The Program in Linguistics condemns the proposed elimination of World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics department at West Virginia University announced suddenly by WVU Administration this August. WVU Administration claims this is purportedly due to a "structural deficit," for which the president will not request additional funds from the legislature. But it is well documented by WVU faculty to be the result of fiscal mismanagement, including debt financing of construction development without successfully raising enrollments. The manufactured budget crisis is being used to motivate programmatic, drastic cuts across the Arts & Sciences eliminating 32 programs (9%), 169 faculty member positions (16% of full-time faculty). These cuts deny the land grant university mission to create “a diverse and inclusive culture that advances education, healthcare and prosperity for all by providing access and opportunity”. The department elimination also removes means for students to connect the local and the global through the study and learning of world languages and literatures. Students who study world languages, literatures, and linguistics often do so to add value and possibilities to other degrees. Decisions made by WVU administration with private consultants, and which have proven to be mistakes should not disenfranchise students and faculty who are not being afforded shared governance in the process. Rather than students and faculty, the WVU President and his administrators should bear the consequences of their mismanagement. The legislature and/or federal government needs to step in to continue program support while investigating the University Administration and the Board of Governors before programs that have taken decades to build and staff are even considered for termination. Solidarity with faculty, students, and staff organizing to resist this and building power to assert democratic governance, including West Virginia United and the West Virginia Campus Workers.

A petition to Preserve Students' Rights to Study World Languages at WVU to which you may add your signature: https://chng.it/F6tvSRg26h

Jonah Katz, Associate Professor of Linguistics, West Virginia University has provided university leadership contact information to take further action: “University leadership directly in charge of this process include President Gordon Gee and Provost Maryanne Reed. The WVU Board of Governors is a politically appointed body that is supposed to oversee the administration of the university and will eventually need to approve the provost's recommendations. They can be contacted via Special Assistant Valerie Lopez. Governor Jim Justice appointed most of the Board and has strongly supported Gee during his term. His office can be contacted using this form.”