Garnering Interest in Foreign Language programs Dec 6. 2012 | Comments (0)
Back in 2009, Lock Haven University placed their Secondary Education: Foreign Languages major on Moratorium ( http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/524869/Facing-budget-cuts--LHU-curbs-programs--furloughs-student-workers.html?nav=5014 ). Recently, German was cut from the list of Foreign Languages here at Lock Haven University. Lack of interest in these programs tend to be the cause for eliminating the programs from the system. The government then rewards the schools for cutting these programs.We as students have to take initiative and show both the state and the school that we want these programs and are willing to support them if they are returned. That is the purpose of this petition. To re-garner interest in the Foreign Language department that is currently suffering at this school. Lock Haven University has study abroad partnerships in countries such as: Finland, Austria, Japan, South Korea, China, and Italy. But we do not offer these languages here on our campus. This makes going to those countries very difficult since students do not have any experience in the language spoken in the host country. Right now, Lock Haven is trying to promote its partnership with Chungnam National University in South Korea. Chungnam wants to bring more students to South Korea to help their students learn English. But we do not offer a similar situation to our Students here at Lock Haven to learn Korean. Essentially making it difficult to send students to Korea if they have no knowledge or understanding of the Korean language at the college level. There are similar situations like this with the other schools. We should be teaching these languages here at Lock Haven University, then sending the students over to those host countries to garner more experience. Now is the time to take initiative. Please sign our petition and help us too achieve our goal of expanding the Foreign Language department. If you have signed the petition, please send the petition to all of your friends here at Lock Haven University. Only through the support of the students can we hope to change the current state of the Foreign Language department.