By Jacob Ploesch / Staff writer

Next fall Pitt-Greensburg will offer a new foreign language to students, but advanced courses in the existing languages have taken cuts, and not everyone is happy about it.

For the first time, Chinese will be offered as a language at Pitt-Greensburg. The course will be offered in two sections, first-year reading and first-year writing. The two combined will total to five credits, the same amount as the other first-year languages.

According to Wes Jamison, UPG vice president for academic affairs, the class is being offered as part of Pitt-Greensburg’s participation in the Confucius Program, which brings Chinese professors to colleges in the United States.

The professors will not only teach language skills, but will also explain Chinese culture.

However, a controversial change was made in bringing the program to UPG. To make room for the Chinese courses, Intermediate French 1 and 2 - more commonly known as French 3 and 4 - were dropped from the fall and spring schedules respectively. Little notice was given on campus.

“We instructors found out about the elimination of the third term in French as you did, when the fall schedule came out,” said Dr. Alicia Covarrubias, professor of Spanish.

Although UPG is essentially offering four languages with the addition of Chinese, only one of these can now be studied in-depth. Spanish offers courses to the Intermediate Spanish 4 level, more commonly known as Spanish 4.

“I have a hard time figuring out how Pitt-Greensburg, as an academic institution that aspires to be international, discourages foreign language instruction,” Covarrubias said.

Students who wish to continue studying French for credit now have to follow those who take German at UPG and look elsewhere for transferable credits at other colleges.

“Students needing French 3 and 4 will be able to cross-register at Seton Hill if they desire,” said Karen Ricco, an academic adviser at UPG.

Although Seton Hill isn’t far away, it could be an inconvenience to students who live on campus. With rising gas prices and a limited public transportation system, students will have to build the rest of their schedule around many factors if they plan on cross-registering.

Although Chinese will be offered for at least two years, the return of French 3 and 4 for next year is unconfirmed. It could take another year to decide if there will be enough money in the budget to offer them again.