NIU has formally said “Do widzenia” to the Polish language program.

Due to budget cuts, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will not offer Polish language courses starting this fall.

“It has to do with a tight budget situation and not being able to support all courses,” said Anne Birberick, acting chair of the foreign languages and literature department.

A similar situation happened with the Greek language curriculum earlier this year. Polish is the third most-spoken language after English and Spanish, Birberick said.

“I am sad about the situation, because Polish is such an important cultural aspect of the Chicago area and suburbs,” she said. “It’s a shame to not be able to meet the community’s needs.”

Many students disagree with the decision to cut the program.

“The language is such a crucial part of the culture,” said Bartosz Mroczkowski, a sophomore history and political science double major.

Students in Polish have been unhappy, Birberick said. The Polish program has been offered for a shorter time when compared to other foreign languages.

“It’s kind of unfair to the students, it feels like they don’t want us,” said Angie Brakowski, president of the Polish Student Association.

The program is currently being funded by an outside firm located in Chicago. Polish instructor Edyta Klamut, who was unavailable for comment, was responsible for finding the sponsor for the program. Effort by Klamut included a letter-writing campaign, talking on a radio show and meeting with university officials, Brakowski said.

The department is currently seeking external money from organizations involved in the Polish community to fund the program for next year, Birberick said.

“I don’t think we should be funded from the outside,” Brakowski said.

Polish also is important for students whose families are from Poland and want to better their language skills to communicate with their relatives, Mroczkowski said.

“A lot of the kids in it don’t speak it well enough, and that’s why they want to learn it,” he said. “With such a competitive job market out there, it is important to have a second language.”