Editor’s Note: The usage of Hispanic, Latino/a/e/x and Chicano/a/e/x is in accordance with the preference and language of the sources and/or organizations included in this story.

The Chicanx/Latinx Faculty and Staff Association has released a statement calling on Sacramento State President Luke Wood to address the underrepresentation of Chicanx/Latinx leadership and faculty on campus.

Sac State is a diverse campus with Latinx/Chicanx students representing 38% of the student body. Only 9.6% of the faculty and leadership identify as Latinx/Chicanx according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

After the fall address, the CHLFSA released a statement calling on President Wood, his cabinet, and the faculty senate to, “actively recruit and hire Latinx/Chicanx leaders with a proven track record of serving Latinx/Chicanx students and mentoring faculty for various open and interim leadership positions.”

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This has been a longstanding concern for the CHLFSA according to Board Member Elvia Ramirez.

“The association wants to see more Latinx/Chicanx faculty and leadership elected, this has been an ongoing conversation that predates President Wood’s time here at Sac State,” Ramirez said.

According to Heidy Sarabia, Communications Officer for CHLFSA, President Wood referred them to meet with Provost Nevarez and other campus leaders in response to the CHLFSA’s statement.

Currently, Carlos Nevarez, Sacramento State Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, is the only member of President Wood’s cabinet who identifies as Latinx. However, because the position is not permanent Nevarez could be replaced by another person within a year, according to Sarabia.

“If we are a Hispanic Serving Institution, we should have a person who is a permanent part of the president’s cabinet,” said Sarabia.

The CHLFSA said they met with President Wood via Zoom during the listening sessions from Aug. 12-15.

“Based on those listening sessions, they decided to do cluster hires for Latinx faculty but also for other ethnic groups,” Ramirez said.

Cluster hiring is a strategy used to hire campus faculty into more departments based on shared backgrounds and experience.

According to the Office of Academic Affairs, seven of the 35 faculty members hired for the fall 2024 term have significant experience working with Latinx students. The university plans to hire 17 more faculty members in 2025, all with proven track records of mentoring and teaching Latinx students.

The CHLFSA applauded the campus’ initial efforts, but demanded further action in their letter to the president’s office, which included the desire for Latinx/Chicanx representation in a dean’s position. The CHLFSA said that addressing this was part of the Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan.

Sac State was recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) after Latin undergraduate enrollment reached 25%, and was awarded the Seal of Excelencia in 2015 for its efforts to intentionally serve Latinx/Chicanx students. The CHLFSA said they feel that not enough has been done to represent and support its Latinx student demographic.

“This is not a critique of President Wood, ” Ramirez said. “But more a critique of the issue that has persisted since Sac State became a Hispanic Serving Institution.”

After Sac State’s former President Robert Nelsen retired, the CHLFSA sent an open letter to the upcoming president. The letter voiced the main concerns that the CHLFSA is attempting to address.

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Sophomore fashion major Carlos Gaxiola works at the Dreamer Resource Center, taking advantage of the programs and resources offered to him as a Latinx/Chicanx student.

“I would love to see more representation, not only for Latino students but for the other cultural ethnicities on campus.” Gaxiola said.

Gaxiola said he would like to see the changes emphasized in the CHLFSA statement take place during his time here at Sac State.

“After hearing the statistics and hearing that there is only one person higher up who can really do something for us, it is a bit frustrating,” Gaxiola said.

The CHLFSA statement was placed on the agenda for the Faculty Senate meeting on Sept. 17. According to Ramirez, CHLFSA board members attended and it was decided that Senate Chair Carolyn Gibbs would follow up with the CHLFSA for consultation.

The CHLFSA will also be speaking with Provost Nevarez and campus leaders regarding the public statement sometime this month, but Sarabia said more work must be done to adequately represent a large percentage of the student body.

In their statement, the CHLFSA said they want the faculty, staff and students to have a say in the appointment and selection of Latin leadership on campus.

“We are concerned about the lack of Latin leadership and we want to launch a campaign to begin the conversation,” Sarabia said. “Some of these things have been brewing for a while, so I am looking forward to meeting with them.”

Additional reporting by Alejandro Barron.