Larry, however wants to emphasis one point, and suggests in the strongest 
terms that ITALIAN AMERICAN Studies be elevated to at least an equal level 
to ITALIAN LANGUAGE Studies, and ITALIAN Studies, or perhaps on even 
a higher level, for the least of all reasons that ITALIAN AMERICAN Studies 
have been greviously ignored. 
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LARRY DISTASI:
 
What I'd like to suggest is that when those chair donations would be more 
valuable still if they stipulated that Italian American studies be included. 

I repeat what I've often said: it's NOT that Americans have doubts about 
the value of ITALIAN culture or history--at least with regard to Rome and 
the Renaissance, and the history of art and music--witness the hordes of 
Americans who descend on Italy each summer to taste the culture.
 
It's that they have serious doubts about even the existence of ITALIAN 
AMERICAN culture. For them, Italian American culture is Mafia culture--
as reiterated again and again in the movies and on TV. it's also pizza, 
pasta and fat mamas with dumb sons, some of whom can sing pop tunes.
 
Until there is a concerted effort to combat these stereotypes, while at the
same time insisting on presenting ITALIAN AMERICAN culture in its infinite 
variety, the negatives will remain for a simple reason: they sell soap.
 
The significant thing, therefore, about the programs Frank mentioned is not 
the major in ITALIAN LANGUAGE, but the still junior parts of the programs, 
the programs in ITALIAN AMERICAN STUDIES.
 
At UC Berkeley, this is evident: there is a long standing and distinguished 
ITALIAN department, but almost none of the professors there have the 
slightest interest in ITALIAN AMERICAN CULTURE--indeed most of them 
hardly consider that such a thing exists. Ditto UCLA. 

Things are changing somewhat, but the change, if left up to ITALIAN 
LANGUAGE departments, would be so glacial as to be nonexistent.
 
I've made this point before. it needs to repeated often.