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Wednesday, August 13th, 2003
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6:13p - Futile correspondence with deans (1/?)
> Please be informed that the Deans have asked A/P/A to cancel the course
> History of the Filipino Diaspora (V15.0800.002) in the Fall 2003 semester
> due to low enrollment and faculty budget issues. Thank you for your
> interest in A/P/A Studies. I hope that you will consider registering into
> another A/P/A course. If you would like to express your concerns to the
> Deans, please be sure to copy me at A/P/A Studies. You may write to Dean
> Otto Sonntag and Dean Matthew Santirocco. If you have any questions,
> please feel free to contact me.
Dear Deans Santirocco and Sonntag.
I am writing to express my disapproval of your request that A/P/A cancel the course History of the Filipino Diaspora (V15.0800.002). I understand that the University's budget is limited and that the planned cancellation of this course is intended primarily as a cost-reducing measure. As you know, six students have registered for the course. This enrollment is indeed quite low when compared to some of the University's more popular classes. However, it is comparable to several classes I have taken (in both CAS and Gallatin) where the enrollment has ranged from 7 to 12. Is there a specific limit you are going on or is this decision more arbitrary?
As I'm sure you also believe, a course's worth cannot be understood as the sum of its students' money minus the amount an adjunct gets paid to teach it. Its worth also includes the academic contribution it makes to a university and to the world as a whole. This course, like other courses on migration, is extremely relevant in this era of accelerating human movement and of increasing complexity in those intranational, international, and transnational interactions that shape our society. People who understand the history and dynamics of migration, are, I believe, the type of people NYU wants to contribute to academia and the world. There are few areas of study more vital. In this context, whether 6 or 9 people take the course is a trivial matter.
I urge you to reconsider.
(comment on this)
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