As the student rejection of requirements grew, modern-language teachers again found themselves in a period of less favorable circumstances for modern-language teaching. The first focal point of attack was the language requirement. This movement was initiated at the university level, but when the language requirements were dropped at the university level, many students at lower levels, who had enrolled in language courses primarily in preparation for attending college, found other courses more to their liking. In fact, the favorable trend of increasing enrollments that had continued during the latter fifties and early sixties suddenly reversed in 1968 and began to decline. The Digest of Educational Statistics 1973 states that between 1968 and 1970 the total enrollment in foreign languge dropped from 30.6 percent of the total school population to 28.3 percent. Enrollment in modern languages declined from 27.7 percent to 26.4 percent. Spanish was the only language to escape the general trend, but not by much, as enrollment increased from 13.4 percent to 13.6 percent. The number of students in French and German dropped from 10.4 percent to 9.2 percent and from 3.3 percent to 3.1 percent respectively. Karsen (1974, p. 15) reported that between 1966 and 1970, 45 percent of the nation's colleges and universities "modified, reduced, or eliminated entrance or graduation requirements." From 1968 to 1970 enrollments in higher education rose 12.9 percent while the number of students registered in modern foreign languages declined slightly (.5 percent). In the period 1970-1972, university enrollment increased 8.6 percent while the study of modern foreign languages declined by 9.7 percent. French dropped by 18.4 percent, German
by 12.6 percent, Spanish by 6.3 percent, and Latin by 11.6 percent. At the same time, enrollments grew in some of the less commonly taught languages (Brod, 1973). Subjective estimates indicate that this trend away from second-language study has accelerated until recently, when local situations seem to indicate that the low point may have been reached. At some schools enrollments are not only holding their own but rising, thereby implying that quality programs can attract students to second-language study.