Students nearly saw the removal of Saint Louis University’s Chinese program and were cautiously relieved after the program’s only full-time faculty’s contract was renewed.

In September of this year, students nearly saw the elimination of the Chinese program from Saint Louis University for financial reasons. Students and faculty worked together through petitions, emails and meetings with SLU cabinet members to save the program, resulting in the renewal of Dr. Lili Guo’s contract, the only full-time faculty member for the Chinese program.

Students enrolled in Chinese classes were surprised when they heard that Dr. Guo’s contract was not going to be renewed, as that meant the end of the Chinese problem and an abrupt halt to the Chinese minor. They were only slightly reassured when the Chair of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Kathleen Llewellyn, came and spoke to their classes about the issue. Llewellyn explained more details and informed them that the more than 70 students with the minor would be able to finish it even without language classes, should the program be eliminated.

Students took action, circulating a Change.org petition to save SLU’s Chinese program which garnered 1067 signatures and the support of Asian-centered organizations such as the Asian American Association, the Filipino Student Association and the Korean Student Association. Students also sent emails and met with faculty to discuss the situation, eventually leading to Chemistry Professor Michael Lewis to request the permission from the university’s President’s Cabinet to renew Dr. Guo’s contract. The request was approved and Dr. Guo’s contract was renewed through the combined efforts of students and faculty.

Currently, Chinese is the only Asian language offered at SLU, and, according to the University News, “With 8 percent of SLU students arriving from outside of the U.S., and an Asian population of almost ten percent, the Chinese program affords the Asian community important linguistic representation.” In a letter signed by students and written Malaya Siy, a senior with the Chinese minor who was participating in the Chinese cultural comparison class, to the provost, she wrote, “Chinese, being the second most widely spoken language in the world with 1.116 billion speakers (Ethnologue, 22nd edition), is very important for students’ understanding of the world, as the language makeup is not only different but also includes a lot of cultures.”

Because Chinese is the only Asian language offered, many students were surprised and disappointed at the development. Simon Nguyen, who is a junior in the Chinese 2010 class and is aiming to complete the minor, said, “It’s an important language, I don’t know why you would want to get rid of it.”

Many were pleased when it was announced that the Dr. Guo’s contract would be renewed and that the program would continue. Anna Cui, a freshman enrolled in Chinese 1010, expressed great relief that the program would be continuing. “I was hoping to learn for the entirety of high school and I was like, ‘I’m going to come here and learn Chinese because SLU has a Chinese program.’ I’m really glad that it’s continuing, otherwise I don’t know how I would learn by myself,” Cui said.

While most students were just happy that the program would continue, some were still cautious. Nguyen said, “I think the whole program is still at risk after our class graduates with the minor. I don’t know how the class behind us will be able to complete it, but hopefully it will stay somehow.”