NIU students might have the opportunity to register for courses to be applied to a Peace Studies minor as early as the spring of 1989.

Wesley Foundation Director Dave Schmidt said he hopes several existing NIU courses will be available to students for credit toward a Peace Studies minor next semester with the full curriculum established and implemented by the fall of 1989.

The new minor will be the result of the cooperative efforts of the Wesley Foundation, several NIU college departments and student organizations.

Schmidt, who has been laying the ground work for the minor program since 1987, said there are 300 colleges and universities throughout the country which offer courses in peace studies and 150 which offer degree programs.

“We did have one peace studies course taught last semester by Professor Quinney in the sociology department and had twenty students sign up for it,” said Schmidt. “We know there is some interest.”

The minor would at first be composed of existing NIU courses throughout the university, particularly those in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Anthony Scaperlanda, LA&S Curriculum Committee Chairman, said the idea of a Peace Studies minor would have to be proposed to the committee for approval. The approval would then depend upon the quality of the proposal and student interest in the minor.

Tom Rogers, a student involved in proposing the minor, said the group is trying to network with other student organizations on campus. Rogers said he believes the involvement of student organizations is vital to the program.

“Student organizations come and go, but this minor would be permanent,” Rogers said. He said he believed it was a way for students to make a lasting contribution to the university and peace consciousness.

After LA&S approval, the proposal would have to go through several different university channels, including the Board of Regents and possibly the Illinois Board of Higher Education.