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Media group in spotlight

The last of the media studies students brought a formal request to ASMC Monday. Calling themselves the Media Issue Coalition, the group proposed a forum to clarify the situation around the disintegration of various departments on campus. With the impending budget cuts, the Media Issue Coalition is also concerned that what happened to them will continue to affect other departments at Mills College.

“The reason why we’re standing up now is that it’s going to happen to other people,” said senior Kelli Conley.

“Our department was cut without a proper chain of command. We want to ensure that it doesn’t happen to another major the way it did with media studies.”

In addition to creating a forum for discussion, the coalition hopes to persuade the school in assisting the last ‘batch’ of media studies students without sufficient media studies classes, and make certain exceptions for them due to their situation.

One such proposed solution is allowing students to take more than one cross-registered course at UC Berkley.

Professor of film studies Ken Burke, who

was not at the meeting Monday night, supports the groups actions and is working on various avenues to accommodate the remaining students.

“I am trying to arrange for classes and alternatives for the remaining declared students,” said Burke. “The process has been difficult for all concerned.”

Overall the meeting displayed students’ dissent with the lack of support and hope to create a forum intended on targeting key issues regarding dissolved majors.

“I have been displaced academically,” said senior Karina Griffith. “I have been forced into taking core classes that don’t pertain to my major and have modified my education to suit my classes and curriculum.”

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The forum could conceivably take place with representatives from student run organization such as the ASMC along with affected students and the provost and board of trustees. The Media Issues Coalition hopes to answer these questions with the help of the forum and create a policy to follow in the future once a major has been eliminated. Meanwhile Burke has plans in the works to reinstate the program.

“I have asked Provost John Brabson to include a reconsideration of the media studies program under the strategic planning considerations going on simultaneously with the budge cut considerations, but I don’t know what the outcome of those discussions will be.”