By Correction: Executive Order 1110 and 1100R will not eliminate the need for students to take courses in Ethnic Studies.
California State University, Northridge and Long Beach State joined forces on Thursday to discuss their grievances on the Executive Order 1100R and 1110.
The meeting was held in the multicultural building on campus and consisted of a short video explaining the executive orders and CSUN students’ testimonies, followed by a Q & A.
EO 1100R and 1110 are statewide mandates that have changed the requirements for students’ upper division and general education classes at California State Universities.
For CSUN, EO 1100R means Section F, comparative culture studies, will no longer be a requirement for students. According to the CSUN website, however, Section F will not see any major changes and will still require 6 units to be taken by students. Due to the EO 1100R, Section F might have a change in student enrollments but so will the other sections.
Students who have transferred to CSUN that have already fulfilled their GE requirements are exempted from Section F. Instead, nine more units will be required and dispersed among sections B, C and D, which correspond with science, arts and humanities, and social sciences sections respectively.
EO1100R allows students to take a class in their major and use it for a GE requirement. This will reduce the need to take courses in comparative culture studies. The CSUN students and faculty worry that ethnic courses will start to disappear within a matter of years.
“They’re setting up the system for more STEM fields,” assistant professor of Chicana/Chicano Studies at CSUN Stevie Ruiz said. “But the first one that is always on the block is ethnic studies.”
EO 1110 will get rid of lower division math and writing classes, courses that would normally prepare freshman for college level math and English. The order was meant to begin implementation in the fall 2018 semester. However, students who attended the CSU’s before fall of 2018 will not be affected by the change.
The faculty at CSUN voted against the executive orders, however the administration implement both EO’s.
“The faculty was against it, the students were against it,” said CSUN senior Eduardo Estrada, who is majoring in history and Chicano studies. “But the administration and Chancellor, they don’t give a fuck.”
LBSU students who attended the event seemed to agree and were moved by the effects of the CSUN students. “Honestly, I wanted to cry during the video and presentation,” said LBSU liberal studies senior Jennifer Giron. “They’re trying to cut so many programs and dilute our programs just for their purposes.”
The students and faculty protesting the EO’s have held walk-outs, teach-ins and have been present during faculty Senate meetings, according to their website. The CSUN students and faculty gathers tuesday nights at Northridge University at 7:30 p.m. in Mazanita Hall 240.
