Due to recent budget cuts across the board, including the College of Arts and Sciences modern languages division, the second year of Arabic classes might not be offered at Seattle University next year.
Currently there are two courses, both taught by professor Maha Jahshan, which allow students to fulfill their language requirement with Arabic.
In response to the threats of cuts, a small but united group of Arabic students have come together to try and keep a second year of their language. They feel the cut would be unfair for students currently enrolled in the first year, as they would have to begin a new language to complete the two year requirement.
"I think it's just really harmful, especially for students who need two consecutive years of a language, who want to be international studies majors," said freshman Sonya Ekstrom.
A classmate of Ekstrom's, graduate student Aric Lane, took the first two classes in the Arabic sequence. Currently in Seattle U's Masters in Public Administration program, Lane hopes to go to Bahrain for a research fellowship. She is most concerned about the effect on international studies majors .
"Any plans they have as far as study abroad, Fulbright scholarships, state department jobs, they would not be able to pursue without a focus in Arabic," he said.
The class cut is especially frustrating for students who came Seattle University specifically to enroll in the Arabic sequence. Sophomore Sarah Nickol served in the army for five years before deciding to return to school and attend a ROTC program.
"I spent a year in Iraq and 15 months in Afghanistan," Nickol said. "In Iraq, I had very little contact with the locals and the gap was widened even further by my not knowing the language."
She planned on finding a small school, majoring in international studies and then graduating the program with the credentials to return to the army as an officer.
"SU is one of the only schools in the area that offered Arabic [classes] when I was looking," she said.
While serving in Afghanistan, Nickol had enough contact with the locals to pick up the Persian dialect Dari.
"I am aware of how many doors knowing a language can open. In my career in the military, I want to specialize in foreign affairs in the Middle East and knowing Arabic is a goal I have set for myself to be successful," she said.
Freshman Meg Fuller came to Seattle U for similar reasons.
"I knew I was going to take Arabic when I chose the school," Fuller said. "I really like the language and I want to pursue it further after college. It would be a really big disappointment if I was not able to."
The Arabic sequence has been in jeopardy before, but Fuller thinks the student response is different this time.
"In previous years when they offered a second year, very few students decided to take it," said Fuller. "They think that'll happen again, but it won't because a lot of the students want to take it next year."
Administrative Assistant for modern languages, Rose Zbiegien, explained that the department recently had a 5 percent cut across the board. This cut manifests differently from class to class, and in some classes, has included an added charge for copies of course material.
"Some of the teachers are asking for copy money, some aren't," Zbriegien said. "Some, by principle, will not ask for copy money."
Lane said now is a challenging time budget wise for the university, but he hopes the university waits to cut the second year of Arabic until 2010. That way, he says, the incoming international studies majors would have a clearer understanding of what languages they could or could not study at Seattle U.