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Tuesday November 7, 2000

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Students fast to save bilingual education

Headline Photo

KRISTIN ELVES

Psychology junior Nicole Trujillo, left, and special education and rehabilitation graduate student Carolina Carbajal inform passing students about Proposition 203 yesterday afternoon on the UA Mall. Trujillo, Carbajal and others are camping out for 24 hours to protest the passing of Proposition 203.

By Rebecca Missel

Arizona Daily Wildcat

24-hour hunger strike highlights student commitment

Signs demanding the protection of indigenous languages and asking for greater parental involvement covered two small tents while students shouted through a bullhorn.

"One nation, many faces," they said.

In protest of Proposition 203, a measure to eliminate bilingual education in Arizona, about 25 University of Arizona students went without food or sleep for 24 hours.

The fast and informational booth on the UA Mall was sponsored by Movemiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, Native American Student Affairs and Chicano and Hispano Student Affairs. It began 6 a.m. yesterday and ended this morning.

"Our fast is a peaceful statement that this proposition is unconstitutional," said Marisa Lucas, marketing freshman. "We're making a self-sacrifice."

Other students participated in the fast to show unity and many people showed their support by wearing red and white ribbons.

"I'm doing this in the spirit of the Chicano movement and Cˇsar Chavez," said Nicole Trujillo, a psychology junior who fasted and wore the ribbons. "I'm trying to protect our native languages."

Besides Spanish, instruction in American Indian languages and sign language would also be taken away, Trujillo said. She added that parents need to be able to choose how their children will learn English.

"English immersion doesn't work for everybody," Trujillo said. "This takes away a choice and is a lost freedom."

Luis Maldonado, a Spanish senior, helped organize the fast and informational session with M.E.Ch.A. He said that if Proposition 203 passes, future teachers would be affected because they would have to teach differently.

"I'd be limited all around," he said. "I could be fired for speaking Spanish to my students."

If Proposition 203 passes, Arizona law would require all courses in public schools to be taught in English, therefore it would eliminate bilingual programs.

Special one-year intensive English programs would be offered to students in bilingual classrooms with continued instruction in general academics.

Some UA students disagree with the concentrated structure of the new programs even though children who already know English, are more than 10 years old or have special needs can get waivers.

"The new immersion process takes 180 days - it's hard to learn anything efficiently in 180 days," said Alfred Quintana, mechanical engineering sophomore.

Rather than abolish the current system, Maldonado wants schools to reform their bilingual education programs so that both English-speakers and Spanish-speakers learn from one another.

He added that there is racial motivation behind the proposition.

"We're afraid to say it, but this is against minorities," Maldonado said. "For Native Americans, their languages would be foreign which is totally ironic since they are natives."