The four former Office Of Multicultural Services student services specialists claimed they were terminated because of race discrimination.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
November 21, 2025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Four former full-time the Office of Multicultural Services (OMS) student services specialists at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) who were terminated claimed race discrimination by the MATC administration after the OMS was eliminated in late August of 2025 by MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz. Cruz eliminated the OMS to comply with the unenforceable and illegal Trump elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
According to the filed discrimination complaints, Annabel Chávez claimed that on September 18, 2025, she was terminated from her full-time position as a student services specialists after the Office of Multicultural Services was eliminated in lated August 2025. Chávez who is Mexican-American began working for MATC in 2000. At the beginning of 2025, Chávez held the title of Latinx Student Services Specialists, a title she held since 2013, according to the filed discrimination complaint.
The filed complaint states, that on February 27, 2025, MATC President Cruz announced the hiring of Michael Rogers as the Vice-President of Student Engagement at the technical college. Rogers' responsibility was to manage the office then known as the Office of Multicultural Services. Based on his conduct, it is clear that Rogers was brought in to play a clear role in using the race of the Complaintant as a basis to eliminate her position, and to retaliate against her for opposing past race discrimination at MATC.
Over the course of Chávez employment at MATC, she had raised concerns of race or national origin discrimination. In 2013, she filed a grievance over unfair treatment, implying that it was a result of race discrimination. She prevailed in her grievance over unfair treatment. Then in a recent Annual Evaluation, Chávez unfairly received a "does not meet expectations." She complained to her supervisor, implying that her race or national origin was the cause of the poor evaluation, when she has had a history of receiving positive evaluations.
On August 19, 2025, Chávez was notified by Rogers that her position was eliminated, although she had the same skills and experience to serve all students as effectively similarly situated peers, Chávez was not given the opportunity to transfer to an open full-time position for which she was qualified. The filed discrimination complaint says, Chávez was terminated because of her race, national origin and/or in retaliation for her complaints of unlawful discrimination. Her termination at MATC caused economic harm.
Chávez has kept her part-time job as faculty (instructor since 2000) at MATC.
On August 20, 2025, Laquitha Bonds-Jones, Vice-President of Human Resources at MATC in an email shared by sources with Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA), she confirmed that four Student Service Specialist staff positions at the Office of Multicultural Services have been eliminated to comply with the U.S. Department of Education guidelines "that prohibits positions with duties that provide services exclusively to students based on race or ethnicity. The four student service specialist roles in question were designed solely to serve students of a specific race/ethnic group. Because those roles could not be restructured to comply with the guidance, the duties themselves were eliminated, and the positions tied to them no longer exist." (Article link:
http://hispanicnewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2025/08/dr-cruz-and-matc-board-allegedly.html)
In the discrimination filing by Tanya Torres, who is Native-American, she started working at MATC in June 2003, and at the beginning of 2025, Torres held the title of American Indian Student Services Specialists.
Torres claims that on August 19, 2025, she was notified that her position at the Office of Multicultural Services was eliminated. Torres was terminated because of her race and MATC refused to transfer her into another position because of her race causing her economic harm.
Der Vang who is Hmong American began working at MATC in 1998, and in 2025 she held the title of Asian American Student Services Specialists, a title she held since April 2007.
Over the course of Vang's employment with MATC, she raised concerns that she was being treated adversely because of her race. In the Spring of 2025, Vang raised concerns about mistreatment, implying that it was because of her race. She later received an unjustified counseling letter and other unjust discipline in response. Rogers accused Vang of not trusting him when she reluctantly refused to share her contacts with him when she faced differential racial treatment from Rogers.
Also Vang on August 19, 2025 was notified that her position at the Office of Multicultural Services was eliminated. Vang was not given to opportunity to transfer to another open position for she was qualified. She claims that MATC terminated her because of her race, and/or in retaliation for her complaints of race discrimination.
On November 10, 2025, Vang was rehired as a new employee under a different title earning half the wages that she earned when she worked at the Office of Multicultural Services. Vang had worked for MATC for 27 years, and she lost all her sick leave pay and will most likely lose her seniority as well.
In the discrimination complaint case for Floyd Griffin III, who is African-American, he began working at MATC on November 9, 2020, and at the beginning of 2015, he held the title of African-American Student Services Specialist, a title held since November 2023.
Griffin had raised concerns over race discrimination with respect to a denied promotion to a manager position, filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) in March 2025 that alleged discrimination.
On August 19, 2025, Griffin also received notification by Rogers that his position at the Office of Multicultural Services was eliminated. MATC didn't give an opportunity for Griffin to transfer to another full-time open position.
The discrimination complaint claims that Griffin was terminated because of race, and/or in retaliation for her complaints of race discrimination. His termination also caused Griffin economic harm.
MATC student population stats: The technical college has 63% majority minority student population with 24% being Latino/Hispanic students.
The members of the MATC Board of Trustees are, Erica L. Case, Chairperson; Citlali Mendieta-Ramos, Vice-Chairperson; Dr. Waleed Najeeb, Secretary; Gail Pence, Treasurer; Lauren Baker; Mark F. Foley and Wisconsin State Representative Supreme Moore-Omokunde (D-Milw).
