HONOLULU (AP) _ A student group at the University of Hawaii has organized to support Filipino and Ilocano language programs at the university.
Students are concerned that budget cuts will mean cuts to their language classes.
The interim dean of the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, Joseph O'Mealy, says the problem is that there are more students, but the budget has stayed flat.
O'Mealy says students can currently take beginning Filipino and Ilocano in both the fall and the spring.
The department is considering eliminating those classes in the spring semester, which means eventually U-H will offer only one cycle of language classes starting in the fall.
The students have invited university and elected officials to a panel discussion on the future of their program next week.
There are about 200 students currently taking Filipino classes, while another 100 are taking Ilocano.
