Save Audiology and Speech Pathology Program Rally
Jun 11th, 2008 by UCW-CWA
Dear UCW Members,
Show your support to the Audiology and Speech Pathology Department by attending a Rally organized by parents and students this Friday, June 13th at 11:00. We will be meeting in the parking lot at South Stadium Hall near the Audiology Dept entrance. We need as many people as possible to attend. The greater the turn out the more we can demonstrate what impact closing this department will have on the community at large.
Due to the State’s Budget cuts to Higher Education, UT College of Arts and Sciences has proposed to close the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology. Loosing this program will have a devasating impact on our region and community Now and in the Future. This program graduates significant numbers of Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists needed to serve a broad range of populations in our region. The program also provides specialized direct services to adults and children that can not be absorded by private practices. Attached is an email list of the Board of Trustees and others who can influence the fate of this program. I am encouraging you to contact them to let them know how important this program is in providing needed services to our community and providing much needed professionals to our region. A short email to this list saying how very important it is to our Community and to the University that this program not be closed would be invaluable. I encourage you to contact your state legislators to express to them how cutting funding for higher education can and does affects direct services to large numbers of individuals in the state. UT Audiology and Speech Pathology serves patients from 25 counties and has served over 2500 individuals in the last 14 months. It is my understanding that a land grant university has a mission to provide services to the community.
I am asking you to please help us with this cause. I know each and everyone of you has probably been touch by this program in someway. If you know an Audiologist or Speech Pathologist, someone with hearing loss, family member or child who has gotten a hearing aid or therapy at UT Hearing and Speech you have reason to help in someway. Our community will be impacted significantly without it.
Hope you can send an email, call your legislator and/or come to the Rally to help out.
Sincerely,
Barbara
Barbara Nicodemus M.S. CCC-A
UT Center on Deafness
Program Administrator/Consulting Audiologist
TN Dept. of Health, Newborn Hearing Program
Dear Ms. Nicodemus,
Thank you for your efforts in continuing the Audiology & Speech Department. There are three reasons that I want these departments to continue. First, I have two children that benefited from the speech services when they were small children. Secondly, one of the two children that received those services, is now a junior and she wants to become a speech therapist. The third reason, I am a special education teacher in Grainger County. I have had and have students that have received services during the summer and throughout the school year at U.T.
My daughter and I plan on contacting the executive board members, legislative members, and the contacts that I have with other speech therapist in Knox and Grainger County.
Again, thank you for your wonderful work .
Zel Bond, Ed. S.
Special Education Teacher