This week, Student Senate petitions calling for the creation of an International Studies concentration, office and program house were withdrawn. Senator sophomore Nicole Johnston said, "When strong concerns came up, we wanted to address them. We didn't just want to ignore them."
Last week, Johnston and senator first-year Bobbi Lopez presented the petitions to Harkness, Fairchild and Third World dining co-ops. While the petitions met with support from students in Harkness and Fairchild co-ops, several students from Third World Co-op said that an International Studies concentration and office could undermine other students' efforts to create specific ethnic studies departments such as Asian-American studies.
Johnston said that when she and Lopez spoke to Third World Co-op last week some co-op members "were quite frustrated and definitely vented their frustration ... They wondered why we were focusing our attention on international studies rather than ethnic or minority studies."
Suzanne Gay, chair of the Education Plans and Policies Committee (EPPC), said that such programs as Asian-American studies would require more than what is entailed in a concentration. "In the case of Asian-American-Alliance (AAA), what they have been working for entails the addition of new faculty. We are definitely moving on these programs, but I don't see these [programs] as loggerheads against international studies," Gay said.
When asked why other proposed programs have not been addressed as quickly as International Studies, David Love, director of sponsored programs and EPPC member, didn't know. "I really can't tell you why the other issues haven't been pursued," he said.
Love said, "A lot of people have been concerned with improving Oberlin's international education for a long time," he said.
Some students feel, however, that the rapid movement to consider International Studies could be indicative of misplaced priorities within the administration. First-year Viet Le, a member of AAA and the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Union (LGBU) said, "It was upsetting that a student could find the resources and get listened to when it has taken some groups so long … I don't know how seriously Oberlin College has addressed student efforts."
Gay said that an International Studies Program would not "subsume or detract from other programs because what we are proposing does not take away from college resources."
At the same time she said that she was "really suprised at the level of student interests ... I hadn't expected it."
"There are a lot of people who think that we definitely need this [program] to stay competitive," Gay said. At the same time, Gay stressed that the proposed concentration is "still in the preliminary stages of what is a very long process."
President Nancy Dye said that she believes that International Studies is a good idea, but one that warrants very careful consideration. "I think the College needs to look at a variety of ways to make itself more cosmopolitan." At the same time, Dye said that the program needs "a lot of thinking through."
Dye added, "[International Studies] is seriously multi-disciplinary. You need to know something about economics, politics, a language or two … you have to work out what you mean by international studies."
Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Clayton Koppes said he thinks International Studies would not detract from other ethnic studies. "It's the other way around," Koppes said. He said he thought the two areas could complement each other.
According Love, the next step for International Studies support is for a committee to determine the content of an International Studies curriculum. Love said that he predicted International Studies to become a concentration in the college.
Gay also said that designing a concentration in International Studies could serve as a model for the possible inclusion of other concentrations in such things as ethnic studies.
Le said that he felt that a concentration is good as long as it does not undermine the efforts of other groups to obtain their own educational programs. He said, "I don't think anyone is totally against an international studies concentration. I just think some people are concerned about the consequences of such a concentration."
Raquel Olivo, a member of La Alianza Latina, said, "It is a good thing if it's not affecting the fight for other programs that have been going on for a very long time."
Lopez and Johnston also said that Senate and the administration need to thoroughly assess the issues involving such programs as Asian- American or Ethnic Studies. Lopez said, "Those in the administration as well as senators need to stop and wonder how is it that some programs have struggled for years to develop while others glide through with more ease."
Johnston added that Senate can be of aid to students wishing to implement such agendas as Queer Studies. Presently, the Student Senate needs to go around and listen to the different agendas that people are pushing so that we can help direct them through the appropriate channels," Johnston said.
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