Students push for Environmental Studies prof

A group of Environmental Studies majors are circulating a petition to show student support for a new professor of Environmental Studies.

Junior Sadhu Johnston, an organizer of the petition, said, "This is a major changing point in the environmental studies program at Oberlin. A lot of people are coming here and looking at Oberlin because of the program. Without adequate faculty to back it up, basically it's going to fall on it's face."

Johnston said the petition is being used to show student support for a faculty appointment in the program. The program is proposing an additional faculty appointment be made to the program and is suggesting a professor with a specialization in geography.

Faculty appointment applications are made by departments and programs to the Educational Plans and Policies Committee (EPPC). The EPPC ranks the requests against all other requests and make recommendations to the College Faculty Counsil (CFC). The CFC then makes the final decisions concerning any new faculty appointment.

"I think it is very strange that the proposal hasn't passed in the past," junior Doug Chapman, an Environmental Studies major, said.

"It is often a multi-year process. Even very strong applications have to wait some time before they are filled because budgetary considerations are very real," Clayton Koppes, dean of the college of arts and sciences said.

The Environmental Studies program has applied for a new full-time faculty member for the past two years. This year, Environmental Studies Professor David Orr has asked students to write letters explaining their support for a new faculty member. Orr was unavailable for comment.

"Basically what we're looking for in the geography position is someone who can span across disciplines," Brad Masi, Environmental Studies Program intern said. A geographical emphasis would deal with the impact of humans on landscape and look at the interface between human society and the landscape, Masi said.

According to Johnston, the petition has gathered around 300 signatures from people in support of an additional Environment Studies faculty position at Oberlin. "Obviously there are a lot of other concerned students [besides Environmental Studies majors]," Chapman said.

The petition said Environmental Studies is the fifth largest and fastest growing major on campus. With only one full-time faculty member, the major has the poorest faculty to student ration of any major on campus.

According to Johnston, majors are having a difficult time fulfilling requirements in four years. Environmental Studies has the most core requirements of any major, Johnston said. There are 15 cross-listed courses for Environmental Studies.

President of the College Nancy Dye said in an interdisciplinary program like Environmental Studies "joint appointments are a much more sensable approach." She said the college make sure they hire versetile professors in other fields so inderdisciplinary programs can offer more classes. When a professor teaches courses for a program such as Environmental Studies, those people aren't teaching just at one level and as a teacher it is much more satisfying professionally, Dye said.

"This proposal is for a specifically trained person who will facilitate jumps between disciplines. Right now, the core of the program is dispersed," Chapman said.

"There is a lot of interest out there," Johnston said. Environmental Studies 101 turned away 156 students who wanted to enroll last semester. Johnston said 16 percent of all incoming students last year at Oberlin expressed interest in Environmental Studies.

"A lot of people are switching majors," Johnston said about how people were responding to the difficulty in getting some of the core courses.

"The program is desperately in need of more faculty," Chapman said.

"With the new building, Oberlin has potentially one of the best Environmental Studies programs in the country but only one faculty member to go along with it," Johnston said.