On Sept. 10, Student Life broke the news that the College of Arts & Sciences is considering consolidating six humanities programs — African & African American Studies (AFAS); Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS); Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies (JIMES); Education; Global Studies; and American Culture Studies (AMCS) — under one department. As of the week of Sept. 15, the “Social Transformations” task force has begun meeting to explore the departments’ organizational structures and the possibility of restructuring. 

The announcement of this task force startled many students in these programs, as well as other members of the WashU community. As rumors spread about departmental reorganization and the University’s motive for the change, students nervously talked about whether their major would still exist, if their favorite professors would lose their jobs, and what classes will look like in the coming years. 

While the task force representatives quoted the “innovative” interdisciplinary restructuring efforts New York University implemented in 2005, similar plans at peer institutions such as the University of Chicago cite cost cutting as a driving force behind their quick moves toward consolidation. Predicted effects at UChicago include cutting all programs with fewer than 15 tenure-track professors, scaling back language instruction, and potentially ending certain Ph.D. programs, among others. The changes come as higher education faces a direct threat from federal government funding cuts, and as WashU’s administration leads an effort to “depoliticize” the University. 

Many of these programs were born out of social and political strife and were designed to uplift students while expanding interdisciplinary work, particularly AFAS and WGSS. 

While WashU’s task force has a stated aim to increase interdisciplinary collaboration, that work is already central to these programs. JIMES changed its name in 2019 from “Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures” to highlight the interdisciplinary work of the program and make it more inclusive to a wide range of cultures throughout the Middle East, which were not represented under the outdated term “Near Eastern.” The Education department labels itself as “an interdisciplinary community that bridges the theoretical and research foundations of education, traditional academic disciplines … and the professional practice of education.” Interdisciplinary work is rooted in these programs; it does need not to be forced through administrative efforts that feel out of touch. 

Whether you’re frustrated by changes to higher education and WashU’s vague approach to adapting to these changes or think that consolidating these programs will bring about a new era of innovation in academia, lean into those emotions. At the same time, it is important to recognize why these programs were created and why we should fight for their continuation. 

In December of 1968, the Association of Black Collegians (ABC) confronted the WashU administration at Brookings Hall during a takeover protest of racial issues on campus. Following the takeover, ABC put out The Black Manifesto, a list of demands for the University as well as a bill of rights for Black students. 

From The Black Manifesto, the Black Studies Program was born. Within it, ABC stated, “We ask for this Black Studies Program because we feel it is not only necessary for our education, but for our very survival.” 

At a predominately white university, the aim of the Black Studies Program was for it to be “not only [a] place to study about African-descended peoples but also to protect themselves from miseducation,” according to the department’s website.

The Black Studies Program was formally established in September of 1969 and has since been renamed to the Department of African & African American Studies. It took until 2017 for AFAS to become recognized as its own department. Finally, students could take AFAS as a primary major, the department could hire its own faculty, and it could confer Ph.D.s. 

WGSS experienced a similar journey to becoming a department. The WGSS department at WashU, first beginning as a Women’s Studies program, was one of the first of its kind in the nation, launching in 1972. Growing from women’s equality movements that emerged in the 1960s and ‘70s that highlighted disparities in higher education opportunities for women, the WGSS program and department has become a resource for gender-related topics and a base for activism and the critical exploration of gendered experiences. 

In 2015, WGSS became an official department after decades as a program. “It reflects the maturation of the program, but also, in a larger sense, of the academic field,” Barbara Schaal, former dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences, said at the time. 

The study of cultures is essential to informing our word views and forming connections with other disciplines. Global Studies students dedicate themselves to crossing traditional academic boundaries to see global perspectives in all of their disciplines. American Culture Studies works to confront the harsh realities of American history and explore the diverse histories and populations within the United States. 

Even if, come March, the task force determines that these programs do not need to be changed or consolidated, this moment of fear should sit with students as a sign that these programs matter. In our current political climate, these programs are even more necessary. Take classes in these programs to show that they have life, and talk to your professors about their work. Carry forward their advocacy efforts by promoting them on campus, and engage in the task force’s efforts by speaking with representatives so that your opinion is heard by the University.