After a three-year evaluation, the Sacramento State Faculty Senate hastily voted Thursday to dismiss recommendations for a policy change regarding the foreign language requirement.

The General Education Review Team appointed by the Faculty Senate to review current requirements recommended that the foreign language requirement be removed as a graduation requirement and instead incorporated into Area C of the General Education Program.

This move would allow students to have the option of taking a foreign language course or another course that offers a significant cultural component, according to the Review Team report.

Director of General Education, Greg Wheeler said that the Faculty Senate voted to not discuss the matter in last Thursday’s meeting.”The process has been a very long one and began three years ago,” Wheeler said. “I am personally very disappointed.”

Wheeler said that his job is to develop and then implement policies that the university has and to inform faculty of any problem areas.

“Obviously, it doesn’t work,” Wheeler said.

Tom Griffith, head of the Advising Center, prepared an argument in favor of the change but was unable to speak when the senate shut down discussion.

“I had ten years worth of students’ perspective prepared,” Griffith said. “I was hoping to participate in a discussion. I was very frustrated.”

He said students often do not even know about the requirement until they seek advising before graduation.

Faculty Senator Larry Boles said the Senate’s decision disgusted him.

“What happened is we had a bunch of academics arguing and whining,” Boles said. “They didn’t vote as informed voters, but on their personal biases. I am a strong proponent of people deepening their sense of cultural awareness, but I don’t think foreign language does that.”

Faculty Senate Chair Bob Buckley said that the review team failed to present a clear plan.

“Their motivation is that the change would be ‘easier’,” Buckley said. “We don’t think it would make it any easier. We had no idea how they would do this.”

German Professor Marjorie Gelus said although she is pleased with the outcome, she was disappointed with the way the meeting was handled.

Gelus said it was unfair the meeting was framed to supply form before substance.

“No one ever got to talk about it,” Gelus said. “They voted and it was over without any discussion at all.”

Sac State Senior Eric Young strongly supports the foreign language requirement.

“It is essential especially in California where we are extremely diverse,” Young said. “However, the Senate acted hastily. It doesn’t make sense that they would vote before hearing a case.”

Sac State and CSU Monterey Bay are the only CSU campuses out of 23 with a foreign language requirement.

The foreign language requirement was added to Sac State’s general education requirements ten years ago.