LGBTQ studies and women’s and gender studies are two separate minors part of Chapman University’s Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, rumors have been spreading that the two programs may be set to merge.

With word of the merger spreading rapidly across the Chapman community, Wilkinson College faculty and staff are hoping to shut down these rumors once and for all, stating that a merger between the two programs will not be happening

“This idea floated around when (Ian) Barnard signaled his intention to step down as director of the LGBTQ minor, and we were unsure if we would have the resources to hire another director,” Wilkinson Dean Jennifer Keene stated in an email to The Panther. “However, I am happy to report that we were able to successfully hire Joshua Liashenko as a full-time faculty member starting in fall 2023, and he will head the LGBTQ minor moving forward.” 

The rumored merger gained traction this year due to the amount of overlap in courses between the LGBTQ studies and women’s and gender studies minors. Due to this overlap, Chapman doesn’t allow students to minor in both LGBTQ studies and women’s and gender studies at the same time. 

“This talk (regarding a merge) has been going on for a very long time,” Barnard, the current program director for the LGBTQ studies minor, said in an interview with The Panther. “When I arrived at Chapman 10 years ago, people were already asking whether LGBTQ studies and women’s studies should become one program. So, the talk has definitely been happening for a long time, and I think it’s kind of made a comeback this school year.

A merge of these two interdisciplinary minors would allow students to learn about LGBTQ studies, women’s studies and gender studies collectively. Some students have expressed their desire for the combined minors to be merged for this very reason.

If this were to happen, Barnard expressed how important it is to be cautious because historically, in mergers like these, the queer and sexuality part ends up disappearing at the expense of gender studies.

“A lot of people think that if you’re analyzing gender, then you’re analyzing sexuality, and those are two different things. That is one thing I’m worried about in having sexuality disappear under this category of gender (if the minors were to merge),” Barnard said. “I would support a merger if we were really careful about it, but nothing right now is concrete. Personally, I would love to have the (potential) merger be named ‘Feminist, Queer and Trans Studies’ and it could even be a major because we have enough courses to make that happen.”

The LGBTQ studies minor was created around 35 years ago at Chapman, and it is currently run by Barnard, who will be stepping down from the position at the end of May. 

Students in the minor are given the opportunity to learn about the facts, theories, research and realities concerning the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. Courses in the minor also delve into the ways in which race, class and other aspects of identity impact LGBTQ people and politics. The minor requires a total of 21 credits to complete. 

Chapman’s women’s and gender studies minor is currently run by C.K. Magliola, the program director and a women’s and gender studies instructor. The minor gives students an overview of the interdisciplinary approaches to the study of women and gender inequality, as well as cultural representations of women and their roles in society. 

The program also provides students with the framework they need to analyze social practices related to gender, as well as the impact it has on their own lives. It also requires a total of 21 credits to complete, and as outlined in the program’s course catalog, the minor is not available to students in the LGBTQ studies minor. 

According to students, they have expressed feelings of anger and confusion about the rumors regarding the merger. 
“Part of the LGBTQ studies minor is learning that there’s a difference between queer studies and women’s studies, so if this merger were to be true, it would make no sense to combine the two,” junior computer science major Alexa Zuch, who has a minor in LGBTQ studies, told The Panther. “Both LGBTQ studies and women’s studies are two different communities with two different histories. They should be treated separately.”

Senior Leilani Zbin is a health science major who is minoring in LGBTQ studies and psychology. Zbin also serves as the president for both the Queer Trans People of Color Collective (QTPOCC) and Chapman Feminists clubs on campus, and they are familiar with the histories of both communities.

“I’m concerned about the potential merger between the two minors because it would assume that they are in the same sphere of study when they’re not. The two minors were created as their own minors because they have different realms of research and theories,” Zbin said. “I understand that there is lots of overlap, but how is the solution to merge them and not make them more of their own minor?”

According to Keene, Chapman’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) along with Dr. Reginald Stewart, the vice president of DEI, will soon be hiring a new Director of LGBTQ Pride and Achievement who will also begin their position in the fall 2023 semester. The person in this position will be responsible for contributing courses to the LGBTQ studies minor.

Liashenko and the new Director of LGBTQ Pride and Achievement in the Office of DEI will take over in spearheading the LGBTQ studies minor beginning in September 2023. With two faculty members fully dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ studies minor and its programming, Wilkinson staff have put discussion about the merger on the back burner.

“(The merger) is not true. It’s unfortunate that this rumor has somehow gained steam,” Magliola wrote in an email to The Panther. “Many universities have these areas merged as ‘Gender and Sexuality’ studies and other such variations, but those are larger institutions that have entire departments and not just minor programs in these areas. Chapman is not presently in a position to support a merging that would adequately house all of the various fields in a robust way as of now.”

Flyers have also been recently put up around campus regarding LGBTQ studies at Chapman. These flyers were spotted by students and faculty around Argyros Forum Student Union (AF), and they showcase statements demanding university administration to offer more academic support to the LGBTQ studies program. 

One flyer, seen hanging up in AF read, “Hey Chapman, make queer studies a requirement now!” Another near the football field read, “Don’t lock in the closet!!! Save queer studies!”

According to Barnard, these flyers were posted around campus due to the lack of support and resources that Chapman provides for the LGBTQ studies minor in contrast to other academic and interdisciplinary programs at the university like ethnic studies. 

According to Zbin, the flyers and potential merger start a conversation about decisions that directly affect students and call out Chapman for denying space and enough resources for queer students. “If a merger does happen, students would be involved in the decision-making process. It’s important to hear from students who are excited about the merger and also those who are frustrated,” Barnard told The Panther. “The merger is not a done deal. It’s just in the process of being talked about. However, if there is a lot of opposition, it’s most likely not going to happen.”