Austerity Impacts

CHLA Adjunct Hector Hernandez Says PSU is Falling Short on its Goal to Serve Minoritized Students

This is the first in a series of interviews with adjuncts at PSU who have been affected by the administration’s extreme budget cuts over the past year. The impacts of this austerity plan range from contract non-renewals to canceled courses, and affect the PSU community in ways that often contradict the university’s mandate to provide a high quality educational experience for all students. But figures and headlines don’t tell the whole story. In order to understand what is happening on the ground, PSUFA is interviewing adjunct instructors all term to learn about their experiences and paint a more detailed picture of how sweeping administrative actions affect educators and students firsthand. 

For our first interview, we sat down with Hector Hernandez (Chicanx & Latinx Studies/CHLA) to discuss the recent cancellation of one of his popular courses on Mesoamerican culture. Prof. Hernandez, who has been teaching in the CHLA program since 2009, shared his story with PSUFA in order to shed light on what is being lost in the administration’s rush to slash budgets.

PSUFA: Can you tell us about the class you were teaching that got cut? Who were the students that took this course?

Hector Hernandez: The class, CHLA340: Mayas, Aztecs and Chicanos, is a course addressing the interests of students about the culture of Mesoamerica and its legacy in the Chicanx/Latinx culture. Since a large portion of the Chicanx/Latinx population in Oregon has a cultural background from Mesoamerica, that cultural legacy is reflected in our Chicanx/Latinx communities here. I've been teaching this course since 2017 and I've been an adjunct professor in the Chicanx/Latinx program since 2009. I developed the curriculum of this course to respond to the interest of the Chicanx/Latinx students, and in particular to the ones with indigenous backgrounds living in the Portland Metro area, since we have communities from the Mayan, Oaxacan, and Michoacan areas in addition to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, among others. The students interested in taking this course are not only Chicanx/Latinx students but also students from a wide array of cultural backgrounds with interest in Chicanx/Latinx culture. I developed this course based on an introductory course I taught at Oregon State University in 2001 and continued teaching at PSU from 2009 to about 2016

PSUFA: What happened that resulted in your class being cut? When did you find out? What did you do?

HH: I found out that the class was canceled on August 8 due to low enrollment and "lack of interest" from students. These reasons don’t make sense, because the cancellation was imposed more than two months before the beginning of the classes, and obviously low enrollment would be logical that many weeks ahead of the beginning of classes. I began to reach out to the Dean of CLAS and the President of PSU and questioned the lack of validity of the reasons for canceling the course. After I didn't hear any response from the Dean, I presented my case to the Board of Trustees. So far I haven't seen any change or consideration of my request for reinstatement.

PSUFA: What do you see as the impact of losing this class? How does this square with PSU's stated educational mission?

HH: I think the cancellation of courses like this, contrary to the reasons argued by the administration, is more a gesture of culture canceling or erasure, since the students have shown interest year after year. In addition, this course provides valuable cultural information pertaining to the legacy of the Chicanx/Latinx culture in the USA and in particular in Oregon. The course covers the emergence of Mesoamerican civilizations through millenia along with dietary and other cultural contributions, and many students have expressed interest in the subjects and topics addressed during class. For example, students who are involved in the food industry really appreciate this course. Also, the course addresses issues of race and class that help students understand the social and cultural dynamics of the Chicanx/Latinx communities in the USA, and how these conditions hindered the advancement of the community at large. Other cultural expressions the course discusses include Cinco de Mayo Celebrations, Dia de los Muertos, and legends and myths of these cultures.

I think this kind of content is only partially addressed or not provided during students’ K-12 education experiences, and this course is a great opportunity to study these valuable aspects of the cultural legacy of the Chicanx/Latinx culture at PSU. The knowledge provided by this course is in tune with the goal to serve minoritized communities to which PSU is aspiring*, and by canceling this course PSU is falling short on its mission statement: “Let Knowledge Serve the City.”

*PSU’s “2030 Vision” Strategic Plan includes the following top level priority item: “Provide students a culturally engaged academic experience through broad-based, high-impact and responsive practices that deliver quality education and create a sense of belonging.”

Hector H. Hernandez received his MFA from the University of Oregon in 1999 in painting and holds a MIS in Art and Education, a degree in Anthropology and a BFA. He has studied art in Japan and worked as an illustrator. Mr. Hernandez has produced murals and other artworks throughout communities and educational institutions in Oregon since 1995. Permanent exhibition murals are located at the OSU Memorial Union, Portland Community College (Rock Creek Campus), Portland State University, as well as Independence High School, Canby School Districts, Parks and Recreations among others. Currently Mr. Hernandez is working on a community mural project for the "Cipriano Ferrel Education Center in Woodburn as well as he completed other mural projects in Salem Oregon. Mr. Hernandez has executed murals for clinics, health center such as the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. Among the subjects and themes reflected in his murals are the community involvement on issues such as environment, education, multiculturalism, and social change. Mr. Hernandez has showed his works in numerous galleries across Oregon, Japan and Mexico. He also gives lectures and seminars in cross-cultural awareness and communication, health education, ethnic studies and the art and culture of Mexico.


Are you an adjunct whose classes have been canceled? How have PSU’s budget cuts affected you? Share your story with us by emailing psufa.martha (at) gmail (dot) com