USU has announced their decision to dismantle the ASL/English bilingual bicultural side of their Deaf Education program, but keep the listening and spoken language (LSL) side. For me personally, this means I will be forced to change majors in my senior year. This program was the reason I came to USU. There are only 3 students being allowed to finish the program. 

Studies show that not having an accessible first language within the period where language develops most effectively (birth to around age 5) causes language deprivation. This is highly detrimental to future mental, emotional, social, and cognitive development and health. While LSL brings in more revenue due to cochlear implants and other medical interventions, and may be a viable option for some families, having a foundation of accessible (usually visual) language helps children learn English more effectively. Parents have the right to make an informed decision for their child, and that includes having the option of bilingual education and support. Utah State is one of only a handful of universities in the country that offers BiBi or ASL focused programs. They are widely known in the local Deaf community as a great institution for the education of future educators of the Deaf. Without this program, the shortage of qualified bilingual teachers for the Deaf will only worsen, greatly impacting future Deaf and hard of hearing students. 

Sources: 

https://www.nad.org/about-us/position-statements/position-statement-on-early-cognitive-and-language-development-and-education-of-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-children/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-017-2287-y

https://academic.oup.com/jdsde/article/22/1/9/2744719?login=true