Students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse protested the cancellation of an obscure language class due to low enrollment and object to allowing everyone to attend future courses on Hmong culture, rather than Hmong-only registrants.
On Monday, students and members of the UW-L Hmong Organization Promoting Eductation rallied on campus, protesting the cancellation of Hmong heritage language program, The La Crosse Tribune reported.
Hmong is an ethnic group of about 4-5 million worldwide from certain regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. In America, only 0.08% percent of the total population is considered to be of Hmong heritage.
The concerned students started a change.org petition, which attracted more than 500 signatures, urging UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow to apologize to the community and reinstate the class.
The Hmong language program was cancelled by the university last December, citing low enrollment. This wasn’t the first time the class was suspended due to the low number of people expressing interest in the course. This year, however, the university tried to accommodate those few students wishing to learn the language by offering distance learning.
This wasn’t enough for some students. “Because the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse stands with ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’, it is unfair that [Hmong language program] are subjected to the university’s minimum course enrollment policies and should not compromise academic integrity,” the petition reads.
At the protest, the students also had banners saying “UWLAX is racist” and “White supremacy is alive”. Many speakers at the protest called the university an institution of white supremacy and privilege and claimed they felt oppressed and let down.
“I did not fail this university,” former university student senator Chevana Vang told the crowd at the rally. “This university failed me.”
In response to the ongoing controversy, UW-L has also started a task force that includes Hmong faculty in an attempt to bridge divisions on campus and improve the language course and the campus’ Hmong cultural offerings.
University Provost Betsy Morgan said the task force’s goal is to offer students a Hmong Studies Certificate next fall for those interested in the Hmong language and culture.
Students, however, got upset after finding out that the publicly funded university will offer any future courses on Hmong culture to everyone rather than strictly those of Hmong heritage.
The activists argued that previous classes were treated as Hmong-only and offered a safe space to people where they could learn about their culture amongst themselves. This, despite the fact that the Hmong language class has always been open to everyone.
“There is absolutely no way this would happen,” Morgan said. “It would not be legal. Classes should be open to anyone who meets the prerequisites.”