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A tight budget is forcing Michigan State University to make more tough cuts.
This time, the deaf education and American sign language programs,
they are on the chopping block.
But today, hundreds rallied to save them.
Darren Cunningham explains why.
(Cunningham) Waves of applause, plenty of signs and sign language
are intended to send a clear message to university officials.
(deaf protester) Please keep both the ASL program and the Deaf Ed program
here at Michigan State University...
(Cunningham) but the group says that message is falling on deaf ears,
as administrators look to cut both programs.
(deaf protestor) We all deserve equal access
to education and communication
They are ignoring the Deaf community and oppressing us...
(Cunningham) Jeannette Johnson and Melissa Rich are both deaf,
so they know first hand the importance of deaf education.
They say Michigan State University offers the best program of it's kind in the state.
Cutting it to save a little money, raises lots of concern among the deaf community.
(Rich) Where are the qualified teachers who can sign and communicate with deaf children?
How can they learn like hearing children do?
(Cunningham) Rich says they can't,
and deaf children will either get left behind,
or will have to leave the state.
(Rich) We want our children to stay here in Michigan.
(Johnson) I hope that the university will listen to us,
to our concerns, with both their ears and their eyes.
and reconsider their decision to close the program.
(Cunningham) And the fight doesn't end here.
Supporters say they'll show a strong presence at the university's
next board of trustee's meeting,
and present their argument to save deaf education.
In East Lansing, Darren Cunningham. 6 News.
Now the college of education's website says
"Low enrollment and demand, limited grant activity,
faculty cost and costs associated with offering
service sign languages courses are reasons
for recommending the closure of this program."
[Next Story - Student Honored ] MSU senior has become MSU's only 2010
Marshall Scholar, and only the 14th one in
MSU's history.
The 2010 class of Marshall Scholars
includes 35 students from across America,
She'll use the scholarships for 2 years of graduate study in the United Kingdom.
Marshall scholarships were founded by an act of Parliment in 1953
and they commemorate the human ideals of the Marshall Plan.
that followed World War II.