Anger, disappointment, confusion, and to some extent, a loss of faith in their institution: those are just a few of the emotions Spanish and French students at A&T felt as they passionately attempted, on several occasions, to have the decision to discontinue their degree programs reversed.

Weeks ago after the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Byrd, made the official announcement, concerns were expressed to her staff directly. Recently a student organized march and protest was conducted to take their concerns to upper administration, the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs.  

The results were the same; the programs are gone and would not be reinstated unless the faculty, essentially, redesigned the department in a way that attracted more students and increased graduation rates.

We completely sympathize with these students. Maybe the administration is too far removed from the undergraduate experience to remember choosing a major is very personal and tailored to specific interests; and that it takes courage to pursue a degree in something that is not completely popular or that may not immediately provide job security upon graduation. Many upper class students spoke out on behalf of the underclassmen because they are the ones most affected as they are being advised to change majors or institutions, as if it were that simple.

Every student considers those things, but these students in particular are beyond driven; and it is that ambition and love for their areas of study that will take them down their respective paths of success, as future lawyers and international media corespondents.

These are the type of students the university should be investing in, encouraging to graduate, who in turn will be so grateful to the faculty that nurtured them and the opportunities A&T afforded them that giving back as alumni will not seem like a chore.

Provost Adams addressed this as a “business” decision. However, on behalf of the students who decided to make Foreign Language as their major, we think it is pretty sad that the business of encouraging bi-lingual students is not in the interest of A&T.

Our administration, essentially, is too focused on the business aspect of running an institution of higher education instead of looking at the development of our global image. They looked at the numbers and made the cuts, hiding behind a mandate from the UNC System General Administration. In doing so they forgot about the most important aspect of the business equation, the customers, who in this industry are the students; not just the students from departments with high enrollment and graduation numbers, but all the students who paid their tuition bills on time and in full.   

Educational systems lose their effectiveness when students are not kept as the primary focus; when the stakeholders, those with the most to lose, come second to cutting costs without improving the product. What is the purpose of an institution if not to provide knowledge to someone who desires it?

So let’s not be fooled. The meeting with Provost Adams was a joke, at best. According to our administration, perhaps Rosetta Stone would be a healthy alternative to having Foreign Language as a major. When comments like this are made, it’s a strong symbol that our administration is far more concerned about keeping their paychecks in tact, than they are of working out healthy solutions to maintaining many of our majors.

This decision and the controversy it generated surrounding A&T’s position as a competitive global institution leaves many to question if the administration, at all levels, did everything in their power to preserve this degree programs. What steps were actually taken, and how often, to evaluate the department and provide them with the tools they need to recruit the necessary amount of students required by SACS and matriculate them successfully. Every new meeting between students and the administration leaves the students continuing to doubt that all options were explored and we see this as a serious problem.

A clear and definite message is being sent: certain majors or priorities are valued more, and you, the paying student, is just going to have to deal with it. We hope this is not a reflection of what A&T is turning into; an institution that makes problems go away instead of finding the best solution for all parties involved. If so, we are a long way away from truly embracing the rich legacy we thought we were building upon. The Foreign

Language students will not have to stand alone in this fight for their major to be kept. For if it affects one Aggie it surely affects us all.

• LaRia Land and Trumaine McCaskill