Following petition drive, Punjabi language class reinstated at Sacramento State

A Punjabi language class will be offered at Sacramento State University for the upcoming fall semester after all.

Sacramento was the only school in the California State University system to offer Punjabi language courses. and more than 1,000 students have taken the class since 2003.

But when a Sacramento State student tried to register online for the course this year and couldn’t find it on the registration platform, students started an online petition calling for its reinstatement. Almost 10,000 people have signed the petition.

Sheree Meyer, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, told The Sacramento Bee that the 4-credit elementary Punjabi 1A course is now being offered in the fall semester.

She cited enrollment and budget challenges that led to the earlier decision to withdraw the Punjabi language class in fall, but emphasized that the course had not been canceled permanently.

Meyer said officials agreed to offer the Punjabi language class, which has an enrollment target of 33 students, after they were given a list of 31 students who expressed interest in the class.

“We hope to find ways, in collaboration with the community and perhaps partly supported by it, to continue to offer these courses even as we face serious budget cuts” Meyer said.

Naindeep Singh, Jakara Movement executive director, called the administration’s decision a “just resolution” and said Sikh students and others at Sacramento State are ecstatic that the Punjabi class has been reinstated.

“We hope we don’t find ourselves in this situation again in a few years, but the students are eager to increase the popularity of the class and are excited that their communities in some form find representation on Sacramento State’s campus,” he said.

Gursharanjit Singh, president of the Sacramento State Sikh Student Association who started the petition, said he is excited that future generations will have the opportunity to take the Punjabi language classes.

“The classes being restored is a great sign of faith that the relationship between the Sikh community and Sacramento State University administration is thriving and that they’re willing to listen and take input of opinions offered by the Sikh community,” he said.

This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 1:31 PM.