In a meeting with ReformaNU leaders on Wednesday, Weinberg Dean Eric Sundquist told students to work with the Hispanic studies department for changes that would include clarifying major requirements and study abroad credit, adding Latino studies courses, and improving advising.

The students also have questioned the department’s focus, calling it literature-heavy and “elitist.”

ReformaNU is a group of Hispanic studies majors and minors advocating change in the department.

Some students said a conservative culture in the department has fueled grade discrimination.

Speech junior Dinorah Sanchez told administrators she was in a language class in which she was treated more harshly than other students because she’s a native speaker.

Associate Dean Michael Sherry agreed to look into her charge and examine the issue of discrimination in the department.

Medill junior Xelena Gonzalez, a columnist for The Daily, said that as soon as students began talking about changing the department, several came forward with discrimination stories of their own.

“The Hispanic studies majors and minors came like ants to a carcass,” she said. “That’s very disappointing. That’s something that tells us that we need to continue to fight for this.”

Sherry suggested the experiences might have been the result of “cultural chauvinism” instead of racism because some Hispanic studies professors stress non-U.S. cultural values.

“We all try to draw some line between comments that sound clueless and comments that cross some line and might be intentional,” Sherry said.

Students also said they want the curriculum to expand to include a larger emphasis on Latin American culture.

“We feel that ‘Hispanic’ encompasses a lot more than literature,” said Briana Wilson, the Hispanic studies department’s representative to the Weinberg’s Student Advisory Board. “It encompasses culture, traditions. My experience thus far is that it’s been elitist literature.”

But Sundquist said that broad departmental changes require patience.

“One of the things that’s always frustrating for students is that your lives at the university are comparatively short periods time,” Sundquist said. “The passage of a couple of years to the institution doesn’t seem like a terribly long time, but if it’s half of the time you’re at the institution, then it’s half of the time you don’t have the opportunity to take the courses that you want.”

Wilson, a Weinberg junior, said that although the term “Hispanic” includes Spanish speakers of Latin American descent, the department focuses on a stricter definition that includes only Spain.

“(The first) definition is more relevant to the student body,” she said. “It’s an issue that’s being ignored and if the department is going to focus primarily on Spain, then that’s something that needs to be said.”

Sundquist said that the department decided to shift its focus several years ago, but is too understaffed to be able to accomplish it now.

“I don’t at all disagree with what you say about the department’s focus; I don’t think the chair or members of the department disagree either,” Sundquist told the three students at the meeting. “Right now they’re just at a disadvantage because they don’t have as many faculty members to do as many things as they would like.”

Sundquist said the department’s current faculty search for two tenured professors will help the department improve its class offerings.

But the department eliminated Christopher Larkosh, a popular visiting assistant professor, from the search Fall Quarter. Students have circulated a petition to keep Larkosh at NU.

“I don’t have any reason at all to believe that (the search committee) didn’t take seriously candidates who had interests that were fairly wide-ranging,” Sundquist said. “I’m certain that the department didn’t choose to make Prof. Larkosh a finalist because — they preferred somebody else. I’m sure that they made the decision based on the most qualified candidates.”

One candidate already declined an offer from NU and another candidate has yet to respond.

Wilson said she feels “like progress is being made,” but that ReformaNU plans to hold demonstrations in the next week on Larkosh’s behalf and to keep the issue of Latino representation in the department in the students’ minds.

“I think it’s fine if you demonstrate,” Sundquist said. “I don’t care if you demonstrate. You should demonstrate, as long as you do it in a way that’s constructive.”