Between first-pass enrollment restrictions and a lack of strong faculty advisement, international development studies students have run into some problems as the major has expanded.
When I first heard that the IDS major was going to be making big changes in the coming year, I was excited that future students wouldn’t have to face as many challenges in obtaining their degree.
At the end of April, students were informed that effective June 1, 2009 the international development studies major would suspend admissions in order to improve the program ““ incorporating greater faculty involvement and restructuring core classes.
The decision to improve the program has merit, but closing admission to the major is punishing future students interested in this interdisciplinary, specialized field of study.
The decision to keep future students from pursuing an international development studies major on the grounds of “improvement” is shortsighted and unfair. Students who may have just taken an interest in the program are being penalized by the faculty’s apparent inability to progress the program while students continue to take classes.
As an IDS student, I know I have experienced frustration watching a upper-division sociology class that I need to graduate close during first pass because at this time enrollment is limited to sociology students. I also know it has been difficult to get to know professors when I typically only take one class in their subject. In addition, declaring has been a mess with confusing counseling directions that don’t clearly enumerate the language requirements.
But on the whole, I’ve been happy with IDS. The coursework has been fascinating and highly relevant. While the program needs obvious improvements, it does not need to be closed in order to achieve this.
The IDS program has grown rapidly in popularity in recent years, which has not only put stress on the department but also demonstrated its significant place in UCLA academics. This stress should not constitute closure of the major. Instead, the undergraduate Academic Senate should recognize that changes can be made while the large numbers of students who are interested in the major continue their coursework.
A group of UCLA students have campaigned proactively to block the suspension of the major. They have created a Facebook group “Act Quickly to save IDS at UCLA” and have petitioned the undergraduate student association council to review the Academic Senate’s decision. USAC unanimously supported the student-proposed resolution to save the major last Tuesday.
This group of students has formulated a comprehensive list of counter-arguments to the concerns enumerated by the department and senate. They rightfully acknowledge the problems within IDS, but disagree with the drastic decision to suspend admission to the major.
“If we can save IDS from suspension, we avoid stigmatizing the program without robbing key administrators the opportunity to perform routine maintenance and updating of the critical, programmatic elements,” said fourth-year IDS student Amanda Jessen, who is spearheading the campaign.
These students acknowledge the effort made by the Academic Senate and department to improve the program, but are making sure the concerns of the students are brought to the table.
It is easy for the administration to make a judgment call about the future of the program that they can envision over time. Unfortunately, students have a limited amount of time to select a field of study and complete their degree.
To punish the students who are interested in the major now is not right, and is doing a disservice to the current IDS major as it stands. The program needs improvement, not to be scrapped and suspended entirely.
Students should continue to support the protest to change the decision to suspend the major.
IDS is a unique major that sets UCLA apart from other schools and allows a large number of students to gain from many different fields a knowledge that is highly pertinent to today’s global issues of poverty, health care and political reform.
The major does need some improvement, but closing the major is not the answer.
Angry about the suspension of IDS? E-mail Smier at smier@media.ucla.edu