German position retained

German majors were relieved of much stress when the General Faculty Council approved the retention of a position in the department.

During the 1998-99 school year, Sidney Rosenfeld announced that he would be retiring at the end of the spring semester. Rosenfeld's retirement would open a faculty position which, according to College policy, is up for grabs by any department.

There was some concern that the position would not be returned to the German department. If it had not been returned to the department only two faculty members would remain. Even by spreading themselves thinly, the two professors would be unable to meet all of the department's needs. Upper level classes would feel the brunt of this shortage, and graduating with a German major would become nearly impossible.

Moreover, should the German major be cut, the Max Kade Foundation probably would have withdrawn its financial support for the writer-in-residence program. The foundation has a long history of support, including funding the construction of German House and its donation of millions of dollars to the Allen Memorial Art Museum.

"The German Department is reaching out into new areas and broadening its appeal," said Clayton Koppes, dean of the college of arts and sciences. The department is broadening its courses to encompass German cinema as well as the German language study. This was one of the main reasons that the General Faculty Council and the Educational Programs and Policies Committee returned the position to the department.

"It certainly required long and careful thought to the viability of the major," said Koppes. The major's feasibility was brought into question because of the great decrease in the number of graduating German majors over the past ten years.

This drop in graduating majors is not a secluded instance, however. Koppes noted that there has been a nationwide drop in all graduating language majors, and the trend has also been reflected in the other language departments at Oberlin.

Currently, Elizabeth Hamilton is filling the one year position while a tenure track search is being conducted. On-campus interviews will be conducted in January or February.