Word: afro-am
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...lose touch with their special field. "In practical terms, the kind of people we wish to attract are established in a certain field and want to maintain a connection with that field," he notes. Because of this problem, the executive committee may offer candidates joint appointments. But some Afro-Am faculty say that desire for joint appointments indicates a disturbing lack of commitment to Afro-American Studies. Benjamin says, "A wholesale commitment to the department is necessary--many people seem to feel that being allied with another department gives them a legitimacy. There are many black scholars who have...
...well as trying to solve the tenure mystery, the committee will have to face a largely hostile and suspicious group of student concentrators, who point to the University's poor performance in strengthening Afro-Am over the last decade as proof of its intent to undermine the department. The creation of an executive committee doesn't assuage these students' fears. "I don't see anyone on the committee who is a real ally of Afro-American Studies," Brutus says. "These people have a mainstream perspective," he adds. And Daniel Robinson '79, a former concentrator, says, "I am skeptical...
Ferguson says his committee will certainly seek some form of student input, but adds he has not determined the best way to incorporate student opinion. He notes that because students have played a larger role in Afro-Am decision making in the past than most other Harvard students, their expectations are very high. "Disappointing expectations can be even more damaging than simply not making the right moves," he notes. But Robinson says, "Students don't want to make decisions--they just want input...
Neither Ferguson nor other committee members believe these problems of tenure and possible confrontation to be insurmountable. Committee members say that they believe in the legitimacy and intellectual excitement of Afro-American Studies, and want to make sure other Harvard community members think so, too. Although efforts to help Afro-Am have a long history of failure, they remain confident. "This really is a last ditch effort--if this doesn't work, nothing will," Patterson says. Rosovsky and the rest of the committee are laying cautious odds that it will, but this year should prove a crucial test of that...
...Afro-Am's senior faculty and guide it in making key policy and personnel decisions over the next few years...