Spanish department sees influx in majors

The growth in the number of Spanish majors at IU during the past decade has not been met with an increase in tenured professors, according to the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. \nDuring the 1996 fall semester there were only 128 students majoring in Spanish at IU, with 21 tenured professors to teach them. Last semester the number of Spanish majors doubled to 256, but there were only two more tenured professors than there were 10 years ago.\n"We (the full-time faculty) are understaffed compared to other faculties," said department chair Josep Sobrer. "But we have a good group of people who work very hard."\nKarla Allgood, scheduling specialist for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, said the department has filled the gaps in faculty with visiting assistant professors who are not tenured, but rather teach a year or two and then move to other positions around the country. Associate instructors also are teaching several of the Spanish classes, said professor Gustavo Sainz.\nSainz, who has taught Spanish at IU for the past 18 years, said he has noticed more students taking Spanish every year but the classes are never completely overcrowded. \n"There is a maximum of 23 students for every class, but most classes have less than 23," Sainz said. \nSobrer said that while he feels 23 students is too large a number for a foreign language class, the Spanish department has several ways for the students to get instant feedback on assignments.\n"We developed a state of the art Web site-based program (a Web site called Ancla) where the students can do their homework and get the results right away," Sobrer said. "This helps with the crowded classrooms." \nAlthough some of the professors within the Spanish department would like to see the amount of students per class decrease, students currently enrolled in Spanish at IU don't seem to think it is a problem.\n"I've taken four semesters (of Spanish) and I've had some really good (professors)," sophomore Anique Engelhardt said. "Especially when their native language is Spanish, they have a lot of passion for teaching." \nFreshman Ben Boettger, who is currently in Spanish S105: First Year Spanish, said that the size of his class is fine and that his teacher knows the material extremely well.\nCarl Good, the director of undergraduate studies for the department , said the department is forced to rely too heavily on visiting associate professors, but also said the associate professors at IU are very well received by the students.\n"It's not a problem of the quality of teaching with visiting professors -- they get high evaluations on average," Good said. "The problem is the contact between students and the permanent faculty. Every Spanish department in the country has that exact same problem."\nGood added that while he would like the students and permanent faculty to have a closer relationship, the visiting associate professors at IU are quality teachers.\nGood said that the department and the dean's office have struggled to meet the needs of those trying to get into Spanish classes but either couldn't get in or fit it into their schedules but said most of the problems faced should be resolved by fall semester 2007.\n"The situation is going to change dramatically next year because we have gotten authorization to make considerable hires," Good said. "Just about every student who wants to get into a Spanish course will be able to do so"