Petition protests planned SAS cuts

Undergraduate and graduate students are being asked to sign on the dotted line. A petition drive, begun by a group of American Civilization graduate students, is now underway to protest School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens' decision to disband three of the school's 28 departments. The petition expresses disapproval with Stevens' proposal to disband the American Civilization, Regional Sciences and Religious Studies departments. It is addressed to the University's Trustees, who are scheduled to take up the issue when they visit campus next week. "As a world class university, we need small departments like American Civilization, Regional Science and Religious Studies," the petition reads. "Large departments are unable to offer us a coherency of ideas and thought across boundaries. Disbanding these departments would mean sacrificing the quality of our education." Am Civ graduate student Rachel Batch said students from many different departments are carrying the petitions. She added that students feel they had no say in a decision that could affect their studies at the University. "The students don't really have a voice in this matter, and we just thought this would be a way for a group to get together to say what our feelings are," Batch said. "We are the ones who are going to be affected by this." The petition drive, which began Monday, has collected at least 200 signatures, said another Am Civ graduate student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The student said the group who wrote the petition had two rationales. "One was to create a venue for students to be able to voice their opinion about the loss of three small departments," she said. "And since Dean Stevens doesn't seem to be concerned about students' opinions about their education, we thought the Trustees might be." Murray Murphey, chairperson of the Am Civ Department, said he is not directly involved with the petition drive. He added, though, that he supported the students' efforts. "I think every little bit helps," he said last night. "I think that it may have an effect on the fate of the ultimate proposal." The proposal, before going into effect, must be approved by the Trustees, based on the recommendation of the provost and president, and following a faculty meeting to discuss the proposal. A faculty meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, and so far neither Interim President Claire Fagin nor Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson has publicly made their views on Stevens' proposal known. College sophomore and Am Civ major Andrew Krakowski said he hopes students' efforts will be recognized by the Trustees. "We're trying to find out if we can get a say in what's going on," said Krakowski, who has written letters to five of the key administrators, including Stevens. "Right now, we're not getting a vote. We're the ones being affected and we're not allowed to do anything about it." Am Civ Professor Melvyn Hammarberg said that, regardless of the outcome, the students are to be commended for taking the initiative. "If education is about anything, it is about forming your own ideas and acting upon them," he said. "I am very proud of the students."

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