Granted, the reasons for merging the two departments make sense to those involved. Creating a single department could mean a focus on students learning to teach ESL and study more in linguistics. Instead of combining the two departments to facilitate better cooperation, the focus should be on strengthening the Modern Languages department. Encouraging students to take languages and offering more within the department should be a goal, not streamlining in a time when the world is becoming a global community. If Marietta College wants to continue promoting itself as a campus with an international feel, then it needs to offer more than a language department that is part of the English department.
Students expect and deserve more.