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April 23, 1989 - Image 3

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
Michigan Citizen, 1989-04-23

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

'J
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.A. mosphere of progress on Tues- Being a- center, it did not have
DETROIT-After 0'Yer one day evening, by Wednesday degree or tenure granting
week of a ·study-in· being held afternoon there appeared to be power. Full-time fac;u1ty mem-
the len Cwbeny Joy Ad- an impasse in the talks. hers, all of whom were non-
min· tration Building for stu-. When asked if the depart- . tenured, were hired by their
dent services, African ment would have a masters and . respective departments and as­
American student repre- PhD program, one of the stu- signed to Black Studies. All
5eQtatives had not reached an dent negotiators indicated that other teaching positions· in the
agreement with Wayne tate it would only offer a bachelors center are part time and are is­
U.mersity's team of negotiators degree. sued on a semester-by-semester
by Thurs y morning as this Concerns were expressed by basis,
paper went to press. other student leaders that high- Black: S dies Center at
Dr. Dalmas Ta�r, African lyspecialized fields in the liberal Wayne has been without a per­
American Dean of Liberal Arts arts such as African and African manent director for nearly �
• at Wayne State, chaired the American Studies required the .de. . .
university's negotiating team. tbinment of dvanced degrees Dr. Pepy Han was AcbDg
Other administratio members in order to se . ousIy COD- Directorfrom 1981-88, when he
�ted by Pres·dent David. sidered in the academic and replaced oil administratiYe
. Adamany wer�: Pr0V?st San-· processional rid.. Ica� "
ford Co en; Vlce�PrCS1 t for Apparently the issue of a Mr. Alvin Aubert, a teaured
University RelatioDs W teI'. L. graduate program, ·ch cUts African American in the
Str� aDd Dr. Sbaroa leDiot, in aD other )i)eral arts depart- Eoglish Department, was ap-
�te Prof� of Educa- t Wayne, not dis- pointed Interim Director last
boD. • wsaed. IUlDmer.
On the stude ts' Side the The first ten and PhD . ODe of the student demands
coasistedof: DarrellD . African American IS· .L_. Aubert be re---� pur-
. .••. P'OII'aDl UUIl �
sey! a r .maJOf1Dl m JO�- Studies .. ed last year portedlybecauseofhisaUedged
nalliUlm;· S�a:m � aD, ': stu- at Temple University in lack of commitment to African
de.Dt maJor�g m chem try; Philadelphia under the direc- .and African American Studies. .
Mibl AnsarI, s�dent; Dr. bon of Dr. Molefi Asante. It appears that there is a
Geneva SlI!ltherman- I Additional concerns were strong resis�Ce among the ad­
D�naldson, Intenm De� �f also exp-essed OYer the role of ministration and f culty to the
Liberal Arts; Dr. Patnc�a faallty· and one llIli\tersity ad- establishment of a well­
Coleman-�urns, lecturer J_Il ministrator on the student's financed and staffed depart­
Black Stu�; and Dr. GIo� negotiating team. ment of African and African
Ho , Assistant Professor m ' Another story, whim could American Studies.
the Weekend Co.lIege. .. .not be independently con-: Student leaders expressed
After a staU ID the ortgmal firmed, suggested that a conflict that. they would remain at the
pl�s to begin �alks .Friday, had developed among the Newberry building until their
April1�, actu� discussions di� African American faculty rep- demands were met by the ad­
not begm until Monday, April resentatives on the students' ministration.
17. ... team centering around the in- Support for the students has
Negottatm. sessions �ere volvement of one professor. been substantial from the cam-
ext�nded on merous �c- Student spokespersons had pus and the community.
casions beyond the alloted tune no comment after Wednesday's On Thursday and Friday im-
frames. and were mOlderfatd�ly proceedings. mediately following the occupa-
contentious as a resu t 0 IS- tion, hundreds of students
agreements over procedure and NOT A NEW ISSUE AT demonstrated through-the cam-
language. WAYNE pus in support of the demands.
Wlien the i sue of Black On Sunday, April 16, over
AFRICANA STUDIES DEn. Studies swep iversity cam- 300 students· and community
OUNCED puses in the late 1960's, WSU persons attended a raUyoutside
It was announced byboth . d hi f th b ildin
students under the lea ers poe u g. .
Darren Dawsey and Dr. D lmas the Associa ion of Black Stu- Demonstrations and rallies
Taylor that an agreemen had dents, demanded a fun-fledged also took place on Monday,
been reached Tuesday evening, department Tuesday and Wednesday, large-
April 18 on the establishment of After four years of delaying ly coordinated by udent
an African Studies Department the issue, the Center for Black spokespersons and community
