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When Myxee Thao came to UW-Madison, she hoped to focus her undergraduate studies on the experiences of fellow Hmong-Americans.

But the sophomore from Wausau soon learned that the university offers only one consistent course exclusively focused on the ethnic group and its time in the United States. Some other classes had units on Hmong-Americans, but they touched on the group only briefly.

That spurred Thao to join with several other Hmong-American undergraduates, forming an organization that is pushing UW-Madison administrators to hire more faculty who study the ethnic group and launch a program through which students can earn a certificate in Hmong-American studies.

They envision a program that focuses on “Hmong-Americans in America today,” Thao said, with courses on culture, history, educational policy and social welfare. Thao’s organization, the Hmong-American Studies Committee, also wants the university to open an on-campus Hmong cultural center, similar to a center for black students that is opening this semester.

It will be difficult to make the students’ idea a reality, though, as they are calling for UW-Madison to add faculty and advising positions at a time when state budget cuts have led departments around the university to slash jobs.