of the Latino Community Center without blinking an eye. This is starting to change, however — as renovations on the building begin to ramp up, Wabash can be certain that a new student hub on campus is coming soon.
The Latino Community Center was originally scheduled to be renovated during the summer of 2024, but delays to its construction pushed any progress back until this semester. With a new expected move-in of July 2024, the plan is for the Latino Community Center to be up and running before the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester.
“We’re hoping that in the coming months, we are moving into the house near July,” said Director of Latino Partnerships and Director of the Latino Community Center Julio Enriquez Ornelas ’08. “September 26, which is Homecoming, is when we are expecting to do the dedication of the house. But we are hoping that once we are settled in we will start immediately.”
The two-floor community center will feature a number of spaces for members of both the Wabash and Crawfordsville community to meet and share time together, including a large classroom and a student lounge. The space will enable both the Latino Community Center, and La Alianza, to host events like never before.
“The distinction between the Latino Community Center and La Alianza is simple but sometimes difficult to see,” said La Alianza President Christian Cantu ’26. “La Alianza: Unidos Por Sangre is our student-led organization at Wabash, and the Latino Community Center is a space dedicated to serving the broader Latino and Hispanic community in Crawfordsville.”
The two entities, while separate, have worked together in the past and will continue to do so, particularly on the completion of the Latino Community Center. One distinct feature of the Latino Community Center that La Alianza will be able to capitalize on is the physical location.
“For La Alianza, the [Latino Community Center] will serve as our new home, hosting general body meetings and new member education,” said Cantu.
But outside of hosting La Alianza, the events that will be held at the Latino Community Center will also include a focus on the greater Crawfordsville community.
“I’m hoping once we have the Latino Community Center open we offer tutoring as an after-school program,” said Enriquez.
“We aim to introduce more workshops for community members of all ages, covering topics like tutoring and mentoring for young children, FAFSA guidance for high schoolers and a variety of leisure activities,” said Cantu.
The tutoring programs and workshops will give both students and members of the community an opportunity to learn, and both Enriquez and Cantu hope that they become a cornerstone of the Latino Community Center.
With the construction of the Latino Community Center under way, the Wabash community can expect the new hub of activity to begin hosting events and connecting both the institutional and local communities next Fall.