UHCL’s Film and Speaker Series suspended until further notice

UHCL’s Film and Speaker Series has been suspended. The Film and Speaker Series combines films about relevant world issues with knowledgeable speakers and has been filling UHCL’s lecture hall since the early 2000s. Sonia Hernandez, former film curator in office of student life, is credited with inspiring the series.

During her time as a graduate student at UHCL, Hernandez founded a student organization called The Film and History Club and developed the idea for the series. After her graduation in 2007, Hernandez was hired part-time to curate the Film and Speaker Series. Now, after 12 years of supervising the program, Hernandez has resigned as a result of the suspension.

“The idea was to have a safe place for civil discourse to take place,” Hernandez said, “I believe this goal was achieved.”

It was recently announced by the Division of Student Affairs that the Office of Student Life will be rebranded as the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership (SIL) effective May 1. Patrick Cardenas, interim director of SIL, said rebranding will require restructuring some of UHCL’s existing programs to encourage more student involvement. UHCL’s Film and Speaker Series is one of the programs that is being affected by this change.

“The Film and Speaker Series has been a great program,” Cardenas said. “We wish to continue to offer such a program, but with a student-led focus.”

Cardenas already has a few ideas on the table about how the program may be restructured. Creating a registered student organization with office sponsorship, creating a film committee within the Campus Activities Board or creating a student-led advisory board that would work with office staff are all possible options.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say the program is suspended,” Cardenas said. “We are looking to program films with speaker components next year.”

The program had ongoing support from several faculty members who were repeatedly recruited as speakers for the series.

“Ms. Hernandez, as a student, undergraduate and graduate, brought her conception of blending cinema and education into the university presentation of particular – and significant – films within the context of an academic response across the university and the college disciplines,” said Angela Howard, professor of history, who often volunteered as a speaker for the series.

Stephen Cherry, associate professor of sociology and another volunteer speaker for the series, said he was sad to see it end and hopes that it is replaced with a similar program soon.

“The series offered a unique opportunity to extend learning outside of the classroom and into the community… which is an important part our mission,” Cherry said.

Hernandez said that at the time of the program’s suspension, “there were still two films scheduled and two films in the process of being scheduled.”

Many in the community have expressed their displeasure at having learned of the program’s sudden cancellation.

“To have such a successful program like this suddenly suspended reflects badly on UHCL,” said Judy McPeters, who has been attending the events since the program began in 2007. “Why would such a successful program be suspended?”

Robert Schleyer, who holds a master’s in behavioral science from UHCL and is an alumnus, said he and his wife have been attending the Film and Speaker Series events for at least nine years.

“This series brought me back into the warp and woof of UHCL life,” Schleyer said. “It led to me becoming a lifetime alum. I wonder why such an important community resource was suddenly, and without comment, shut down?”

The Film and Speaker Series is expected to return either fall 2019 or spring 2020. Cardenas says that his office will be reviewing the program over the summer.

“We are looking to offer films with educational components to the student body in the 2019-2020 academic year,” Cardenas said.