VSA passes resolution for Ethnic Studies

Ilyse Kramer Staff Writer

On Sunday, Feb. 26, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council passed a resolution on Ethnic Studies. Students who proposed the resolution are members of the Ethnic Studies Coalition (ESC), which formed to address the lack of Ethnic Studies and faculty of color at Vassar.

The resolution states, “We, The VSA Council, support academic diversity and well rounded educational opportunities for Vassar Students. We recognize that providing students with the opportunity to take courses in Ethnic studies...is imperative in providing a comprehensive liberal arts education.” The resolution went on to state that the VSA will encourage the administration to address this.

Joel Arce ’08, who has been involved in the ESC, said that last year’s ESC members began a “small education campaign about the deficiency of Asian-American, Latino/a, and Native American studies.”

“I was struck by the few courses available in these three fields and the inconsistency of their offerings,” said Arce. “[ESC] is in the beginning stages of a larger education campaign this semester.”

Earlier this year, the ESC met with Dean of the Faculty Ron Sharp and members of the senior faculty to develop three proposals for remedying what they saw as curricular and faculty deficiencies. The first proposal calls for the hiring of two senior faculty of color who specialize in areas of Ethnic Studies.

The ESC calls the extension of American Culture Professor Linta Varghese’s contract, who they claim is the only faculty member teaching Asian American studies.

“The addition of senior Ethnic Studies faculty is crucial to the development of stable course offerings and a welcoming atmosphere for other Ethnic Studies faculty,” said Arce.
Arce said that their resolution was also supported by the Student Activist Union, Cushing House and Main House, as well as several other organizations. He noted they also received support from senior faculty.

Sharp wrote in an e-mailed statement, “I think they have performed an important service to the college by raising these issues.”

Members of VSA Council were enthusiastic about the ideas proposed in the resolution.

VSA Secretary Laureen Cantwell ’06 said, “The resolution has strong wording and strength. We, as a Council, should support the statement of a unified Council and student body.”

The final proposal posed by the ESC is the formation of a multicultural studies requirement based on the Oberlin College model. The faculty of Oberlin adopted a cultural diversity requirement for Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991.

According to the ESC Resolution, “The requirement is based on the belief that well-educated persons in today’s interdependent world should study and analyze cultures other than their own.”

Additional reporting by John Palmer, Senior Editor