Give It a Chance

DESPITE YEARS of effort by faculty and concentrators, Afro-American Studies is still in trouble at Harvard. The department is demoralized and isolated from the rest of the Harvard community.

Dean Rosovsky recently announced what some observers have called a "last ditch effort to shore up Afro-Am. He has created an executive committee of five prominent scholars to run the department, to search for tenured professors and to determine Afro-Am's broad intellectual goals. Rosovsky and the committee members clearly have high hopes for the committee--and just as clearly do not know what to do if this new effort fails.

Student concentrators and junior faculty members in the department say they are skeptical about the committee members' commitment to Afro-American Studies. They worry about losing control over the focus and direction of Afro-American Studies, and note that only one member of the committee--Southern--is affiliated with the department. Concentrators also fear that the committee will underestimate African studies.

Although these are legitimate fears, we believe that the committee should not be condemned before it is given a chance. True, past administration efforts have not always appeared to be in good faith, but the committee members seem genuinely anxious to try this time.

But the committee will certainly fail if it does not remember to consult extensively with students and junior faculty within Afro-American studies. Given the heritage of mutual suspicion between the department and the administration, such cooperation is essential. If the committee, students and faculty honestly try to work together, perhaps Afro-American Studies can gain the status and the strength that it deserves.