With the recent removal of some language programs through the Modern Language and Literature program last semester, Cal State Fullerton students are aware of possible cuts to diverse education that mostly stem from the College of Humanities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is this thinking that small programs, like Asian American studies, should be eliminated as a way of dealing with the budget,\u201d said Eliza Noh, a professor of Asian American studies.<\/p>\n
A new Arizona law banning the teaching of ethnic studies courses in Tucson public schools also displays how state government views ethnic studies education as pre-eminent during times of budget cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing we can learn from Arizona is we cannot take for granted that progress is going to happen with these types of cuts,\u201d Noh said. \u201cThings only get better when people do things about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
About the ban in Tucson and House Bill 2281:<\/p>\n
HB 2281 was enacted in May 2010 and written by Tom Horne, an Arizona state superintendent of public instruction. Horne stated that ethnic studies courses \u201cadvocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals\u201d and \u201cpromote resentment toward a race or class of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bills also state a school in Tucson’s district should not include courses that include \u201cpromotion of the overthrow of the United States government and are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bill is a direct aim at the removal of ethnic studies courses despite the logic presented, according to proponents of the bill such as Professor Erualdo Gonzalez, a professor of Chicano and Chicana studies at CSUF.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe (politicians) are trying to create a narrative to appeal to people to say, \u2018Of course, we don’t want overthrowing of our government,’\u201d said Gonzalez. \u201cThat is the game that is being played and there’s no logic to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horne stated that the courses were racist in nature because they do not unite but segregate students in these classes. This prompted his action toward drafting a bill that would remove these courses from Tucson public schools. The bill was signed into law May of last year.<\/p>\n
What is considered an ethnic studies course:<\/p>\n
\u201cEthnicity is a very broad construct,\u201d said Julie Stokes, a professor in the Afro-Ethnic Studies Department. \u201cIt relates to race, language, country of origin, religion and leisure preferences. All of that is under this umbrella of ethnic studies or ethnicity.\u201d<\/p>\n
An ethnic studies course is one that discusses the history of diverse people, social classes and languages. The term is general in nature because its area of instruction covers a wide array of subjects. These courses teach CSUF students an overall comprehension of how to deal with many different people and provide life-learning tools that can be helpful in the workplace, according to Noh.<\/p>\n
Why ethnic studies is targeted:<\/p>\n
While Arizona’s ban is upsetting for any member of the Ethnic Studies Department, the reality of CSUF’s lack of available funds for smaller departments was truly understood when the Modern Language and Literature program took a cut in its program last semester.<\/p>\n
Last semester, President Milton Gordon ordered the suspension of the French M.A. and the full discontinuance of the German B.A. and M.A. from the MLL program as a way to allocate funds for other courses with higher enrollment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe administration is going to allocate resources where the students demonstrate their interest,\u201d Stokes said. \u201cAnd how do students demonstrate interest? They enroll in the classes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The smaller programs within the College of Humanities are usually targeted because their enrollment numbers are lower in comparison to larger colleges, such as the Colleges of Business or Communications.<\/p>\n
According to the Office of Assessment and Education Effectiveness, which monitors the learning goals and outcome of each department on campus, the College of Humanities has the most learning goals listed due it to being the largest college on campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthnic studies fulfills a lot of OAEE’s goals and strategies,\u201d Noh said. \u201cBut because enrollment drives funding, the goals and strategies that the courses meet become secondary.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to preserve ethnic studies’ future at CSUF:<\/p>\n
CSUF’s Ethnic Studies Department is looking at ways to preserve its program in light of MLL’s recent cut in courses and Arizona’s ban. Last month, the Fullerton Chapter of the California Faculty Association hosted a \u201cSave Ethnic Studies\u201d lecture to provide a platform for students to discuss the department’s preservation.<\/p>\n
The event featured a discussion with Arizona lawyer Richard Martinez, attorney for the Save Ethnic Studies organization, which \u201caims to fight Arizona House Bill 2281 and any efforts that threaten ethnic studies curriculum throughout the state of Arizona,\u201d according to the mission statement on the website.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthnic people are everywhere,\u201d said Chadwick Vargas, an Asian American studies major. \u201cEvery single person is of some ethnic background. So how can you say it’s not worthwhile to have that study?\u201d<\/p>\n
The future of ethnic studies at CSUF:<\/p>\n
Given the dire budget crisis that affects all CSUs at this time, the College of Humanities and its diverse courses undoubtedly feel added pressure to fight for its curriculum’s future. Stokes indicated that while rumors have surfaced given MLL’s loss of courses, the Ethnic Studies Department shall remain intact.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were several rumors about ethnic studies from students and faculty,\u201d Stokes said. \u201cAs a consequence of those rumors, our dean brought the various chairs and department heads together to assure them that there are no plans in the works or modifications that are going to take place to the ethnic studies curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the department seemingly on safe ground today, the students and faculty of the department feel the value gained from minoring or majoring in an ethnic study is truly beneficial. They encourage students to take more than the required units worth of ethnic courses to graduate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s really to a student’s benefit to either become a minor or double major in ethnic studies,\u201d Stokes said. \u201cBecause we live in a complex, multi-ethnic and multicultural society, those who have minored or have graduated with an ethnic studies emphasis really become more prepared for the marketplace than someone who was a single major.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, the College of Humanities provides classes that are rich with culture, diversity and knowledge of one’s ethnicity, where one came from and the social conditions of one’s ethnic roots. According to Noh, alumni have written back to the Asian American Studies Department, citing that life-learning tools they took away from these courses were the most useful to their work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that’s one way to support ethnic studies, is to value the way we contribute to the campus through values and not through numbers,\u201d Noh said.<\/p>\n