Oriental Studies Dept. can't agree on new name

The Oriental Studies Department is still the Oriental Studies Department. Changing the name of the department because of its alleged negative connotation was one of the most debated issues on campus last year. And, although the faculty of the department voted to change its name in May, it still remains the Oriental Studies Department. According to Department Chairperson Ludo Rocher, the delay in changing the name has been caused by a disagreement among its faculty members in choosing the new moniker. Although the faculty agreed the current name is detrimental to the department, they cannot agree on what to change it to. "Some want to call it the Near Eastern and Asian Studies Department while others want to call it the Asian and Near Eastern Studies Department," Rocher said. He said faculty teaching about subjects further east into Asia do not agree with starting the title of the department with "Near Eastern," and vice versa. In addition, according to department official Peggy Guinan, the department has not yet met this semester about changing the name because it is waiting for some faculty to return to campus. Still, many people are hoping to see a new name in the course catalog as soon as possible. "One of our goals this year is to push the Oriental Studies issue through to the end," You-Lee Kim, head of the United Minorities Council, said yesterday. And Rocher also said he hopes the change will occur soon. "It is still important to change the name as soon as possible because the majority voted to change it," Rocher said.

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