The students spoke with a number of high-level administrators including Dr. Enrique Lamadrid, director of UNM’s Chicano Studies program. Wilson said he offered students little in the way of explanations for Truxillo’s firing.
“Enrique La Madrid told us that Truxillo was let go for financial purposes. We heard from another source that Truxillo’s salary had already been included for this year. The provost said that it was for personnel reasons, but we know it’s because of his beliefs,” Wilson told Diverse.
Wilson, 27, argues more than just Truxillo’s job is at stake. “It’s not a matter of Truxillo, personally. We are petitioning for the freedom of thought on campus. Information should be free, not censored. If we don’t allow professors to express themselves freely, we end up with a homogenized curriculum, like in high school.”
Truxillo plans to file an appeal with President David Schmidly. If that fails, he plans to take his case to the Board of Regents.
If Truxillo loses his job, he’ll be left without health insurance. “The entire situation is only making me sicker,” says Truxillo, who is living with liver cancer.
--Michelle J. Nealy
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