Last fall, when the Women's Studies Coordinating Committee met to lay out the foundations for the major, they designed a set of core requirements with the knowledge that the department had both a one-half and a one-third position. With Willie's departure and the college's decision to reallocate the position in Women's Studies, that critical one-third position was removed. Many members of the Colby community were therefore concerned that the major was losing important ground and perhaps in jeopardy. In response, students and faculty members created a petition in September asking the administration to re-examine the importance of Women's Studies in the academic environment and to supply "a permanent and, at the very least, half-time position in Women's Studies." Over three hundred people signed the petition, and the final copy was submitted to President Cotter, Bob McArthur, and the Division Chairs. There was no official response to the petition.
When we asked Bob McArthur about the petition, he said that by the time he received word of it, he had already met with the Women's Studies Coordinating Committee to discuss the situation. McArthur guarantees that the core courses in Women's Studies will be taught next year, although he admits that the administration has not yet come up with a plan to do this. In our interview, McArthur expressed optimism not only about the immediate future of the major, but also about its long-term prospects - for example, eventually having a one full-time faculty member in Women's Studies. Both he and President Cotter emphasize the importance of Women's Studies presence amd growth on campus . However, the level of institutional support for Women's Studies remains questionable when there is no realistic plan for how the program is supposed to make up for the loss of the one-third position. Cheshire Calhoun, director of the Women's Studies program, remains concerned as to how all of the major's core courses will be filled next year, especially in light of the faculty freeze. Furthermore, students judged the lack of administrative response to the petition as a signal to be worried about the status of Women's Studies. "I don't think that the problem with this is apathy on campus," said Jodi Schwartz, a Women's Studies major. "I think that students are really concerned but I don't think we're being heard." Clearly, one problem lies in the lack of communication between the administration and the rest of the college on these issues. Another problem lies in the lack of action to support the kind words that have been said by the Administration. We demand to be informed of developments that occur not only in filling the major's core courses next year, but also how the college plans to continue to support and improve the Women's Studies program.