IPFW students and faculty react
An IPFW alumnus, who requested to remain anonymous, said it seems the university is steering away from Liberal Art, and wants to be primarily a science, technology, engineering and mathematics school, also known as STEM.
"I just feel like Liberal Arts are being targeted," he said.
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The alumnus said he loved IPFW because of the diversity, small class sizes, the cultural differences, and interaction. However, his concern with USAP was being unaware of what might happen in the future.
The language programs IPFW offers are very important, as to why he stayed, he said. Knowing a second language is a marketable skill for careers.
“If you know a language, you can gain someone’s trust, and their confidence,” the alumnus said. “Even trying to speak their language, if you don’t know much, might help you win them over as a friend, as a colleague, or as a potential client.”
According to the article, “Language Therapy and Bilingual Aphasia: Clinical Implications of Psycholinguistic and Neuroimaging Research,” more than half of the world is considered bilingual.
Since IPFW was viewed as diverse to the alumnus, he said getting rid of arts and languages would change IPFW’s objective wanting to be a globalized school.
The alumnus said he knows students and friends already leaving IPFW, or switching majors, and thinks no one would want to go back to an unstable university.
According to the IPFW website, the introduction for the USAP states, “Supporting student success -- that's the heart, soul, and goal of the University Strategic Alignment Process (USAP).”
The alumnus said USAP did not listen or take in consideration of student’s opinions.
Alex Sanderson, the Vice President of Legislation of IPSGA, said the idea of IPSGA is to represent the students, and be their voices, but not a lot of people understood what IPSGA is for.
The members of IPSGA said there were threats given at the IPSGA office and threats given to Vicky Carwein, the chancellor.
“If it does change in the aspect, yes, the community might go through a little turmoil because change is hard,” Sanderson said. “Whether there is two student government or just one, or if the name IPSGA has to change, the role for IPSGA will apply, and it will adapt for students since 1964.”
Dr. Benjamin Dattilo, IPFW's geology professor, said you can't throw conflicts away thinking it is a solution.
Dattilo said it is about the ignorance on what's going on underneath us.
“For every city, there is hole from which it was taken,” Dattilo said, meaning there will always be corruptions anywhere you go. It just depends on how the city comes together into solving the situation.
According to the "Chicago Tribune" website, Western Illinois University is going through a similar situation with women studies, philosophy, religious studies, and African-American studies being cut.
The alumnus said it seems the universities in the Midwest area are aiming to become a STEM school. He said that not everyone would be on board to only learn science, technology, engineer and mathematics.
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faculty members, to voice their opinions.
