MSU students have to go elsewhere to become fluent in one of America's most commonly used languages - sign language.

Sure, there are five classes available for students to get a slight grasp of the language, but the nearest place to obtain certification is located in the next town over. Lansing Community College provides 22 courses, all of which shape a two-year degree program.

Students who complete the program are given a certificate of achievement, after which they can take a state test to receive certification.

As sign language becomes more prevalent in American culture - national enrollment in sign language courses increased by 432.2 percent between 1998 and 2002, and American Sign Language is the third-most used language in the United States - MSU has no excuse for not offering a comprehensive program in this area.

The sign language courses that MSU supplies are giving students beginner-level skills. That's like offering only beginner Spanish or French. How can we be considered a world-class learning institution if we don't adequately teach one of the languages that is most often used in our own country?

MSU professors have recognized the need for more education in the area and some have expressed their concern. Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education assistant instructor Lynn Duckwall wants to see more sign language classes offered because she feels the current ones "are not enough, especially for students going into deaf education."

MSU should not lose students to a community college down the road because of its inability to provide teaching in a certain area. We are an institution designed to provide an education so students might increase their abilities in any area of study.

If we slack in one area, the university as a whole suffers.