LATIN PROGRAM DISCONTINUED "TEMPORARILY" AFTER FALL SEMESTER

by Doug Harrison

Financial cutbacks have forced the elimination of Latin courses after the fall semester.

Margaret Phillips, Latin lecturer, said eliminating the Latin program "made sense in economic terms."

"Only six students registered for the final section of Latin last year," she said. "Still, its sad. A university that is one dimensional and does not go back in time is not doing its job."

Phillips said she understood the position of former dean of the College of Arts & sciences, E. Terrence Jones, whose decision it was to eliminate the program.

"Dr. Jones had to cut something," Phillips said.

Earlier this year, Jones had to eliminate more than half a million dollars from his college's budget after Chancellor Blanche Touhill called for a massive campus-wide budget reallocation.

Jones, who was instrumental in instituting the program in 1983, said he and the Foreign Language Department "had an understanding" that it could return after a year's hiatus if enough students enrolled.

"We decided to see after a year if it was cost effective to offer the courses again," he said.

"There would probably need to be a minimum of 15 students."

Phillips taught a 13-credit-hour sequence of Latin consisting of two five-hour courses, and one three-hour course. She will teach a final section of Latin 101 this fall.

Jones said Latin courses had always been funded through so-called soft money sources, such as salary money from faculty on leave or research grants made available to the dean for dispersal throughout the college.