Students protest BYU decision to cancel social work program

PROVO — A group of students who want Brigham Young University to reinstate its bachelor's of social work program say they will not stop protesting until they see results.

To make a point, group leader Marc Gilchrist and five other BYU social work students are staging a 24-hour protest today on the corner of University Avenue and University Parkway, just off BYU campus in Provo.

The group camped out overnight, starting at 9 p.m. Thursday and will end the event later today.

Gilchrist, 30, of Orem, a first-year student in BYU's master's of social work program, said they opted for the off-campus protest after requests for an on-campus protest were becoming bogged down in red tape.

"It's like we've run into a brick wall," Gilchrist said.

He obtained a permit from Provo City for permission to protest.

Gilchrist didn't have classes Friday so was a lone protester for a while on Friday. He sat out in front of the two camping tents as passersby honked at homemade signs that read: "Save BYU social work program" and "Red Tape."

BYU social work student Jonathan Strange stopped by to show his support.

"It's been very frustrating," said Strange, 26, of Springville, a junior. He is in the final cohort of students to pass through the bachelor's of social work program.

Gilchrist said he would like it if BYU officials would sit down and discuss the issue with the students. They simply want the program back.

David Magleby, BYU dean of the College of Family Home and Social Sciences, said in earlier interviews with the Deseret Morning News, the primary purpose of eliminating the BSW program was to improve the master's of social work program. BYU also aims to strengthen the three graduate clinical programs in the college: psychology, marriage and family therapy and social work, he said.

Further, BYU is concerned with an insufficient number of potential social work faculty. Because of the limited pool of faculty, BYU has been worried about accreditation of its BSW and MSW programs, Magleby said.

Magleby announced the university's decision and outlined explanations to the students in October.

The students staged a 50-person off-campus protest in November. They had a press conference with agency officials speaking in December.

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