After one of the most contentious debates of the school year, Student Government Association leaders voted last week to support a comparative ethnic studies minor, despite questions raised about the need for such a course of study.
Although several similar minors exist – including one in Asian-American studies and another in Latino studies – legislators voting for the measure said creating an ethnically diverse campus through such a minor was an SGA priority, and a comparative ethnic studies major – the ultimate goal – would help achieve that diversity.
The major would differ from other ethnic studies, such as African American studies, because it would encompass a large swath of classes from a diverse array of majors. But critics have said such a minor would join a crowded field of other majors and could draw away attention from similar paths of study that already exist.
Last week’s vote was the first significant step for the minor, however. Supporters of the minor have been organizing since last year to gauge interest from students and examine the benefits to the campus. In a study conducted last year by supporters, between 30 and 50 of 600 students polled expressed interest in it, said Sarah Shepson, leader of the committee pushing for the minor.
But administration officials say they have seen little movement on the minor since last year, when now-alumnus and former SGA Director of Student Groups Derrick Pfeffer formed the committee to create the major.
“We first heard about this from some students about a year ago but we haven’t seen anything since, and there hasn’t been any current proposal under consideration,” said Provost Bill Destler.
Shepson acknowledges little movement has occurred since last year but said she hopes to reignite interest in the minor and gain the attention of the administration.
“We really need students to get involved in pressuring the administration and getting funding raised,” she said.
The minor, which would require 15 credits of interdisciplinary research, is in the last step before becoming a full-fledged major. It would draw on existing classes in a variety of different programs, which would reduce the cost of creating the major, Shepson said.
She estimates creating the minor would require $65,000 to $75,000 to hire one faculty member to teach a 100-level course and an upper-level capstone class. The university would also have to hire a graduate student.
Shepson said she plans to reinvigorate the lagging student movement by lobbying Nancy Struna, chair of American studies, and Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity Cordel Black to support funding, she said. Struna has already pledged some support for the minor, but Shepson has not yet set up a meeting with Black.
“Once we get a guarantee of money, we’ll pretty much be good to go,” Shepson said.
Also in question is what school the program would be housed under. Because the minor would draw on classes from areas such as Asian American studies, women’s studies, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies and Portuguese languages and literatures, among others, it would make it difficult to define what college the minor would fall under.
“The question is where would they do it and to what extent would it draw on existing resources,” Struna said.
It is also unclear how long it would take to create such a minor. By comparison, the Asian American Studies Program took five years of discussion with administration officials to become its own program in 1996, and began issuing certificates in Asian American Studies only in 2000.
Despite a presence on the campus for 15 years, the program still does not offer a minor, though it has hired two dedicated faculty members and a director, Larry Shinagawa.
Shinagawa said he hopes the program will offer an actual minor next academic year and a full major in two years, but a final decision has not been made.
At the SGA meeting last week, Anjelica Dortch, legislator for the college of arts and humanities, questioned why the SGA would support this single issue as opposed to a variety of other minors programs under consideration.
“I really don’t see the need for a minor,” Dortch said in an interview. “I see the need for a class or a certificate, but not a minor, not yet.”
Historically, creation of ethnic and cultural minors hinges on student support. Similar ethnic, cultural and religious programs at the university were founded following petitioning and protests by students. The African American studies department was founded in 1968 following student protests.
For now, the two people other than Shepson on the committee pushing for the minor are Morales and Goutham Ganesan, a columnist with The Diamondback. However, both have had minimal involvement pushing for the minor so far, Shepson said.
“I’m pretty much working on my own,” Shepson said.
Contact reporter Alan J. McCombs at mccombsdbk@gmail.com.
