University of No Opportunity
Nov. 1st, 2002 11:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
whitereflectionThe latest news in the bludgeoning of budget cuts: (what, we thought they were done until January? *laughs hysterically*)
It seems they are cutting the Japanese language program. Yep. Just fscking *gone*. They get to finish this semester, and *might* get a next semester to finish out their academic year. But after that, absolutely nothing. No more Japanese at UNO. And coincidentally, Creighton and Metro are cutting their Japanese programs, too, so if one wants to learn the language, one will have to go to UNL in Lincoln--which is about an hour from here. Meaning, if you've got a day job, no way in hell can you take a Japanese class in this state.
Fsck me, I never even got a chance to start, since I put it off again this past fall. But Anj and Kelly, they got to start and get a little way, only to have the program yanked out from under them. Anj's going to try to self teach, and Kelly might, too--I was just starting teaching myself hiregana (hadn't progressed very far). But it's going to be difficult without having those who *know*, to correct styles of writing, to correct pronounciation, to give a chance to hear real accents.
What's really pathetic is how fscking BIG of a deal UNO has made over the years of our close ties to Japan--our ILUNO foreign study program for students from Japan, our 'sister city' alliance with Shizuoka Japan, the exchange program of our hightest level students travelling to Japan to teach English, etc. Guess that all just doesn't matter, eh? How long will they want to keep those programs going with us if they in Japan see we don't even care enough to fund teaching of classes on their language and culture?
Anj was mentioning that in talking with fellow students in her Japanese class, that almost all say that important classes for each of their majors have now been cut. What majors we now have are hobbled, and a well-rounded education becoming all but impossible. It's almost to the point that we wonder, should they just cut everything but business and the IT program, and be done with it? Screw being a University, we can be a glorified tech school?
No surprise, most here are feeling pretty ill at the thought of what's going to start in January when they do the next round of budget cuts--gonna be another ugly year, too. It's not like there is more 'fat' to trim--they've dug into meat and bone already *this* year. Yet again, it's that feeling of no faith, no confidence.
I keep putting it off, but I *have* do to my resume, just to be ready, just in case. And I need to start monitoring other jobs again. I can't get complacent, and I can't let other things going on distract me. But gods, it makes me want to just say fsck Omaha and leave. There's so little truly tethering me here, truly.
*sighs* One thing after another this week. One thing after another...
It seems they are cutting the Japanese language program. Yep. Just fscking *gone*. They get to finish this semester, and *might* get a next semester to finish out their academic year. But after that, absolutely nothing. No more Japanese at UNO. And coincidentally, Creighton and Metro are cutting their Japanese programs, too, so if one wants to learn the language, one will have to go to UNL in Lincoln--which is about an hour from here. Meaning, if you've got a day job, no way in hell can you take a Japanese class in this state.
Fsck me, I never even got a chance to start, since I put it off again this past fall. But Anj and Kelly, they got to start and get a little way, only to have the program yanked out from under them. Anj's going to try to self teach, and Kelly might, too--I was just starting teaching myself hiregana (hadn't progressed very far). But it's going to be difficult without having those who *know*, to correct styles of writing, to correct pronounciation, to give a chance to hear real accents.
What's really pathetic is how fscking BIG of a deal UNO has made over the years of our close ties to Japan--our ILUNO foreign study program for students from Japan, our 'sister city' alliance with Shizuoka Japan, the exchange program of our hightest level students travelling to Japan to teach English, etc. Guess that all just doesn't matter, eh? How long will they want to keep those programs going with us if they in Japan see we don't even care enough to fund teaching of classes on their language and culture?
Anj was mentioning that in talking with fellow students in her Japanese class, that almost all say that important classes for each of their majors have now been cut. What majors we now have are hobbled, and a well-rounded education becoming all but impossible. It's almost to the point that we wonder, should they just cut everything but business and the IT program, and be done with it? Screw being a University, we can be a glorified tech school?
No surprise, most here are feeling pretty ill at the thought of what's going to start in January when they do the next round of budget cuts--gonna be another ugly year, too. It's not like there is more 'fat' to trim--they've dug into meat and bone already *this* year. Yet again, it's that feeling of no faith, no confidence.
I keep putting it off, but I *have* do to my resume, just to be ready, just in case. And I need to start monitoring other jobs again. I can't get complacent, and I can't let other things going on distract me. But gods, it makes me want to just say fsck Omaha and leave. There's so little truly tethering me here, truly.
*sighs* One thing after another this week. One thing after another...
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(no subject)
Date: 2002-11-01 11:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-11-01 05:28 pm (UTC)Holding you my friend, in my heart and in my mind. I know I'm not around enough, and I'm sorry for that. I'm thinking of you all the time.
Re:
Date: 2002-11-04 01:23 pm (UTC)Take care--hope you're not working too hard!
--Di
Re:
Date: 2002-11-04 01:28 pm (UTC)And thankyou--but don't worry. You're around when you're able to be, and you're always sending thoughts like this, which I really do appreciate. And not like *I'm* around all that often (and certainly not early enough to catch a lot of folks). But thanks--I'm feeling like things are calming down, and I'll be able to deal with it all one way or another ok. It helps a lot though, to hear this--and I'm also thinking about you bunches, even if I'm not so good at saying so. *extrahugs* Missing you bunches, hon!
Take care *hugs*
--Di