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.

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). 

So, you’ve made it to college and now have a world of amazing courses at your fingertips — exciting! While coming to college and adjusting to new, rigorous classes is scary, being a first-year student gives you so much freedom to explore. Coming from someone who had no clue what she wanted to study in college and was overwhelmed by all of the course options, if there’s any time to take a random class, challenge yourself, or bomb a course, it’s your first year. 

Washington University’s expert on true crime is Dr. Elisabeth Windle, a professor of both English & American Literature as well as Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This semester, she is teaching the Sophomore Seminar “Stranger Than Fiction: True Crime from In Cold Blood to I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” employing a feminist lens to contend with true crime as a literary genre in itself. 

The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program, which began at Washington University in 1972, has been granted departmental status. Professor Mary Ann Dzuback, who was previously the director of the WGGS program, has been appointed as the chair of the new department.