Creative writing concentration dropped

University students hoping to be the next William Shakespeare, Woody Allen or George Orwell may find themselves without a concentration in the English department. On the English department Web site, in the space where the requirements for a creative writing concentration once appeared, prospective poets, script writers and novelists interested in focusing their university studies around enhancing their creative writing skills will find a note potentially derailing their college plans.

It reads, "We are not currently accepting new students into the concentration in creative writing. Retiring faculty in the poetry and fiction writing have not been replaced, and we do not have the faculty to offer sufficient courses to sustain a concentration."

The note suggests students interested in the creative writing concentration consider a concentration in professional writing or literary studies or a minor in journalism or interactive media.

Lastly, it reassures students that although the creative writing concentration has ceased to accept new members, workshops will be held every term in various genres of creative writing including grammar and style, creative non-fiction, editing and online publications.

Currently, there are only two full-time creative writing professors at the university, Bernard Kaplan and Jeanne Walker. The concentration was cut in half when the two other creative writing professors retired in recent years. The English department administration and faculty alike agreed the university could no longer offer the concentration without the proper resources to sustain a regular course rotation.

According to Stephen Bernhardt, chairperson of the English department, the English department is in a transitional state.

"Right now we're kind of in an in-between period," Bernhardt said. "We didn't feel it was fair to students to say we have a concentration but not be able to offer courses and not have enough faculty to work with."

Kristen Poole, associate professor of English and women's studies stated in an e-mail message that although faculty voted in favor of adding to the creative writing program, changes will not occur any time soon.

"The department has voted to request a creative writer as a new hire, but since the budgeting process is being pushed back this year, we haven't yet presented our request to the dean, and so he obviously hasn't yet approved it," Poole said. "Even if we were to get permission to do a search for a new CW faculty, the search wouldn't happen until [Fall 2009] for a start date of [Fall 2010] at the earliest."

Bernhardt said English department faculty must ultimately determine how important they deem creative writing.

"As chair, I have certain priorities, but as chair I try to figure out what department priorities are so the department has to decide given all the things we try to do what's most important," he said. "I would say the department still has to decide on the priority of creative writing in its undergrad programs."

Although no new creative writing professors will be hired immediately, the department remains committed to offering workshops with a focus in creative writing. None were offered this semester but five are scheduled for Spring Semester.

Walker said the five workshops filled up quickly during registration this fall. Some students are requesting to pink-slip into the classes.

Walker, one of the two remaining creative writing professors, said she feels without a concentration, there is no consistency in course offerings from semester to semester.

"We've got no sections this semester," Walker said. "We've got five sections next semester. That's what happens when there's no regular workshop rotation within creative writing. Students never know what they can plan for."

Bernhardt said he believes there are still a plethora of opportunities through workshops and clubs for students to develop their creative writing skills.

"I don't think there's a crisis," Bernhardt said. "I know there's some disappointment among students, but I tend to think if people look around, they'll find lots of opportunities."

Bernhardt questioned the importance of offering an official concentration as long as the courses are offered at the university.

"I don't know what you think, but in the long run is it important to say, 'I have a bachelor's degree from UD in Liberal Arts, I have a bachelor's degree in English or I have a bachelor's degree in English and I concentrated in Creative Writing?' " Bernhardt said. "Is that what will really make a difference to somebody's future? I don't know."

Tom Apple, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said in the past, the creative writing program did not bring in a large number of students, which may have contributed to its current problems.

"For a while there were only a handful of students in creative writing, and I think that's why it was declining in terms of the number of faculty devoted to creative writing," Apple said. "There just were a tiny number of students."

Apple said in uncertain financial times it is especially important for faculty to be placed in areas of study that are consistent with students' interests.

"We're really trying hard, especially with the new administration, to put the faculty where the students are, especially as our budget gets tighter because of the tough economic times," Apple said. "I think it's even more important because we can't afford to have faculty in areas where there's not student demand."

Bernhardt said interest in a creative writing concentration has been relatively unimpressive in the university's history.

"Creative writing is a low-enrollment concentration," he said. "I mean, if you have 800 English majors and only six or eight students are concentrating, that's pretty low."

Walker said she believes creative writing is an area of English about which many students are passionate.

"Creative writing draws a huge amount of interest from students," Walker said. "It's not for lack of student interest that we don't have creative writing. That's for sure."

Senior Joanna Zwickel, a creative writing concentrator who organized a protest in support of the creative writing concentration last semester, said she thinks the number of students interested in creative writing is misrepresented by the number of students who decide to pursue it as a concentration.

"I think the school doesn't prioritize creative writing because they think there isn't enough interest because there aren't a lot of people who have that as their concentration," Zwickel said. "There's so many people who are interested in taking the classes - they just don't think it's a practical major."

Zwickel said she can not conceive of a cohesive English department without a focus on creative writing.

"It doesn't make sense to me that you can teach literature without teaching creative writing because that's like teaching a math formula without teaching you how to use it, how to apply it," she said. "You have to know how to do the things you read."

Senior Ann Urinoski said the creative writing concentration was the main deciding factor in choosing to attend the university and believes the lack of it would be a great loss to the English department.

"Business and technical writing are obviously incredibly important parts of the major and valuable skills in the business world, but what about the art world?" Urinoski said. "What about the creative writers, the novelists, the Stephanie Meyers', the J.K. Rowlings? What about students who want to pursue that aspect?"

Kaplan said one's opinion on the importance of a creative writing program is determined by how one defines a well-rounded student.

"It depends on what you think an educated student is," Kaplan said. "I think attempting an English department without a solid creative writing department is a diminished English department. People who will not go to study in that English department are a certain kind of person. Do we want that kind of student? That's the question the department has to ask itself."

He said a lack of appreciation for the humanities has consistently been a problem in the country.

"In the United States the arts have always had to fight for their life so there's nothing really new here," Kaplan said.

He said the debate within the English department hails from the fact that the department is struggling to deal with dwindling resources.

"It's where you want to throw your people in the trenches," Kaplan said. "Nobody wants to get rid of anybody, but the tent's crowded with students and we don't have enough faculty."

He said all aspects of the English department should be regarded equally.

"I think we should all be in it together, and in an ideal world no one should have any precedence over anyone else," Kaplan said

He said although members of the department may have a number of conflicting views, the department continues to work together to reach some type of an agreement.

"This department has always been more harmonious than acrimonious - when you have diminished resources it's harder to be harmonious, so we're trying to hold on to our harmony," Kaplan said.

He said ultimately what happens in terms of the creative writing concentration depends on one's opinions of the goals of an English department as a whole.

"What's your vision of an English department?" Kaplan said. "If your vision of an English department is a place to train practical writers for the practical world, then, yeah, that's what the English department should do. If your vision of an English department is that it should create a culture of literacy, which values that which is not translated immediately into dollars and cents, that's what an English department should do."