LETTERS: MLCH needs some autonomy

To the Editor: would like to thank the DP for bringing the situation at the house to the attention of the Penn community at large. The planned streamlining of the collegiate system into 12 units, which entails the merger of the MLCH with the nearby Van Pelt College House, has caused consternation and anxiety among MLCHites. The general perception of the change is this is the end of our community and of the living-learning academic program which it represents. But the situation, it seems, is not so hopeless as initially feared. At a series of meetings, David Brownlee, Chris Dennis and Al Filreis, charged with implementing the new collegiate system, suggested to many MLCHites that the integrity of the Modern Languages Program need not be compromised with the creation of a new administrative unit. What are our main concerns? The purpose of MLCH is, above all, to foster the use of foreign languages in an everyday setting. This is achieved by a variety of means: dedicated language tables where, for an hour every evening, students speak French, German, Italian and Spanish (we lost Russian this year) while having dinner; weekly coffee hours; movie series consisting of foreign films in original languages; housing arrangements so that students are clustered by target language. Needless to say, the house cannot operate without a dedicated staff of a significant size proficient in the target languages and capable of engaging students in all activities. From an academic perspective, MLCH is an unqualified success; and in the 12 years of my tenure, complaints have been minimal. Furthermore, because of its size and the common interests of its residents, we are all united by a strong bond of friendship and mutual support. As many speakers during our meetings have reiterated again and again, ours is an exceedingly humane house with a pleasant, cosmopolitan ambiance and a civilized rapport among those living here. Will we be able to retain all of this after our projected merge with Van Pelt? I believe so -- if, within this larger structure, we are given the considerable degree of autonomy necessary for the academic goals we pursue. Whether we are the Modern Languages College House or merely the Modern Languages Program, as long as we are allowed full budgetary, academic and staffing independence (at current levels at least) and have a dedicated dining facility, and as long as the residence assignment process gives clear preference to those interested in second language acquisition, we will do as well in the future as we are doing now. And from my conversations with those involved in planning the new collegiate system, I am quite confident that the special status of Modern Languages Program within the new college house will be recognized. To conclude, let me try to dispel three common misconceptions about the Modern Languages College House. First of all, we are not a residence inhabited primarily by international students. True, we have our share of foreign nationals (though the majority is clearly North American), but not all of them are in the House to use their respective native languages. The German table, for example, at which I dine regularly this year, is a mixture of about four nationalities with no native speaker of German among us. The second fallacy concerns the level of proficiency necessary to participate in the life of the house. In my opinion, it is not knowledge of a foreign language as such which is important but rather one's willingness to use whatever skills one might have and one's effort to improve them. And finally, we are not an exclusive club closed to outsiders. If you would like to practice your Spanish, Italian, German or French tonight, please come and join us. We have our dinner every evening between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the first floor of Class of 1920 Commons. Peter Steiner Faculty Master Modern Languages College House