In light of the recent decision denying Professor Alberto Galindo tenure, many students have spoken up voicing their opinions on Galindo and the tenure process itself. The Pioneer asked several students who know Galindo to share their perspective.
Lilian Bailey ’13
“I was completely astonished when I heard the news of the tenure decision. Professor Galindo is engaging, dynamic and challenging inside the classroom, in addition to being a supportive and generous adviser. Most importantly, he always keeps his door open for students who want to continue conversations outside the classroom. I asked Professor Galindo to be my Spanish major adviser right before he was denied tenure. It’s hard to think about continuing on with the major knowing that someone who has meant so much to me will not be around for my senior year. I know that many other junior Spanish majors feel similarly. We personally have a lot at stake in the direction the department takes, and we’re ready to do everything we can to make sure Professor Galindo can continue on at Whitman as a part of the Spanish team: for our own experience and for the benefit of future Whitties.”
Allison Ramp ’13
“As a junior Spanish major, I’m thinking about going into a senior year where I need to write a thesis, really stretch myself, get all that I can out of this college before I leave and reach the pinnacle of my Whitman career. It’s really tragic to think that Galindo wouldn’t be here to be part of that process.” She explains, “I know a lot of people who, upon looking at course offerings will take a class irrelevant to the subject matter simply because Galindo is teaching it. They know it’s going to be challenging and they know they are going to learn a lot. It doesn’t necessarily matter if it’s Iberian literature or a translation course: it’s the fact that he’s teaching it. People take classes from him because they want to be challenged. He challenges us to be aware of what’s going on in our country and in the world.”
Genevieve Venable ’12
“He absolutely always pushes people. I’ve never heard anyone go through a Galindo class and say “That was easy,” but I’ve also never heard anyone go through a Galindo class and say “I’m not sure I got very much out of that class.” Hands down, students feel as though beyond just their language abilities and speaking abilities, they grow tremendously as students in the Whitman community by being in one of Professor Galindo’s classes. And when you consider the way that he has impacted all of the students that he has taught here at Whitman, I was absolutely shell-shocked to hear that he hadn’t been granted tenure, because in my mind, the most important thing that should be considered in the tenure process is the experience inside the classroom and outside the classroom with that professor and their teaching ability and I’ve always felt that Galindo was a phenomenal professor in all of those aspects. I hear Spanish majors and students of Galindo talk about their experiences in the classroom and how they’ve grown as a student because of it. And it always seems to echo the way that Whitman markets itself to the broader educational world: that we’re growing as students, we’re connecting our coursework to to our communities, lives, to the broader implications: the engaged students and professors that Whitman tries to market. It seems so naturally to fit with those experiences I and other students have with Galindo.”
Keiler Beers ’14
“He was my adviser for last semester, and I actually heard about him not getting tenure right before I left for winter break. I was shocked, because I remember earlier that week we had heard he was going to find out about tenure but everyone pretty much assumed he would get it because, out of anyone in the Spanish department, he was loved by all his students and everyone just assumed he would get it. And I heard, I think through a text, that he hadn’t got it, and I just remember being pretty shocked and I didn’t really know what step to take, especially because I don’t feel as involved in the department itself. But then I came back and started to hear about all this stuff to kind of rally: I think I was really glad that people actually took those steps. I’m not sure that I would have known what to do, like I was going to write a letter, but I think individual letters aren’t quite as powerful as what people are accomplishing right now. This is the second time that the Spanish department has had one of their star professors not rehired, the ones who are the most respected by students, and I do think there’s a lot of stuff that goes on that the students don’t know about, and I’m sure there’s a lot more to being an effective faculty member than just being a good professor to your students, but I do think that, if nothing else, students should be aware of how the process works. I think ideally, their voice should play a higher role, but I do think, if nothing else, there should be some accountability as to how the decision is made, an overview of the process.”
Nate Higby ’15, first-year ASWC Senator
“ASWC is taking this issue very seriously because ASWC strongly feels that there’s a lack of student voice in the tenure process. And we feel that having a strong student voice is important because it’s basically our education and we’re entitled to the professors we want to have and don’t want to have. And we also want to have a broader understanding of how the tenure process just works overall because so many of us don’t understand: some of us don’t even know what tenure is: and some of us don’t know that if you’re denied tenure, you probably don’t have a future at Whitman. So tenure’s a big deal here at Whitman. There’s a lack of student voice and there’s a lack of understanding of how the tenure process works.”
To learn more about the decision regarding Professor Galindo’s tenure, the petition or the tenure process in general, there will be a student-run information session on Thursday, February 9 from 7-9 p.m. at La Casa Hispana.
