Students say OS Dept. is stalling on name change

Asian students who have campaigned to have the Oriental Studies Department change its name said yesterday the department faculty are deliberately slowing down the process of making the transition. Although the department, in response to pressure from students, voted last May to change the name because of its alleged negative connotation, the department has yet to make the change. According to Ludo Rocher, department chair, the delay is due to a disagreement among faculty members over what to call the department. "Some want to call it the Near Eastern and Asian Studies Department while others want to call it the Asian and Near Eastern Studies Department," Rocher said earlier this week. But Asian students said the disagreement is a stalling tactic the faculty are using to delay the change. "I think the department is dragging its feet, which is a tactic it has used in the past," United Minorities Council Chairperson You-Lee Kim said yesterday. "The fact that the faculty cannot decide upon a name is ludicrous." College senior John Shu, past vice-president of the UMC and perhaps the most vocal leader in the fight to change the department's name, also blamed the faculty for putting up artificial hurdles. "The time for nitpickiness is over," he said. "I don't want to see the department resort to a wait-out tactic, because it is ethically wrong." In addition, Shu said the department should be quick to change its name because many students who fought for the transition should witness the change before graduating. He stressed the faculty should remember students concerns first. "Student opinion is important, especially from the Asian community," he said. "They should be sure to get input from students." Kim said the delay is unacceptable. "I think if the department continues stonewalling students, there will be cons they won't want to face," she said. "If they are relying on the fact that Asian students and minority students are going to be passive, they will find that won't be the case." Kim also said one of the UMC's goals this year is to make sure the name change does occur.