The foreign language ad-hoc committee recommended to the Council on Academic Affairs to repeal its approval of the changes to the foreign language requirement.

“We decided unanimously to recommend that CAA rescind its approval of the requirement which would have taken place in 2010,” said Les Hyder, who is the chair of CAA’s foreign language ad-hoc committee.

On April 17, 2008, CAA passed the proposal to change the foreign language requirement from two semesters to three semesters to be effective Fall 2010.

The ad-hoc committee presented its report and recommendation with rationale to CAA on Nov. 6.

The committee also recommended approval by CAA for another resolution in its report to CAA.

The report stated CAA encourages each academic program that offers a major, especially those with an international focus, to identify a variety of factors by April 1, 2009.

Those factors include “the needs of graduates for foreign language proficiency, study abroad, and cultural awareness and to describe how those needs are being met in the current curriculum or to submit proposed curricular and programmatic changes that do so,” according to the report.

Hyder said the rationale for this resolution as there were some academic programs that favored the foreign language requirement.

“While we found that the requirement should not be implemented across the board for all undergraduate programs, we recognize that there may be some undergraduate programs where the requirement would be appropriate,” he said.

“But that decision should be made on a program-by-program basis and not across the board,” Hyder said.

The recommendation allows academic programs to review its course requirements and determine if the needs of its majors for foreign language proficiency and cultural awareness are being met.

If not, then those programs are encouraged to submit program provisions to CAA for approval.

The rationale behind the ad-hoc committee’s decision looked at both major arguments for and against the requirement.

“The primary tipping points were that the foreign language requirement would disadvantage a significant number of students who do not have access to quality foreign language requirements in high school, or it has been awhile since they took the first two semesters of foreign language,” Hyder said.

He said another point was the requirement would make it difficult for some students to graduate on time which would result in greater cost to them.

“Some other reasons that prompted the recommendation is Eastern’s foreign language requirement would be higher than that of most other universities in the state and would put us at a competitive disadvantage in recruiting students both transfer and incoming freshmen,” Hyder said.

The CAA intends to take a vote on the ad-hoc committee’s proposed actions at its Dec. 4 meeting.

The CAA will first hold an open forum at 2 p.m. Thursday for people to share their thoughts on the requirement and recommendation.

Beginning on Sept. 11, the committee met weekly to receive information and comments.

All constituencies with an interest in the foreign language requirement were invited to meet with the ad hoc committee or send written comments.

Those included the foreign languages department, provost and vice president for academic affairs, college curriculum committees, career services, transfer relations, admissions, Council of Deans, off campus programs, study abroad, international programs, Continuing Education, Council of Chairs, Faculty Senate, Student Senate and Council on Teacher Education.

Emily Zulz can be reached at 581-7942 or at eazulz@eiu.edu.