Next year's budget for the College of the Liberal Arts does not meet its needs, so the college is thinking about ways to reduce costs.

African and African-American studies and labor and industrial relations majors and minors already share an adviser, a change that was implemented Fall Semester. Now, the college is considering directing all women's studies majors and minors to that adviser as well.

The three programs themselves would remain separate, but one adviser would be responsible for the degree audits, career planning, study abroad program, class scheduling, scholarship searching, etc. for three diverse fields. To install an all-encompassing adviser to master three unique programs while effectively advising so many additional students would be irresponsible on the part of the college.

The move could give the impression that growth is not expected in any of the three programs, even though they each attract more and more students each year.

If the change goes through, it could also give the impression that the three programs are unworthy of separate staffs.

A shared adviser on top of the consolidations that have already occurred would suggest that the three programs are similar enough to begin to blur together. But it doesn't take much to figure out that they are not. Simply allowing one adviser to work with students of different majors would send a harmful message about efforts to foster the study of diversity at Penn State.

Although some courses are cross-listed between the three programs, they are different fields with diverse areas of interest. To remain strong, they must remain distinctly separate. And for the students in those fields to remain well-advised, they need experts in their fields to give them the most appropriate advice.