Cal State LA has long been known as one of the leading academic pioneers of area and ethnic studies in the nation. Now this long history of celebrating and honoring the diversity of both the campus and the city it resides in is under attack with the threat of dismantling the 6-year old BA program in AAAS at a time when the need for understanding an important ethnic community and a region of the world is growing. Between 25-30 % of Cal State LA's student population are Asian, more than half are Latinos. AAAS courses attract a broad spectrum of students. Cutting AAAS is an attack on the university's diversity and threatens the already tenuous support of the campus' Chicano, Latin American, and Pan African Studies programs as well.