By Bimal Rajkomar
Daily Bruin Reporter
International Development Studies students returned to school
this year to find that their core class had been canceled and their
program’s office had disappeared ““ leading many to
believe that the major was cancelled.
But program co-chair Joshua Muldavin assured students that IDS,
an interdisciplinary major that examines issues facing developing
countries, was still around, and was in the midst of a clumsy
transition.
“There is zero chance that the major will
disappear,” Muldavin said, adding that the major is alive and
well.
The program’s transition from the Social Sciences Division
to International Studies and Overseas Programs created the
misconception, but rumors have been developing for awhile because
of last year’s Academic Senate review of the major.
Last year some students speculated that the major was in
trouble, but this fall’s cancellation of the core class, IDS
100A, was the first problem to directly affect students.
“The student response to the cancelation of IDS 100A was
one of concern, and in some cases anger,” said Leda Nelson, a
fifth-year IDS student.
“I think that there were a handful of students who needed
the class to graduate and would have been done winter term, but
because of the cancellation, they have to stay through
winter,” she continued.
The class ““ which will be offered again starting winter
quarter ““ was cancelled for several reasons, including a lack
of budget, but the primary cause was the transition, according to
Muldavin.
“The breakdown in communication during this process led to
a number of unfortunate decisions, many of which have now been
rectified or are in the process of being rectified,” he
said.
The major is moving to ISOP, but last year, ISOP itself moved to
the College of Letters and Science.
These movements, have compounded administrative problems, such
as the unannounced movement of the program office to Bunche 10347
and added to existing budgetary problems.
The most important effect of the move will be the change in how
funding is allocated, Muldavin said.
“College money traditionally goes to departments, not
inter-disciplinary programs,” said Muldavin, noting that most
IDPs are underfunded and this may exacerbate the problem.
Muldavin said a lack of an Organized Research Unit has made this
transition particularly difficult.
ORUs are centers for research, such as the African Studies
Center and the Latin American Center.
IDS does not have a corresponding ORU, which can assist
undergraduate majors by offering classes, funding professors to
teach IDP core courses, and providing office space and
administrative support.
Last year, students first began to get news of the situation
concerning the major and the lack of funding allocated to IDS
according to Nelson,
“Last spring there was a formal student presentation of
the major to Chancellor Albert Carnesale in response to rumors
about reorganization and closure of the major,” she said.
As a result of the meeting, ISOP Vice Provost Phillip Trimble,
said he tried to contact the students to address their
concerns.
But some students said they never heard anything from the
administration after their presentation.
“That shocks me. No one I know was contacted, but I would
love to sit down and talk to him about it,” Nelson said.
Trimble said the rumors of cancellation may have arisen out of
the exhaustive year-long review process ““ which all majors
undergo regularly. The Academic Senate review of the major, while
supportive of the program’s accomplishments on a limited
budget, asked for several changes from the administration.
Recommendations included solidifying a permanent budget, and
providing increased staffing for the program.
The review committee, made up of experts from around the world
as well as UCLA faculty, also advised IDS to strengthen its
curriculum, add courses and increase faculty support.
“The Academic Senate is 100 percent supportive of
IDS,” said Trimble, adding he supports the recommendations of
the report.
IDS grew from 20 to 25 students to 175, but has not received
funding to match the major’s growth since 1987, said
Muldavin.
Muldavin plans to offer lower division classes, such as IDS 10,
develop a pre-major curriculum and offer more upper division
classes to strengthen the major.
Despite some of the problems in the beginning of the year, he
said the the worse is behind, and is now optimistic.
“I believe student input into the restructuring process is
fundamental for ensuring the major’s ongoing success,”
Muldavin said.