I am a high school Guidance Counselor. Presently, my students can meet the 2 semester foreign language graduation requirement at EIU by taking 2 years of a single foreign language in high school with a "C" or better average. Common sense would tell me that, if the EIU graduation requirement change to 3 semesters of foreign language, my students would need 3 years to satisfy the requirement.

The students at my high school that are most likely to enroll at EIU will be hard-pressed to add another year of foreign language to their schedules. Future EIU students will be asked to choose between foreign language and another fine arts course (most likely Band or Chorus) at the end of their sophomore year. However, and more realistically, my students will choose other universities over EIU during their senior year to avoid taking the third year of foreign language in high school or that third semester at EIU.

The foreign languages chair thinks foreign languages need more of a prerequisite?

If EIU give into this kind of thinking, it will soon take 350 hours to get a bachelor's degree.

I applaud the foreign languages department for pushing for a curriculum that doesn't appeal to the lowest common denominator. And extra semester of a foreign language is NOT too much to ask. It takes lots of practice to become proficient in a language. How long did it take most of us to learn how to speak when we were little?

You know, there's a joke in Germany that anyone who only speaks one language other than their native tongue is referred to as an American. Certainly here in mid-America learning a foreign language isn't quite as useful as it would be if we were a border state, but employers will choose someone who is at least conversational in a foreign language over someone who is not. Also, if you ever plan on traveling (which I HIGHLY recommend), other countries greatly appreciate if you at least attempt to speak their language, just like we appreciate dealing with people who speak English.

It pisses me off when I see or hear the phrase "You're in America, speak American", or if someone complains about someone speaking English with a thick foreign accent. America is a melting pot/salad bowl, and we were one vote away from speaking German. It is an ASSET to speak a foreign language, and it opens you up to so many more possibilities. Requiring an additional semester or two is not too much to ask. I'm sure there are more impractical course requirements that could be scaled back if too many semester hours is a concern.

Sorry, but this is a clear case of how each of us value our own interests too much. As an ex-jouranlism major, I'd love to see everyone forced to take Journalism and Democracy, but I know that's just my own biases talking.

You nailed it right on the head: This is not a border country. A second language is a rewarding experience (I'm working hard on picking up French myself, purely for the fun of it), but it's purely a luxury for an American.

You may not want to appeal to the lowest common denominator, but Eastern Illinois University is above all a practical institution for students with practical goals. Forcing unnecessary requirements on the students because a few professors can't see past their own biases is not in keeping with the interests of those students.