FULLERTON : Merger at Cal State Under New Study

Cal State Fullerton’s criminal justice and political science departments, which merged two years ago, are re-evaluating the union.

Some professors, alumni and students want the criminal justice department, which has been growing in popularity for years, to be independent again.

Despite two votes by faculty members last year to keep the departments together, a committee has been formed to re-examine the merger, said Sandra Sutphen, chairwoman of the joint division.

She said it is possible the committee will recommend dissolving the union. Sutphen said, however, she thinks that would be unlikely.

Other recommendations that could be considered include keeping the departments together or consolidating them so the criminal justice department would no longer be offered as a major.

Jim Lasley, a professor in the criminal justice department, said students who want to concentrate their studies on criminal justice will suffer if the department disappears. He says the political science department is trying to force criminal justice students to take political science courses because the department has had problems attracting students to the major.

The political science department “is trying to stay alive,” Lasley said.

Last semester, there were 608 criminal justice majors and 397 political science majors, according to Donald Castro, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Marc Mitzner, an Alumni Assn. member and former Associated Students president, graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice before the division was created.

He said he chose the university and its criminal justice program because of its reputation for producing top graduates, many of whom have become police chiefs, politicians, attorneys and high-ranking officers in the criminal justice field.

“Once the merger is a done deal, criminal justice virtually disappears,” Mitzner said. “It will fall under political science, and students will no longer be able to major in criminal justice. . . . The professors are having debates over that, expressing a moral dilemma. If the professors aren’t happy, then that will affect the education of the students.”

Sutphen said the departments were combined administratively only on a trial basis in an effort to save money but that students can still major in either criminal justice or political science.

Castro said he does not believe a problem exists.

He said it is highly unlikely that the newly formed committee will recommend separating the two departments or dropping the criminal justice major.

“To spread the rumor that this is a move to make criminal justice disappear is so way off the mark that it’s ridiculous,” Castro said.

W. Garrett Capune, a criminal justice professor, said he believes the committee will fairly evaluate the merger and try to find ways to improve it.