Editor:

This is an open letter to the U of A Journalism and Communication departments. Yesterday (April 15) I received notice from the Annenberg School of Communications at USC, where I received my M.A. in Communications Management, telling me that they will merge with the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and the School of Journalism. While I'm sure not everyone was happy with their respective loss of identity, I assume this merger will save programs, students, and administration/office support jobs.

In light of recent developments on this campus, you may want to reconsider this option. Overall, I find it ironic that during the Final Four hoopla, when discussing the millions spent on athletics at this university, a U of A official claimed that the money was well spent because, in a bizarre form of trickle-down academics, the increased notoriety of the basketball team would attract even more students to this school. After reading in the Tucson Citizen (April 15) of all the proposed cuts and/or squeezes of the Italian, French, finance, library science, physics, biochem, entomology, computer science, media arts, English, comp lit, history and political science departments, it is possible that these new students will arrive on campus to find only the McKale Center open and lots and lots of free parking.

Lisa-Anne Culp

Graduate Student

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