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Students minoring in LGBT Studies believe creating a major could considerably improve the quality of queer studies courses at Syracuse University.

But limited student interest in declaring a minor in LGBT Studies makes it difficult to defend spending money and resources on creating a major, said William Robert, an associate professor and the director of LGBT Studies at SU.

“I don’t see a rainbow wave crashing in,” Robert said.

In 2016, the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion recommended that SU add a major to the program and hire more faculty focused on LGBT studies. Some students and professors have argued that doing so would improve the quality of the courses and spur increased interest in the program.

Currently, faculty who teach courses in the minor volunteer to do so since they’re based in other departments.

“LGBT studies doesn’t pay any of our salaries — our departments do, and we can’t just abandon them and our teaching obligations for a program that we’re not contractually bound to in the same kind of way,” Robert said.

Last spring, a group of LGBT Studies faculty discussed efforts to move forward with attempts to create a major within the College of Arts and Sciences, Robert said. The resources for the program would likely have to come out of the college’s budget, which is already stretched fairly thin, he said.

It’s understandable that the college may not want to spend money to develop a major since there are only about 14 students enrolled in the minor, Robert said.

But many students, even those who aren’t in the minor, are taking LGBTQ classes, said Avani Singh, a junior minoring in LGBT studies. The classes are beneficial for students in any program, she said.

“I’ve met a lot of queer students on campus and who are interested in learning about queer studies but have never taken a queer studies class,” Singh said. “You’re going to learn about history together, and I think with moderated conversations with the professor, it gets a little bit more deep and a little bit more serious.”

In addition to queer studies classes, the LGBT studies minor can also create a sense of community different from the one that clubs or other student activities — such as Pride Union or the LGBT learning community — foster, Singh said.

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But many students don’t know that the minor exists, which could contribute to its current size, said Yzzy Liwanag, a senior in the minor. And sometimes, queer studies classes fill up with students from other programs since they can fulfill diversity requirements at students’ home colleges, she said.

Adding a major isn’t enough, though, Robert said. The university also needs to hire more faculty solely dedicated to LGBT Studies for the program to have the focus it needs.

“It’s just really difficult for me to see how the program can grow unless the faculty grows,” Robert said. “And that takes money, right? So, like most other things, it comes down to the financial bottom line.”

Although creating a major or hiring focused faculty may not be a realistic option in the foreseeable future, Singh believes there are still ways SU can improve the program now. The university can explore ways to add additional course options to the minor and could do a better job getting the word out to students about the program.

Wider LGBT course offerings would also help students in other programs become more familiar with ways to accurately write and communicate about LGBTQ people, Liwanag said. Often, the classes expose a history and way of thinking many students aren’t familiar with, she said.

“I learned a part of U.S. history that is never spoken about and it was just completely erased,” Liwanag said. “Even as a person who doesn’t like American history, who knows nothing about it, I’ve at least learned a hidden part of it.”

Published on February 17, 2021 at 10:22 pm

Contact Kailey: kmnorusi@syr.edu