Student Assembly

Whereas, over 1000 (5%) Cornell students are of Korean ancestry including Korean-International, Korean-American, bi-racial, and multi-racial, and

Whereas, prior to 2008, there were 8 classes being offered on Korea; while in 2008, 4 classes were offered; in 2009, 3 classes were offered; in 2010, 2 classes are offered, and

Whereas, until 2008, there were only two tenure-track faculties teaching on Korea in Government and History/Literature with none being replaced by Cornell University, and

Whereas, there are currently 20 faculty members teaching on China and 10 faculty members teaching on Japan within various departments, and

Whereas, on average, there are roughly 10 Korean studies classes per year at other Ivy-League universities, and

Whereas, other major universities in North America such as University of Hawaii, SUNY, Binghamton, UCLA, and UBC offer 40–80 Korean studies classes per year, and

Whereas, there exists both a Chinese and Japanese Language House on campus although a Korean Language House does not exist, and

Whereas, the FALCON Programs for Chinese and Japanese have been active since 1972, whereas no summer program for the Korean language exists, and

Whereas, enrollment for Korean studies and Korean language courses has continued to exponentially rise year after year, and

Whereas, there is no existing Korean Studies program at Cornell University;

Be it therefore resolved, that the administration create a viable and comprehensive Korean Studies program in collaboration with current faculty members and students in a transparent manner, and

Be it further resolved, that Cornell University begin the process of hiring at least one tenure-track faculty member for the Korean Studies program within this academic year, and

Be it further resolved, that there be an increase in the number of classes that are offered in Korean studies, and

Be it finally resolved, that there be additional administration support and backing for the Korean Language Program with the prospect of developing a Korean Language House and a summer intensive Korean Language Program.

Respectfully submitted,
Justin Min
Minority Liaison at-large

Sung-Hag Ahn
Korean Students Association President