However, according to the Studies was established in 1m. supporters. .
WSl) spokes per on, Dean
Taylor, "We have made � com­
mitment to bring that prpposal
to the Board of Governors no
later than September of 1989."
Issues related to budgetary
and staff matters at the
proposed department were yet
to be resolved,
Other major issues such as
the recognition of Martin
Luther King's birthday and
Malcolm X's assassination an­
niversary were ta en off the
table.
In regard to the proposed
Africana Studies Department,
Dean Taylor stated that, "What
is envisioned here i a depart­
ment with an' interdisciplinary
curriculum, presided over by a
chair, who, in conjunction ·th
an dviwry board (composed of
studen faculty m mbers and
community representatives),
would determine the
department's direction."
Even though there was an at-
",'
THE POLICE
PRESENCE
dent during th
the WSU prote
(T..Jo p oto)
. I
AprU23-29,
ers
eeon
we
STUDE
ERICA
A OS
Following is the complete text of the 17 proposals submitted ..
to Wayne State University by the African American students
waging a take-over of the Student Center:
1 ._ Stop dismantliDg of the Center for Black Studies.
2 - Transform the Center fo Black Studies into a full
department to be. named the • Africana Institute" (but no
under its present weakend condition). .
3 - Incorporate the "Institute· into the Liberal Arts cur­
riculum, fulfilling those group requirements listed under
Humanities, Social Science and Natural Science of the
University General Education Program. .
4 - FIXed percentage (on contract) of State and Federa]
funding allocated annually to the proposed "Institute· to
finance items listed below:
a - Programs launched outside the University in con�c­
tion with Project 350, Upward Bound and �er comm�
based organizatio in order to enhance African Amcriam
student enrollment in institutions of higher learning.
b - Programs launched within the University to ina-ease
academic achie\4emcnt and greater cu1tural-awarcncss:
c - The hiring of research aMistants and the funding of
graduate student . tantships along with and annual
stipend.
d - The establishment 0 a departmental bulletin.
e - Establish a budget for funding guest lecturers and
speakers. .
5 - All monies that have been mtbaCk from the Center
for Black Studies OYer the past 10 years will be made retroac­
tively payable to the proposed "Institute's" new budget
6 - Budget to finance full or partial scholarships and
. grants for African American students.
7 - The hiring of five'(5) tenured .African Ameri� for
the proposed "lnstitute's" faculty Wl.th accOl�panymg. �d
competitive salaries reflectiv� ?f their. �ducatlOnal tr�mmg
and experience; also the additional hiring of staff, student
and graduate student assistantships, and research fellows.
8 -: The proposed "Institute"] to be C?-ch�ired
9 - The immediate removal of the actmg director of the
Center for Black Studies, certain faculty members and staff.
10 - The upkeep and maintenan� of � departm.ental
library for the "Institute" (the present hbrary IS to re�� in- .
tact and will not be donated to any museum or organization).
11 - The proposed "Institute" is (0 be expanded to the en­
tire fifth floor of the Student Center Building with an accom­
panying meeting room. However, should it be. ne�� tOI
move the proposed "Institute" to another location It IS to be
comparable (spacially) to the conditions stated above.
12 - Courses are to be added to the course listings to en­
compass all aspects of African and African American society
from a political, historical, sociological, economic and cul-
tural per ve. .
13 -:- All f culty members to teach a course on Africana
(e.g. Intro to Afro-American Literature (E G 239), African
Civilizations to 1800 (HIS 160), The Black Experience in
America I: 1619-1865 (HIS 314), History of West Africa
(HIS n3) are to be African or African American and meet
the approval of a board of African American students and
selected members of the community.
14 - All courses taught on Africana are to be transferred
within the porposed'tlnstitute" under its course listing ..
15 - 30% increase in the hiring of African Amencan
faculty for aU colleges and departm�nts ther.ein; and stude�ts
will be active in the search and review of vitaes of potential
applicants for these positions.· .
161- Project 350 and Upward Bound Program head will
be removed and the directorship is to be handed over to an­
African American. An active search for the remaining open­
ings are to immediately resume for the Fall 1989 semester.
17 - Dr. Martin L. Kings holiday and the date of Mal­
colm X's assasination (February 21, 1965) will be recognized
as a holiday by the University, with African American stu­
de ts having the option of attending their scheduled courses.

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