Nursing Students are speaking out against the Academic Senate’s recommendation to eliminate their program. They collected more then 1,650 letters addressed to provost Bob Snyder in a week. In less than a day, more than 2,500 people joined the "Save the HSU Nursing Program" page on Facebook.
Piri Ackerman-Barger, an assistant professor in the nursing department, says the letters have put significant pressure on Provost Bob Snyder. "The community activism has brought this issue to the forefront."
On Monday, about a dozen nursing students met in the Gist Hall nursing lounge to discuss the next plan of action.
At the meeting, students decided to now shift the focus onto CSU Chancellor Charles Reed.
Fifth semester nursing student Randee Litten says, “We’ve done all we can do with Provost Snyder. I think he’s in support of us," says Litten. “Now, we just need to go higher up and concentrate on pressuring the chancellor.”
They plan to fax a few hundred letters a day to the provost’s office, President Rollin Richmond, Chancellor Reed and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
They scheduled events up until the end of the month when the provost makes his decision on whether to cut the program.
On Saturday, nursing students will be in their scrubs at the Arcata farmers market to collect more letters. So far, this has been the most effective way to reach the community. Last week, they received more than 1,000 signed letters at the farmers market. They also plan to continue gathering signatures at Mad River Hospital.
The nursing students plan to gain more support and awareness throughout California by contacting HSU nursing alumni, all CSU nursing programs and surrounding communities.
Also, they plan to table in the HSU quad every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Kate Nolan, a senior nursing student, says, “We keep saying everybody knows. Not everybody knows.”
Nora Chatmon, a senior zoology major, agrees and says she thinks HSU students outside of the nursing department are not aware of what is going on with the elimination.
Beth Weissbart, a nursing student and legislative vice president of the Associated Students, says the campus needs to understand what is happening.
Along with the nursing program, the Academic Senate recommended eliminating computer information systems, the master's program in film and the master's of fine arts program in theater, film and dance. For more information on the Academic Senate's meeting, see the story "Elimination Frustrations" in last week's issue of The Lumberjack.
“Our program isn’t going to be the first to be eliminated,” says Weissbart. “We’re not the first, and we’re not going to be the last."
Nolan says that more nursing students need to get involved. “There has been a small group of us that have taken on a lot,” she says.
Litten agrees and says it is crucial for the nursing students to be active in this time crunch. As she looked around at the 12 other nursing students at the meeting, she said, "We need to get on our classmates, guys." Litten said, "This is your education! This is your ass on the line!"
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