The Modern Greek language programme at La Trobe University may be terminated in two weeks time unless consultations with the university prove fruitful.
The proposal to cut the programme, along with Hindi and Indonesian, comes as the university confronts a profound revenue downturn of $265-$335 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and hence is slashing hundreds of jobs.
Dr Stephie Nikoloudis, Lecturer and Coordinator of the Greek Studies Program of the Department of Languages and Linguistics at La Trobe University, told Neos Kosmos she was surprised with the proposal to cut Modern Greek as part of the University’s Strategic Plan which was released in September. At the time, the Greek language was not directly threatened and staff were told that a business plan would be fast tracked and the university would get in touch and ask for feedback and consultations.
She felt, at the time, that the 38-year-old Greek program would be safe, however the university offered the low student enrolments in Modern Greek in comparison to other disciplines as a rationale behind the proposal to terminate it.
“We had increased enrolments to 40 students and we also offer an interdisciplinary subject, Ethnic and Civil Conflict in Southern Europe and Cyprus, with another 44 students enrolled there,” she said, pointing also to post-graduate students in Honors, Masters and PhD. “We’ve been building the program which receives funding from the Vasilogianni bequest and money from Melbourne University since Greek was cut from there.”
Neos Kosmos reached out to the university’s leadership and was told, in a written statement, “market demand and student enrolments for Greek Studies have been consistently low for many years. While we have appreciated some external funding support, it is important that our courses and subjects are self-sustaining and respond to student demand. Accordingly a change proposal has been released which, subject to the outcomes of staff consultation may regrettably result in La Trobe closing the teaching of our Greek Studies program from 2022.”
Now, Dr Nikoloudis has just two weeks to plead her case for the Greek program to continue, a case which should be self-evident bearing in mind the robust Greek community in Melbourne. “Languages are important to our community,” Dr Nikoloudis said, pointing to a downward spiral which the program would have for the future of the Greek language in Australia, affecting primary and second levels of language learning. “We have a worthwhile programme. We also teach the language teachers of the future and this would be a huge loss.”
READ MORE: La Trobe University celebrates the Greek language
The necessity of continuing Greek language learning at La Trobe is not enough on its own merit, Dr Nikoloudis needs to show that it is also economically profitable and she is already looking at ways to ensure its sustainability.
“The government decision recently about languages seemed to indicate that the HECS obligation for students would be lower than for other subjects, hence we may have an increase in numbers of students wishing to take the course,” she said. “Furthermore, COVID-19 has caused us to go online and we can cut costs by continuing to offer the program online, and this may see students from an even larger geographical area sign up.”
Dr Nikoloudis said she had been inundated with calls from current and former students since the announcement was made. One wrote, “there may not be hundreds of us like in other subjects, but we have the passions of thousands.” No sooner was the announcement made that students got to work and are mobilising to make the case, including the creation of an online petition to be made available shortly.
Now she must go to bat for them and argue for the value of the programme which extends beyond language learning alone, however does not affect the future of the Dardalis Archives, a Herculean collection of precious documents, films and other materials of historical value, showcasing the Greek Australian migration story. “The La Trobe University Library will continue to house, maintain and make available to the community the Dardalis Archives of the Hellenic Diaspora,” the university said, understanding the importance of the collection. “The University also remains committed to the A.D. Trendall Research Centre for Ancient Mediterranean Studies.”
READ MORE: Dardalis Archives revive the Greek migrant story at La Trobe University
Dr Nikoloudis said the resources at the Dardalis Archives are “of national and international significance” and have been incorporated into the Greek programme’s teaching and research initiatives “using this collection to bring together academics, students and the community in a unique way.”
The university understands the significance of the archives but needs to be convinced that being the “sole tertiary provider of Modern Greek in Victoria gives La Trobe a uniqueness that adds value to the institution as a whole. It makes it stands out,” Dr Nikoloudis said.
The only other tertiary programs for Modern Greek in Australia are offered in Sydney and Perth.
To find out more about the campaign to keep Greek at La Trobe visit the Greek Studies at La Trobe University Facebook page and keep reading Neos Kosmos for more stories to come.