SGA Petitions for African American Studies Major NEWS ANALYSIS

Author: Nicha Rakpanichmanee

A quarter-page petition, stationed at The Juice Bar in McCullough since March 1, calls for "enriching our Middlebury [College] experiences" through the creation of an African-American Studies major. This marks the first public move of a student-driven curriculum discussion, spearheaded by the Student Government Association (SGA) cabinet.

Supporters of the initiative cite limited course offerings and limited faculty in the African-American Studies minor program, established in fall 1999, among reasons to change the status quo.

The provisional SGA proposal aims to establish immediate and long-term options for students desiring to major in African-American Studies. According to the SGA Director of Academic Affairs Suzanne Slarsky '02, students can right now apply for an African American Studies major through the Independent Scholar program. The long-term plan, said Slarsky, would be to establish either an autonomous African-American Studies Department or an African- American Studies focus within the American Civilization Department.

While emphasizing that the current plans are "the thought of the moment," Slarsky added that "the one that makes most ideological sense is the integrated American Civilization Department. It will allow students to recognize that American Civilization should be plural."

Since last week, Athenia Fischer '04 has been working closely with the SGA cabinet on this proposal. Treasurer of the African-American Alliance (AAA), she recalled that SGA President Brian Elworthy '02.5 sought for input from the AAA during his presidential campaign last year. "He asked what we wanted, and the general consensus was the African-American Studies major," said Fischer.

Fisher advocates the current proposal, though she wants to see the African-American Studies program "stand alone." She fears that the program, if established as a component of American Civilization, would be "lost within [the department] … and would not get as much funding, as much attention or as many professors."

The existing African-American Studies minor program has no budget of its own, according to Jim Ralph, program director and associate professor of history. Additionally, he acknowledged "various curricular holes," such as the program's dependence on about five core professors, all of whom represent only three departments: American literature and civilization, sociology/anthropology and history. "We have no regular offerings in, say, African- American music, art, religion or political science," Ralph noted.

Ralph explained that a minor program like African-American Studies could not hire its own professors. Faculty search can only be done through departments. There has been "an occasional effort" to find new professors in various departments with qualifications for the African American Studies program, he said, though "they have not been very successful."

"We have made a special effort in hiring [faculty who can also teach African-American Studies courses]," added Acting Provost Allison Byerly. "But a lot of other schools look to deepen their curriculum in that area as well. The pool of candidates is small enough that to find a candidate who is both right for Middlebury and is interested in coming here is unusual. It isn't simply a matter of administrative neglect."

Such difficulties in staffing and resource allocation have caused some to question the administrative implications of the SGA proposal.

"I hope that the sponsors and signatories understand what it takes to establish a major," said Dean of Faculty Robert Schine. "Not because I'm opposed to the idea, but there is no such thing as adding to the curriculum quickly." Schine estimated that a new major could be established by fall 2003 at the earliest, if the decision were made now and the faculty search was conducted next year.

Furthermore, a curricular change has not occurred through student initiative alone, said Schine. Past curricular adjustments have normally resulted from a faculty proposal, either stimulated by student demand or faculty perceptions of "curricular gaps" or both, he explained.

"We cannot vote in a major, then back up to establish what we need," added Byerly, who nevertheless appreciated student interest in the curriculum. She noted the 12 to 14 required courses for most majors, which means a larger pool of choices needed for the department. Additionally, she said, the College would need to establish a large enough departmental faculty to accommodate academic leaves.

"Is it important that the College have a separate major, or is it more important in different disciplines that students have the opportunity to pursue interest in African-American Studies through existing majors?" Schine asked. "If studying African-American issues in depth is not possible any other way, then that's an argument."

Sholomo Levy '86, visiting instructor of American Literature and Civilization and Middlebury Minority Research Fellow, believed in the importance of an African-American Studies program because "race suffuses everything."

"You could spend four years on studying this whole set of troubling but important issues," Levy continued. "Often, we are supposed to be the lens to look out into the world, but not to look back at ourselves. This is what often African-American Studies calls us to do, given our past and present."

Fischer called for more emphasis in African-American Studies through the establishment of a major. "A lot of time is spent on getting good grades, and to get good grades you need to spend time in Caucasian history," she said. "If you're constantly learning information about Caucasian history, you have little time to find out who you are."

Whether the College leans towards the SGA proposal depends, firstly, on a determination of "significant" student interest in majoring in African-American Studies, according to Byerly. Schine also suggested measuring enrollment in current African American courses.

Will Nash, professor of American Civilization and Literature, cited increasing enrollments in his courses. In fall 1995, he began his first year at Middlebury with 12 students in Slavery and the African-American Tradition. This spring, the course has 24 enrolled. While Nash said the rise might have been due to his growing familiarity with students, he offered another example. "Images of Blackness and Whiteness has filled up the waiting list every time," Nash noted. "One particular way to gauge student interest is whether people are coming to the classes, and the answer seems to be yes."

Levy noted further that out of the 50 enrolled in his course, African- American Critical Thought, two are African-American students. "These students may be the organizers, but it's the entire student body that benefits," he said. "Just because we're in Vermont, we don't have to be isolated academically."

Elworthy said that the supporters of the SGA initiative "have not been one particular type of student."

"I wouldn't assume that the students who belong to a particular ethnic group are going to want to necessarily major in the study of a particular ethnic group," commented Schine. "To understand the greater American culture, you cannot do it without studying African American history, literature, music and other fields."

Associate Provost and Director of the American Civilization and Literature Department Tim Spears offered questions regarding the extent to which a program could become interdisciplinary. "The more we talk of globalization, the more we talk of America's influence on the rest of the world," said Spears. "Then why isn't American Civilization part of International Studies?"

"Some scholars believe that African-American Studies should exist apart, and some say within," continued Spears. "It boils down to how one regards African-American Studies — as a distinct entity or an
entity that cannot be separated from American Civilization. Intellectually speaking, I'm more sympathetic to the integrated view."

Spears continued that the discussion of an African-American Studies major at Middlebury unveils "the various cultural tensions and play them out in an academic environment where resources are not unlimited."

Even with Middle Eastern and African studies tabled at various faculty discussions, Byerly does not view all three curricular proposals as "competing priorities."

Levy warned, however, that an African-American Studies major at Middlebury should not be "a racial appeasement to quail diversity on campus." Even though he believes the interest in the major stems from the civil rights movement of the 1960s, "if [the major] is not thought of within the academic realm, but rather as a social project, it will never meet its potential."

"I remember students talking about this idea 15 years ago," commented Levy. "I hope that 15 years from now we still won't be talking about needing these things."

Elworthy expressed confidence that underclassmen involved in this SGA initiative will carry through the effort even after he and his cabinet graduate.