By a 20-4 vote with four abstentions, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate on Sunday resolved to support the establishment of an Africana studies department.
The Senate resolution calls for transforming the Africa in the New World (ANW) Interdisciplinary Minor into an Africana studies major and the foundation for an Africana studies department.
Senators Chartise Clark, Ryan Heman, Yulia Korovikov, Shawyoun Shaidani and Joe Thibodeau sponsored the resolution.
Heman, a senior, said that the resolution supports the latest effort by student groups to realize a longstanding interest in Africana studies.
"There has been a real demonstrated need for an Africana studies program going on for 40 years now," Heman said. The resolution cites student and faculty calls for an Africana studies program dating back to 1968.
The establishment of an Africana studies department will "set a precedent for other historically marginalized groups to address their academic needs," according to the resolution.
Clark, a senior, said the only academic program currently concentrating in Africana studies is the interdisciplinary ANW minor, in which there are currently five students enrolled.
To complete an ANW minor, students must take five relevant courses in at least three departments and complete an independent project. Students may also major in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in African studies, African-American studies or African diaspora studies.
Clark said an Africana studies major should additionally include a foundational Introduction to Africana Studies course, as well as advanced courses focusing specifically on issues in the field.
"You would have things that explore the subject on a deeper level, rather than just skim the surface," Clark said.
Several senators voiced reservations on Sunday about calling for the creation of a new academic department.
"I didn't feel confident enough voting to create an entire department when a lot of the information presented appeared to me to be nebulous, in particular, [concerning] costs, maintenance and purpose," TCU Vice President Tomas Valdes, a senior, said.
TCU President Sam Wallis said he favors establishing an interdisciplinary Africana studies major but voted against the resolution because creating academic departments for all cultural groups is unfeasible.
"I'd love to see everybody study what they want, but when you bring it to a department, then not everybody has that opportunity anymore because of the high start-up cost," Wallis, a senior, said.
Senator Christie Maciejewski said the resolution's supporters provided no data about student interest in the program, and the resolution failed to specify the requirements for creating an Africana studies major.
"I'd like to see more concrete evidence about the classes that would fulfill the major, and I'd like to see whether or not a new professor would have to be hired in order to create a major and support it," Maciejewski, a freshman, said.
Shaidani, a sophomore, said students supporting the establishment of an Africana studies department have heard varying estimates about the costs of doing so.
Clark said that students involved in the project have located a few dozen alumni who have committed to donating specifically to an Africana studies program, but she said details were not available for immediate release.
Korovikov, a sophomore, said the bulk of the courses for an Africana studies major could come from existing courses offered by several departments.
"I know specifically of a large number of anthropology courses and dance courses, arts courses, English courses, history courses and political science courses that all deal with issues that are relevant to Africana studies," Korovikov said. "If you look at a lot of the American studies courses right now, they really fit into Africana studies."
The ANW website lists across 17 different departments 38 professors who teach courses that currently count toward the ANW minor.
Assistant Professor of Music Stephan Pennington, Associate Professor of English Christina Sharpe and Assistant Professor and former Director of the ANW Interdisciplinary Minor Pearl Robinson have expressed support for an Africana studies department, according to Clark.
Clark said Students for Educational Equality (SEE) last year began lobbying for an Africana studies department, and the Pan-African Alliance (PAA) currently spearheads the effort.
Clark, the vice president of the PAA, said the resolution granted additional legitimacy to the groups' efforts.
"From this point on, the resolution will basically serve as a lobbying tool for a lot of student organizations who are pushing forward the initiative with the administration," Clark said.
She said that a department in Africana studies, unlike an interdisciplinary major, would be able to hire professors holding degrees in the field.
Chair of the Liberal Arts and Jackson Curricula Committee Frances Chew said in an e-mail to the Daily that the faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences must approve all proposals for new majors.
Chair of the Arts, Sciences and Engineering Educational Policy Committee Jack Ridge said the Board of Trustees must also approve proposals for the creation of new departments.
The Senate's fall semester survey will ask students questions relating to Africana studies, including whether they would consider declaring a major or minor in the field, according to TCU Historian Tomas Garcia, a junior.
--
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Pearl Robinson was the director of the Africa in the New World Interdisciplinary Minor. In fact, she is a former director of the minor.
