Update: Save Korean Studies at UCLA

Hello everyone! As many people from Berkeley are in Southern California on vacation and UCLA students are up north, it's a good time to share information about what's happening elsewhere. The Save Korean Studies at UCLA group has been active for the last few months are is in the middle of an email campaign to save faculty positions and fight cuts to the language program. We're forwarding their intro message to the Facebook group below--please join and pass the word along to friends and family.

Dear Students and Korean Studies Community:

The Korean studies program at UCLA in particular and Asian Studies in the UC in general are under great threat from recent state budget cuts (http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/budget/). It is urgent that students come together to act upon this situation!

The language programs, including Chinese, Korean, and Japanese (not to mention the others), have been suffering from "downsizing" for years, and more cuts have recently been announced. Each year, more and more students are turned away from courses because of such cuts. The administration has also decided to close the one and only faculty position in Korean literature this year. Programs like Korean studies become easy targets during such times of crisis because of its marginal position from the administration's perspective. What is happening is affecting the quality of the entire department of Asian Languages and Cultures.
It is now time for the students to get involved and register their discontent with the administration at the UC and to state officials for the sake of the future of the program! You can make a difference by registering your discontent and signing and circulating the online petition http://www.petitiononline.com/uclakor/petition.html and by raising awareness in various ways! I believe that the students have the most powerful voice and case to bring to the administration's attention at this time. Please contact me if you would like to take an active role in this movement. Thank you for your support!

Signed, Amy Lee and the Student Coalition to Save Asian Studies @ UCLA

YOU CAN HELP BY SIGNING THE PETITION ONLINE!
http://www.petitiononline.com/uclakor/petition.html