Tuesday, October 22, 2024

MATC Advertised Bilingual Courses, But Only English Speaking Instructors Teach The Courses, Also Latinos/as Claimed Discriminatory, Harassment, Retaliation And Exclusion Practices For Exposing Issues

Multiple MATC employees (instructors), former MATC students and a community based organization leader from Voces de la Frontera spoke against the current discriminatory practices by the administration that resulted in retaliation practices as well for those exposing the issues affecting Latino students, instructors and employees at the technical college.

By H. Nelson Goodson 
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 22, 2O24 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Tuesday, multiple Latinas/os spoke at the monthly Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) Board in a public session focusing on the administrations diminishing commitment to provide bilingual courses taught by qualified bilingual instructors instead of instructors that can only speak English. Also, the three EMMY Award winning bilingual Adelante show aired on Milwaukee PBS Channels 10 and 36 produced at MATC has been cut from 32 productions to 12 episodes, according to Patricia Gomez, the television Director/Producer/Host at Milwaukee PBS. 

Gomez who has worked at MATC for 25 years confirmed that she filed a formal complaint against MPBS Vice President Deborah Hamlett after a recent performance review, Hamlett's "comments influencing my scores are not only misleading, but untruthful." Gomez requested for the MATC District Board to halt this Action Plan process, Which Gomez believes is retaliatory, unethical, and unlawful.

Luz Sosa, a bilingual economic instructor at MATC claimed, retaliation, discrimination and a lack of promotion opportunities at MATC. Sosa told the MATC District Board that she has served MATC for 13 years and has faced barriers that prevented her from advancing within MATC. "Over the past few years, I have faced retaliation for speaking out against issues that directly affect our students, faculty, and staff, particularly the Latino students, faculty, and staff, and I have experience discrimination that has stifled my professional growth." 

"As a bilingual instructor, I have consistently demonstrated my ability to teach courses in both English and Spanish. 

"Yet, bilingual courses have been assigned to instructors who do not speak Spanish, depriving students of the quality bilingual education they deserve. When I raised concerns about this, I was met not with support, but with hostility. 

"Instead of addressing the issue, I was retaliated against. This retaliation took many forms, being overlooked for courses I am qualified to teach, being excluded from important discussions about the future of bilingual education, and, most painfully, being denied opportunities for promotion to a full time position, despite my qualifications and years of service at MATC."

According to Sosa, many fellow bilingual and minority instructors have been denied promotions regardless of their qualifications. There is a culture of retaliation, harassment, discrimination and exclusion at MATC and it affects many minorities at the technical college.

Sosa also told the Board that she had filed multiple complaints of discrimination and retaliation, but were dismissed without any meaningful investigation.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz from Voces de la Frontera also spoke to the MATC District Board and told the Board to correct a disturbing pattern of discrimination against Latino staff and the Latino community. Also, that MATC advertised bilingual courses, but instructors that only speak English are teaching these courses, which setup Latino students for failure, and to have talented Latino staff internally and to ensure that we protect the growth and high quality of English as a second language and the bilingual program at MATC. Neumann-Ortiz appealed to the Board to restore the 32 episodes of the Adelante television program, which benefits the Latino community.

Also, Yimma Davila-Castro, a former MATC student told the MATC District Board that she was very deeply concerned about the direction that MATC is taking with the bilingual education. Davila-Castro stated that on August 14, 2024, the Psychology 199 bilingual section was assigned to a non-bilingual instructor, and just recently, the bilingual Economics course (Eco 195) was given to an instructor who does not speak Spanish, with the justification that students could simply receive translation services. Translation is not a substitute for a genuine bilingual learning experience, according to Davila-Castro.

Davila-Castro told the Board, this is not bilingual education. This is a disservice to the students and to the Latino community.

She urged the Board to ensure that bilingual courses are taught by qualified bilingual instructors, hold administrators accountable for their decisions, respect and uplift internal talent, and establish clear consequences for harassment and discrimination practices by administrators.

Carlos Aranda, Counselor at MATC requested for the MATC District Board conduct an independent audit and investigation into the Human Resources hiring practices, and discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases at MATC.

Aranda recommended to the Board the following to restore fairness, transparency, and accountability within the MATC institution:

• Independent External Investigation/Forensic Audit of Human Resources-Labor Relations: A comprehensive and independent review of all cases of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation should be conducted. This audit would ensure that past and present cases have been handled fairly, without bias or internal influence.

• Independent External Investigation/Forensic Audit into Human Resources Hiring Processes: This would focus on reviewing HR’s hiring practices, including the use of external consultants, to ensure that all processes are conducted with integrity, transparency, and without favoritism.

• Independent External Investigation/Forensic Audit into General Counsel: An audit into the General Counsel’s office to ensure that legal decisions made regarding labor relations and internal investigations align with the ethical standards expected of public institutions.

• Open Access to Open Records: To promote transparency and accountability, there should be greater access to open records, especially concerning HR practices and internal investigations. This would allow for better public oversight and scrutiny of decision-making processes at MATC.

• Post the Position of Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as Soon as Possible: The prompt appointment of a VP of DEI is crucial to ensure that issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion are addressed at the highest levels of leadership. This will send a clear message about the institution’s commitment to these values.

• Restore AAN and LUNA to Lead the Restorative Justice Initiative: In order to protect the integrity of MATC's Restorative Justice initiative and ensure that taxpayer money is used effectively, AAN and LUNA should be reinstated as leaders of this program. Their expertise and understanding of these issues will be vital in fostering healing and restoring trust within the institution.

• Promotion of Internal Candidates: In addition, it is crucial that MATC prioritize the promotion of qualified internal candidates for open positions. Too often, talented bilingual and minority staff are overlooked in favor of external hires, even though internal candidates possess a deep understanding of our students’ needs and the unique challenges our institution faces. By promoting from within, we can recognize the hard work and dedication of those who have already committed themselves to MATC’s mission while fostering loyalty and trust within the faculty and staff. We need bilingual PERMANENT FULL-TIME positions, not just part-time. 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) learned that in July 2024, members of the AFT Local 212 (MATC's teachers union) met with MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz and informed him of the issues plaguing MATC including the discrimination and retaliation practices by administrators at MATC. Cruz told the union members that he would look into it, but to date hasn't met with the union to announce, if any internal investigations had been enacted and if policies would be enforced to prevent further discrimination and retaliation practices by administrators against employees, faculty and staff.

HNNUSA also learned that Sadique Isahaku, Ph.D. Executive Dean of Academic Strategy and Innovation decided to assign a only English speaking instructor to the bilingual Economics course, while MATC had advertised it was a bilingual Economics course, which is false advertisement.

Video: MATC District Board meeting on October 22, 2024, Latinos/as speak on the first 34 minutes of the meeting at link: https://www.youtube.com/live/JmpxxPKggVU


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