By now the men and women who staff the Hispanic studies department have realized their students — their clients — are unhappy. They’re displeased with the content and availability of courses. They think the study abroad program falls short in many arenas. They’re tired of the patronizing, arrogant attitude that greets them when they meet with certain higher-ups in the department.

So what do they plan to do about this? If the situation is handled in typical Northwestern fashion, the department, with the support of administration, will offer all sorts of empty promises for change and improvement until students tire of complaining. But it may not realize that these dissatisfied customers have a more pressing demand in mind. So I’m offering the department a little heads-up on the issue and will tell them exactly what to do: Do not let Prof. Christopher Larkosh go.

Any student who has had the privilege of knowing Larkosh would be confused as to why the department did not offer this visiting professor a permanent job. His CTEC ratings and comments are absolutely amazing and would put any tenured professor to shame. But that’s yet another trend on this campus — a professor’s talent and care for students seems to decrease as his wallet grows fatter. (Notice I said HIS wallet, seeing as how few female professors have thick wallets these days.) It’s about time students demand more.

As I understand the situation, the severely understaffed Hispanic studies department has been searching in vain for two new professors for about seven years. (Seven years?! I was still dodging balls in middle school gym seven years ago.) Then Larkosh, a diamond in the rough, comes along, gets his students to fall in love with his enthusiasm for teaching and develops a much-needed course like U.S. Latino Literature. But the department proves too incompetent to hire him. Sorry kids, our search came up empty-handed again.

One must question the motives and personal opinions behind this decision to pass up Larkosh. Perhaps his popularity among students is a threat to the old-timers in the department. Maybe they’re too set in their ways to recognize a good thing when it comes along. The department has already lost two “junior professors” to Dartmouth and Emory, where both have received tremendous praise for their work. So I guess they just have a knack for letting the good ones go.

Or maybe they have learned their lesson, and something else is lingering behind their blind decision. Maybe they had trouble offering Larkosh tenure because he’s gay. “That’s insane! Ludicrous! Never!” I can already hear their cries of self-defense.

Alright, calm down, it’s only speculation. But I can guarantee I’m not the only one who’s considered the possibility. And if the powers that be in the Hispanic studies department have not considered this, then maybe they should. Introspection is always a good thing.

Whatever the reasons behind it all, let this column serve as a small warning to the department. Your students want answers and they want change. And most importantly, they want to keep Larkosh at NU.