Excluding English, Filipino (Tagalog-based) is the third most frequently spoken language in the U.S., according to latest census estimates.
In the last couple of years, two Ivy League universities—Harvard and Yale—have opened Filipino language courses. Two other Ivies, Cornell and UPenn, have been offering these courses for decades.
UW-Madison, however, is bucking these trends.
Starting this fall semester, UW-Madison will discontinue its Filipino language courses, which have been offered since the 1970s. Administrators reasoned that this is due to budget cuts.
According to reports, other Southeast Asian (SEA) languages are "safe" from being axed by UW-Madison this fall. Only the Filipino program, which ironically brings in the highest enrollment among SEA language courses, will be taken down. -- READ MORE
