Although most ASMSU representatives can see clearly, they’ve set their sights on the College of Education’s visual impairment program.

A yearlong hold has been placed on the program’s enrollment while university officials review the program. After the resignation of one of the specialty’s two key staff members, College of Education officials put an enrollment freeze on the special education program.

University officials say the program requires large amounts of money with few graduates to show for it - enrollment has hovered around 30 in recent years. And only three people graduated from the program last spring.

But representatives from ASMSU, the university’s undergraduate student government, have drafted a bill supporting the visual impairment program, to be discussed at their Aug. 11 meeting. They hope to encourage administrators to repeal the moratorium and keep the program alive on campus.

Other options for the administrative reviewers include collaborating with other universities to create a complete program, or elimination of the program on campus.

“It will go against those pioneer land grant ideas to close (the program),” said Chris Wisniewski, Council of Students with Disabilities representative for ASMSU. “If they fail to lift this moratorium and fail to keep this program alive, it will be a tragedy for blind and deaf children.

“They will be even more isolated in the world.”

While the number of graduates from the visual impairment program may be low, the program serves as a national supplier of blind student educators.

Eastern Michigan University is the only other university in the state with a visual impairment education program. MSU has the only program for deaf and blind education in the Midwest.

“I think this will help,” Wisniewski said. “I hope it will get (the administration) to carefully weigh their decisions.”

Wisniewski and others were at the Board of Trustees meeting Friday in support of the program. Other supporters rallied in front of the Administration Building on June 8.

Geer Wilcox, president of East Lansing’s chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, said he came to the meeting as a concerned citizen.

“It’s a difficult thing to see how a moratorium is helping the program be expanded,” he said. “If nothing else, the Board of Trustees knows now this is an issue we’re going to pursue.”

But Provost Lou Anna Simon said neither she nor the trustees can lift the moratorium until the program’s review is complete.

“I’m hopeful that when the faculty return in the fall, we can move this review to a new level,” Simon said. “I can’t administratively design a program. It’s not that no one is thinking about it. I know this is hard for folks.”

Although program supporters are concerned the enrollment freeze has stunted the program’s growth, Simon said fall enrollment had already been completed.

Simon said she has found no proof to the reports that as many as six students were turned away from the program because of the moratorium.

“The moratorium was put into place after Fall 2001 admissions,” she said. “If the review drags out, their concerns about 2002 are valid. That’s why we’re going to try to speed it along.”

Additional concerns about program funding will be addressed during the review as well.

The visual impairment program completed its first year of a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education this year. Program supporters say the grant could be lost if enrollment numbers are down, but Simon said she wants to make sure the program can survive after the grant money runs out, fulfilling the university’s obligation to students.

But despite ASMSU’s efforts and promises of a quick review, some program supporters are still wary of the enrollment freeze.

“Everyone has the attitude of, ‘Someone should do something about this - just not me,’” said political science junior Daniel Furton, who is legally blind. “I do know that the Board of Trustees is a powerful political entity. I hope they can help the cause in some way.

“If MSU’s promise means anything to them, then the program will survive.”

Jamie Gumbrecht can be reached at gumbrec1@msu.edu.