President Shirley Ann Jackson is well-known for having said, “There is a quiet crisis building in the United States—a crisis that could jeopardize the nation’s pre-eminence and well-being. The crisis has been mounting gradually, but inexorably, over several decades.”

At the time, Jackson was speaking of the gap between the demand for technologists and the nation’s supply. However, the crisis I want to talk about runs far deeper than technology.

You see, there is a quiet crisis at RPI, not only because of the Institute’s refusal to communicate with us, but because of their systematic removal of the very professors who are meant to teach us how to communicate. Next semester, the gutting of the Language, Literature and Communication department is going into full effect with the termination of the language minors and the release of the professors for French, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and Creative Writing.

This leaves me baffled and with several questions regarding that unfortunate and misdirected decision.

In a society where technology is always changing, but one of the few constants is the importance of communication, how can you release the professors who teach us these abilities?

At an institute that builds a performing arts center at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to make well-rounded students, how can you release the professors who give your students the very skills that make them well-rounded?

When you seek to make studying abroad a staple of the Institute, how can you remove the very classes that educate students on the languages and the cultures of the world?

When you remove the foundations of your humanities courses, how can you identify yourself as a “New Ivy” school? If you allowed students to pursue a minor in Chinese, Japanese, and French, what will they do when you remove the very program they are involved in?

I once believed that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was a school designed to create the best scientists, engineers, and technically skilled workers. Concluding her article on the quiet crisis, Jackson said, “For the United States to remain competitive in a vibrant global innovation and research environment, it must have access to the best minds. The nation’s technological strength depends entirely on its ability to attract, educate, recruit, and retain the best science and engineering workers.”

For RPI to remain competitive in this global marketplace, we must ensure that the students learn not only the whats and whys of technology, but also how to convey their message. In attempting to solve the quiet crisis, we have created a new quiet crisis. We have created this crisis ourselves, by failing to promote the very communication skills that are necessary to give these technologists the abilities they need to succeed.

I implore upon the Institute to take a step back from The Rensselaer Plan and look closer at what is going on today at RPI. Give RPI students the chance to compete in the work force, and allow them to receive the education it requires.

Matt Fyffe