Letters to the Editor: campus cuts
Students concerned over teacher cuts on campus
Students
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: Opinion
Dear Editors,
I'm writing because of my concern over Florida Southern's decision to not rehire Dr. Bernheim, the only creative writing professor at FSC. Many of my fellow students and I feel this decision should be overturned because of several grievances facing the students of the English program as well as students involved in creative arts outside of the classroom environment. Florida Southern College has a reputation as being an institution that truly cares for its students and hopes to ensure that the education offered by the college is of the best and most professional quality possible, however, I do not see how they can continue to have this reputation if new buildings are more important than having amazing teachers at this college.
Dr. Bernheim has established a bond between our college community and professional contemporary writers that has never before been present on the college level. With her loss, Florida Southern would lose valuable connections to contemporary writers like Michael Dumanis, Robin Schiffe, and Salvatore Scibona. These writers have come from great distances because of their connection with Dr. Bernheim. Professionals of this quality would cost far more to bring to campus without her involvement in our program and would further hurt the finances of the English department and the college as a whole.
Dr. Bernheim's involvement in the Cantilevers and Mechanicals Prose and Poetry Melee was instrumental and resulted in heavily attendance and gave the writers of FSC a voice that was previously limited to a much smaller peer group. Dr. Bernheim is the reason that the creative writers have vocalized their talents and are coming together as a much larger group that spans genres, generations, and academic departments. FSC's students' creativity would remain unnoticed outside of Cantilevers: Journal of the Arts without Dr. Berheim.
Because of the changing focus of Mechanicals, Dr. Bernheim has become the co-advisor with Dr. Taylor in creating a creative writing group for students. The group meets and holds workshops that are only successful because of the background in creative writing that Dr. Bernheim brings to the college. Without Dr. Bernheim to provide professional feedback to student work, the group would cease to function.
I'm writing because of my concern over Florida Southern's decision to not rehire Dr. Bernheim, the only creative writing professor at FSC. Many of my fellow students and I feel this decision should be overturned because of several grievances facing the students of the English program as well as students involved in creative arts outside of the classroom environment. Florida Southern College has a reputation as being an institution that truly cares for its students and hopes to ensure that the education offered by the college is of the best and most professional quality possible, however, I do not see how they can continue to have this reputation if new buildings are more important than having amazing teachers at this college.
Dr. Bernheim has established a bond between our college community and professional contemporary writers that has never before been present on the college level. With her loss, Florida Southern would lose valuable connections to contemporary writers like Michael Dumanis, Robin Schiffe, and Salvatore Scibona. These writers have come from great distances because of their connection with Dr. Bernheim. Professionals of this quality would cost far more to bring to campus without her involvement in our program and would further hurt the finances of the English department and the college as a whole.
Dr. Bernheim's involvement in the Cantilevers and Mechanicals Prose and Poetry Melee was instrumental and resulted in heavily attendance and gave the writers of FSC a voice that was previously limited to a much smaller peer group. Dr. Bernheim is the reason that the creative writers have vocalized their talents and are coming together as a much larger group that spans genres, generations, and academic departments. FSC's students' creativity would remain unnoticed outside of Cantilevers: Journal of the Arts without Dr. Berheim.
Because of the changing focus of Mechanicals, Dr. Bernheim has become the co-advisor with Dr. Taylor in creating a creative writing group for students. The group meets and holds workshops that are only successful because of the background in creative writing that Dr. Bernheim brings to the college. Without Dr. Bernheim to provide professional feedback to student work, the group would cease to function.
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