The Pan Asian Council met yesterday in response to news that the College has postponed its search to fill teaching positions for planned Korean studies and language classes.
Dirk Vandewalle, chair of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and a member of the College's search committee, confirmed yesterday that Dean of the Faculty Michael Gazzaniga has postponed the search for faculty to teach the four envisioned courses. Gazzaniga was unavailable for comment last night.
"We're very disappointed that they're postponing it indefinitely," said Korean-American Student Association President Kevin Ha '04. "I don't see why this should be cut when we have been working on it so long, and when the College had promised us it was going to happen."
At a meeting last night, members of various campus Asian organizations met to craft a response to the news that the search process had been postponed. The Council plans to meet with Gazzaniga and other administrators, according to Ha, in addition to the possibility of raising the issue at future Student Assembly meetings and circulating petitions.
Ha, who learned of the postponement on Sunday, emphasized that there has of yet been no official announcement regarding the fate of the Korean studies and language courses, and that he is awaiting further information on the decision.
"[Administrators] didn't tell us about it at all, or why it is happening," Ha said.
Vandewalle declined to comment on the reasoning behind the College's action.
College administrators initially decided to offer Korean language courses in May 2001, following 12 years of student lobbying for class offerings on Korean language and culture. The Korean American Student Association, founded in 1989, was itself created "to fight for Korean studies," Advisor to Asian and Asian American students Nora Yasumura said.
In August 2001, a search process was begun for two faculty members -- one of whom would instruct Korean language courses, and the other Korean studies -- who were slated to begin teaching Fall term 2002.
Four Korean-related courses were planned, according to Vandewalle, including two to be taught under Asian and Middle Eastern studies and two others under a partnering department.
Interviews for the new faculty positions were conducted as recently as Fall term, Advisor to Asian and Asian-American students Nora Yasumura said, with rumors of a potential suspension of the search process arising only a few days ago.
"Students started to raise concern at the end of last weekend," Yasumura said. "They are initially trying to get as much accurate information as possible."
Though Yasumura declined to speculate on the reasons for the postponement, she hoped the College would "honor its commitment" to creating Korean language and culture courses.
"It's been a year and a half since the decision to offer the program, and students have been patient so far," she said.
Dartmouth remains the only Ivy League institution not to offer either Korean language or studies classes.
