CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Veteran students attending the University of Virginia say they were blindsided when part of their student veterans' center was replaced with a dean's office.

This has caused a pushback by a group of student veterans who say the university is taking a step back from promises it made to support veterans.

In 2021, the center was created to help the veteran community. Now, what was once an area where student veterans could go to work, study or have meetings is now an office space.

"They've taken our space without notifying or consulting us," said student veteran Romeo Sarmiento.

Over the summer, Sarmiento walked into a space that was once familiar to him.

"They removed the big screen TV, the meeting room table, and as well as our service flags that were hung up on some of the walls," he said.

In 2021, this space was created to help student veterans acclimate to college life. Now part of it is an office space for a dean.

According to a petition page titled "Reclaim the Veteran Student Center at the University of Virginia" set up by Sarmiento, the UVA chapter of the Student Veterans of America has reached out to the administration for an explanation of the sudden change.

They say they haven't gotten an official response yet. 

"The root of the frustration came from the fact that we weren't told about this situation and we had to find out," said Sarmiento.  

In a statement, a spokesperson for UVA wrote: "The Veterans Student Center in Newcomb Hall remains available for student veterans' use as their designated space. It's also worth noting that the intention behind this change was to place the Student Affairs staff member who supports veteran students in closer proximity to where they meet."

"He has a spectrum of duties and it’s a small fraction of that that serves the veteran population."

But Sarmiento says it doesn’t add up.

He says the university hasn't fulfilled the recommendations made by its own Cornerstone Project that aims to support student veterans.

"This is to highlight some of the larger issues at hand. We hope to uphold the tradition of student governance and raise this awareness and bridge that civilian and military divide," said Sarmiento.

In the same statement from UVA, it says it is investigating the current level of support provided to student veterans and working to determine where that support needs to be enhanced to ensure their success at UVA.