St. Edward’s approves ASL for modern language credit

For over a decade, the St. Edwards American Sign Language community has been trying to get legislation passed allowing American Sign Language classes to satisfy the university’s modern language credit requirement, according to the president of the ASL Association, senior Lily Grant. The provost’s office passed the legislation last spring after extensive student advocacy requesting institutional change. These changes should be updated in degree works beginning this semester, meaning anyone coming in with ASL transfer credits will be able to use it to satisfy their modern language requirements. Over the years, numerous St. Edward’s students advocated for this change with interest surveys, petitions and numerous conversations. Advocates for this change, Grant and alumnus Elon Parker, who graduated last semester, recently reignited the ASL Association at St. Edward’s, hoping to gain a community supporting the cause. “I figured that if I had enough students behind it, they would probably take me more seriously,” Grant said, describing the process to getting this legislation passed. “It kept ramping up … and going to different levels of administration. It felt like something (we) had to see through to the end. We came in for the final push … and made it happen, and that’s something I’m really proud of.” Before this year, students could transfer in ASL credits that satisfied the modern language requirement, but only if the student had taken six or more credit hours worth of the language elsewhere. “I think if you want to learn ASL as your college credit, you should be able to,” Parker said “I don’t think it’s fair for the school to not accept it, especially since most other schools in Texas do.”  Grant has been advocating for this change since her senior year of high school in 2023, disappointed to see that St. Edward’s did not accept her previously acquired ASL credits. She and Parker went back and forth with administration over the past few years, hoping they could make this change to help future students and create a lasting community of ASL learners supported by the university’s curriculum. Faculty and administration argued that since it is American Sign Language, emphasis on the American, it does not fulfill the “Global Experiences” requirement of a language here at St. Edwards.   Grant countered that sign languages exist worldwide, each with its own cultural significance.  “Sign language is used all over the world — not American Sign Language — but sign language, just the same way different countries speak different dialects of Spanish.”  After seeing this high-demand for ASL to be taught at St. Edward’s, the school responded by introducing a Special Topics ASL course in 2023 and an ASL elective in 2024, which both had positive responses from the student body. “I think more people would be excited to come here if they knew their language would count for something. We would be broadening our mission statement by incorporating another group’s culture and another aspect of Austin.” Grant said, reflecting on how she felt as an incoming freshman to the university. “It was really sad to see that it wasn’t here for so long, and I’m hoping that with time ASL can be offered here for the credit. It brings another community to the Hilltop.” In the future, the renewed ASL Association hopes to build on this momentum, expanding course offerings and eventually introducing ASL as a major or minor to strengthen accessibility and representation on campus.