Dykla's faux pas rankles Latinos

"I'm sorry it's not Spanish. It's Hispanic or Latino or whatever" said Board of Trustee (BOT) member and head of the BOT Presidential Search Committee Edward Dykla at the Board meeting on Nov. 16 when Dr. Sharon Hahs was voted in as the new NEIU president.

Students and staff generally reacted negatively to Dykla's quote and his use of the word "Spanish" during the meeting to describe Hispanics and Latinos. Some found his words showed a misunderstanding of Hispanic and Latino needs, while others called for his ouster.

NEIU is federally recognized as a Hispanic-serving institution with a Hispanic population consistently over 35 percent. Dykla used the word "Spanish" several times in the meeting to describe several of the Hispanic and Latino candidates for president when defending the search process from charges of "back room tactics" leveled by Student Trustee Peter Michalczyk.

Dykla said it was a "slip of the tongue" and that he only used the word Spanish twice. Latino and Latin American Studies Coordinator Victor Ortiz and English literature Professor Tim Scherman both said he has referred to Hispanics and Latinos as "Spanish" in previous public meetings that they witnessed.

"I just think that it really speaks to a lack of commitment to a really large population of Latino and Latina students that attend the university. There is a disconnect between the administration's actions and the rhetoric that they use," said Maria Chavez, a student with Que Ondee Sola, (QOS) the Union of Puerto Rican Students (UPRS).

Student Government Association Senator Erik Consuegia said, "I don't take it as an insult. I think the person [Dykla] needs to think twice before they say something [like that]. Attitudes like this might hurt the institution in the long run."

Jean Kelchauser, Board of Trustees liaison to the president, said she had no comment on Dykla's remarks but then said, "It's not politically correct. That's just my opinion."

Others were more blunt. "He should resign to spare the board any further embarrassment," said Student Government Association (SGA) President Eron McCormick.

According to SGA senator Al Cordero, "After hearing these comments firsthand [a recording of the meeting] I'm shocked and appalled that an appointed member of our Board of Trustees, knowing the current atmosphere on our campus, would insult a demographic of our campus representing almost a third of our student body."

Xavier Luis Burgos, editor-in-chief of QOS and president of the UPRS, said "His comments disregard history as well. I think it is very unfortunate [that] you have a person in a powerful position in a place of higher education who you would think would know the name of the group that is 26 percent of the [student] population."

Victor Ortiz, coordinator of the Latino and Latin American Studies program said, "With all due respect to Trustee Dykla, with recognition to his hard work, I invite him to become sensitive to the social importance of an ethnic identity, particularly in his important role in a Hispanic serving institution. I sincerely believe that such sensitivity would greatly enhance the leadership he is called to provide."