Restore Spanish Classes and Reinstate Teachers

Dean Schaberg and Chair van Delden

We call on UCLA’s leadership to reverse course immediately. Spanish and Portuguese Dept must restore its Spanish language courses to support the extraordinarily high number of students seeking these courses and reinstate the appointments of esteemed FirstGen US Latinx lecturers, Dr. Armando Guerrero Jr. and Dr. Yanaí Bermúdez.

Dr. Armando Guerrero Jr. and Dr. Yanaí Bermúdez stand together in front of a mural
Dr. Armando Guerrero Jr. and Dr. Yanaí Bermúdez
The Department of Spanish & Portuguese has reduced the most popular and impactful language courses––cutting 26 sections of Spanish for second and heritage language learners, impacting 650 students every year. As a result, the university will lose two FirstGen US Latinx faculty—a Latina and gay LA-native—leaving only one US Latinx faculty in the department.

Dr. Armando Guerrero Jr. was hired as a Lecturer in 2018 by the only other US Latino faculty in the department, Prof. Héctor Calderón. Dr. Guerrero contributed widely to the development of the heritage language program and partnership with the Medical School. His teaching performance has consistently received high evaluations from students and colleagues. He was also appointed interim Director of Language Programs from 2019–2021 by Prof. Rosina Becerra, an outside chair and US Latina.

Dr. Yanaí Bermúdez was also hired in 2018 by Prof. Héctor Calderón. Dr. Bermúdez was a supporter of the Heritage Language Program implemented by former Chair, Prof. Héctor Calderón, and was among the first set of instructors to impart these courses. Similarly, she was selected to pilot one of the first fully online asynchronous Spanish language courses, and chosen to impart courses on Medical Spanish for Latinx Health. Her excellent teaching performance was reflected on her evaluations and course enrollment. Due to her qualifications, Dr. Bermúdez was also selected by the Director of the language program as an Academic Level Coordinator in the 2018-19 academic year.

To: Dean Schaberg and Chair van Delden
From: [Your Name]

We are disappointed and outraged that the Chair of the Department of Spanish & Portuguese and the Dean of UCLA Humanities decided to reduce the most popular and impactful language courses––cutting 26 sections of Spanish for second and heritage language learners, impacting 650 students every year. As a result, the university will lose two FirstGen US Latinx faculty—a Latina and gay LA-native—leaving only one US Latinx faculty in the department.

UCLA itself has outlined the urgent need to improve the student to faculty ratio for Latinx students—currently 47:1 compared to 6:1 for white students—and to become a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by 2025. Your decision achieves the opposite. It is a disservice to students from underserved backgrounds and second language learners who will use US Spanish to uplift Spanish-speaking communities within the broader LA area as future doctors, lawyers, and teachers. Reducing course offerings and cutting Latinx faculty will have far reaching negative implications that do not reflect the ideals of an institution of higher education named the #1 public university in the country.

We call on you to reverse course immediately. The department must restore its Spanish language courses to support the extraordinarily high number of students seeking these essential classes and reinstate the appointments of esteemed FirstGen US Latinx lecturers, Dr. Armando Guerrero Jr. and Dr. Yanaí Bermúdez.