I write to express my disappointment in Monday’s article “Modification of language requirement sparks debate.” I am sorry to see The Daily Texan print a poorly researched, shallow article-cum-editorial. The heart of the problem is that the article is heavily one-sided. Where is the research on outcomes and student achievement? Last year, many languages were taught intensively, not just French, and we have proficiency scores that measure achievement on a national scale for the four languages taught in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. Your reporter did not even bother to inquire about such results, nor about how we can measure success and failure of language study. Perhaps you could devote a future article to that topic.
Kristen Brustad, Chair, Department of Middle Eastern Studies
