As a literature student, I’ve become accustomed to sacrifices. I don’t expect to see millions of dollars of grant money flowing from the government into the hands of the English department. However, I have been naive enough to expect that we, in the humanities department, be treated with financial equality to those of you across campus.

It has been brought to my attention that, with the recent budget cuts, the distribution for funds has shown where we stand within the education hierarchy. The Humanities have been cut off at the knees. With countless requests by the administration for more cutbacks, an entire floor of offices shares one pair of scissors, and we now have no African-American literature specialist. We’ve lost faculty and now those in the money-harboring positions have determined the English department can function in lecture halls. It’s clear the upper administration has no regard for the cultural relevance of literature and is ignorant as to how this department works. We cannot learn literature and writing in lecture halls — and expect quality work from faculty overloaded with hundreds of essays.

Our generation continues to hear about how important education is, and how it is our “duty” as Americans to contribute to the nation’s economy. How can you expect us to do so when you take our education away from us?

Higher education in this country is run very much like a business. We aren’t students; we are customers paying an arm and a leg to get a degree for a job that may not be there when we graduate.

I understand the need for budget cuts and that the state of the economy is getting worse. At Iowa State the situation is no different.

Engineering and Sciences bring in millions of dollars in grant money from the government and from independent donations, the athletic department brings in large private donations — and that’s where the money goes. More flash, more prospective tuition payers and more money. I’m not suggesting that the situation be reversed; I’m suggesting that if the university wants to cut back that it does it equally across the board.

Literature is not valued in America anymore. In essence you are dropping one of the three R’s and not giving it a fair chance. Education should exist for instruction, not for profit.

Literature can teach you more about human interaction, communication and ethics than any science lab can. It can show you the mistakes we’ve made, and it can open your mind to things you never thought possible. I’ve come to understand more about our society from reading books than I ever will from sitting in a biology lecture. If you continue to cut off funding to the Humanities, what kind of world are you creating? I can tell you that it’s not a good one.

Rachel Johnson

Sophomore

English