Julia Mineeva-Braun has been teaching Russian Language and Culture courses at SUNY Fredonia since the Spring of 2019. Professor Mineeva-Braun’s courses were slowly cut by SUNY Fredonia until they ultimately eliminated her position entirely before the start of the Spring 2025 semester. Professor Mineeva-Braun is an extraordinary example of someone who is truly passionate about what they are teaching. It is very noticeable that she puts a lot of thought into her courses through specific research and planning. Additionally to her incredible courses, she also creates a welcoming and engaging environment in all of her classrooms, which many of her students can attest to. I have made life-long friends in the presence of her engaging and discussion-driven classes. Many of her former students are deeply saddened by SUNY Fredonia’s decision to eliminate her position at the school and we believe that this was done slowly and under the radar. Had we known of their plans to eliminate her position, we would have taken action against this much sooner. Her courses have always been stimulating, captivating, and most of all passionate. Julia Mineeva-Braun has taught Russian language courses, such as Russian 100 and Russian 110. These courses were specifically important to me and held a special place in my heart. Coming into SUNY Fredonia as a Russian speaker felt extremely isolating, as I didn’t find many other students to relate to. Thanks to Professor Mineeva-Braun, I was able to engage in discussions with a native Russian speaker, as well as meet many fellow students who were interested in learning about my culture. Her language courses were the reason that I was ultimately able to feel comfortable in what was a brand-new college environment where nobody spoke my native tongue. The elimination of these courses feels like a direct attempt at erasing the few outlets that this school provided as an opportunity to engage in Russian culture. Additionally, Professor Mineeva-Braun taught a Russian Cinematography course that explored Russian culture beyond language and went into depth of its cinematic history. This course was incredibly immersive and thought-provoking. It was truly one of my most influential classes and I still refer back to it many semesters later. I believe that the elimination of these courses would be a disservice to our students and would essentially wipe the Russian language and culture out of our school completely. This can feel very isolating to many students such as myself. The elimination of the Russian courses took everybody by surprise, and I would like to propose a petition to reinstate these courses. If you would like to see Russian Language and Culture courses taught by Julia Mineeva-Braun back on our course selections as an option for your language and gen-ed requirements, please sign this petition!