The idea of consolidating humanities departments should never have occurred at a university of WashU’s stature. Yet sadly, the university experience has become more of a business instead of a site of meaningful self-exploration that the humanities encourages.

“Although the task force [is] currently done, I would argue that students probably don’t feel like it’s the end. In this whole attack on higher education, which happened to be coinciding with this proposed task force — whether or not those are connected, I can’t say — it’s a scary time to be a student,” Scott said. 

Four members of the seven-person task force resigned from their roles Monday night. 

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.

Rudolph Clay and Clara McLeod, two longtime WashU subject librarians, were let go over the summer as part of WashU Libraries’ budget restructuring.

The Student Life Editorial staff believes that these six departments — and their academic independence — are imperative to the WashU community, especially given the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom, marginalized communities, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). As such, we are skeptical of the University’s stated intentions due to their lack of transparency in this process so far.

WashU’s College of Arts & Sciences is forming a new task force to consider the reorganization or combination of what are currently six separate departments: African and 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). 

People have fought for the right to learn about marginalized and minority identities, their cultures, and their histories at WashU. People are also actively fighting against that same right. It is imperative that students from all backgrounds take classes that involve identities other than their own. Unfortunately, this is not nearly as common as it should be.

Professor El Hadji Samba Amadou Diallo discussed Islamic history and Muslim narratives in Africa and America in a Black History Month event, Feb. 23. In his lecture, Diallo talked about the intersection of Islam and race in Africa and America, highlighting the Quran’s teachings on racial diversity and equality.

As the film progresses, more hazards of this African migration are revealed. Money and jobs are hard to come by. Con men promise job security but leave hopeful migrants in debt and jobless.