Spring Break
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 5/23/08 Section: Forum
Foreign Language and Literatures classes
Pressured to reduce class offerings
As you might know if you caught our Tower of Babble installation in the MU Lounge on Tuesday, May 13, this year was designated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the International Year of Languages.
Yet, at this time when the needs for international cooperation and multilingualism are stronger than ever, OSU's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is pressured to dramatically reduce its class offerings for next fall. Because of inadequate funding, we have to close sections in all languages, and it appears that first-year Italian will be eliminated, despite its enormous popularity.
Students will find it increasingly difficult to register for language classes, a situation which deeply upsets the whole faculty and staff of this department.
Furthermore, since most language classes are offered in sequence and only once a year, underfunding will make it even harder for students who need to complete foreign language requirements to graduate on time. It also means larger class sizes and less personal attention, factors that are especially detrimental to learning languages.
This situation is all the more absurd since the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures makes money for the university. Under a budgeting model where tuition dollars follow the students, we see that Foreign Languages' finances are completely in order: we generate more money than we need to operate at current capacity. Instead of which, through the use of an unfair budget model, we find ourselves with a deficit of $250,000 and threatened with job losses.
We simply ask for the funds to complete our public service mission of teaching languages to students, as mandated by the Oregon Legislature. So are foreign languages important at OSU or is it just a pretense? Is this the International Year of Languages or is it the year we get cut?
Pressured to reduce class offerings
As you might know if you caught our Tower of Babble installation in the MU Lounge on Tuesday, May 13, this year was designated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the International Year of Languages.
Yet, at this time when the needs for international cooperation and multilingualism are stronger than ever, OSU's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is pressured to dramatically reduce its class offerings for next fall. Because of inadequate funding, we have to close sections in all languages, and it appears that first-year Italian will be eliminated, despite its enormous popularity.
Students will find it increasingly difficult to register for language classes, a situation which deeply upsets the whole faculty and staff of this department.
Furthermore, since most language classes are offered in sequence and only once a year, underfunding will make it even harder for students who need to complete foreign language requirements to graduate on time. It also means larger class sizes and less personal attention, factors that are especially detrimental to learning languages.
This situation is all the more absurd since the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures makes money for the university. Under a budgeting model where tuition dollars follow the students, we see that Foreign Languages' finances are completely in order: we generate more money than we need to operate at current capacity. Instead of which, through the use of an unfair budget model, we find ourselves with a deficit of $250,000 and threatened with job losses.
We simply ask for the funds to complete our public service mission of teaching languages to students, as mandated by the Oregon Legislature. So are foreign languages important at OSU or is it just a pretense? Is this the International Year of Languages or is it the year we get cut?
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