Sonoma State University Chicano and Latino Studies Department Chair and professor Ronald Lopez stepped down from his position on Friday after a call to action from students. 

The call to action began on Google Forms and elaborated on student’s concerns regarding the department. According to the survey, “Dr. Ronald Lopez has been deemed inadequate in fulfilling his duties as department chair and dean. Consequently, we ask for his removal and that he be held accountable in providing the students of the Chicano Latino Studies Department with his best efforts as an instructor, and academic advisor.”

The introduction to the survey also highlighted the need for updated curriculum, structure, organization, constructive feedback, graded assignments, and full rounded advising suggesting these qualities were also lacking from Lopez’s classes.  

The introductory survey message concluded with a demand that Lopez step down from his chair position and focus on providing quality education in the classes that he teaches. However, the writer of the message made it clear that the intent was not to get Lopez fired. Instead, they wanted him to be held accountable for his actions as a professor. 

Reviews on ratemyprofessor.com are more or less consistent with the concerns highlighted in the call to action. The average difficulty rating from all of the reviews written on him is 1.9/5. 

Some reviews echoed the sentiment that he is disorganized as a professor. For example, a review written in 2017 said, “one of the worst teachers I have ever had. Doesn’t answer questions directly, asks students to write papers on topics he hasn’t taught yet and can not stay on topic to save his life. He rambles single class and he is so disorganized and monotone that even for a caffeine fiend like me, it takes all the willpower I have to not to fall asleep.”

A review from 2014 expressed frustration over both the course disorganization and lack of challenge. “Easy class, just watch one movie a class, 3 essays and some quizzes, easy grading but can ramble off topic and unorganized but easy class,” the review said.

A review from 2013 mixed some of the positive thoughts that message had with some of the criticism. “He wasn’t bad and I wouldn’t say he was great. He is genuinely interested in the subject but sometimes he doesn’t translate that to his teaching methods. He often times goes off on a tangent or ramble that is somewhat related.”

Lopez, when asked about some of the grievances listed in the call to action, deferred not to answer, and instead wrote this in an email, “I stepped down as CALS Department Chair on Friday, Oct. 28, during a regularly scheduled department meeting. Any further questions should be addressed to Arts and Humanities Dean Edward Beebout, PhD.”

According to his LinkedIn, Lopez began working as an assistant professor at SSU in 2005.