Charting a New Course

The committee Dean Rosovsky created to define the Afro-American Study Department's "intellectual mission" held its first discussion of the department's future with its concentrators this week.

C. Clyde Ferguson, professor of Law and chairman of the committee, assured the students at the meeting that the committee will continue to seek advice from concentrators, faculty and others about Afro-Am's furture.

Richard Freeman, professor of economics, said yesterday the committee will make "marginal" changes to the department after it assesses the recommendations of students, faculty and other groups.

But no one can agree just now on what changes to make. Orlando Patterson, professor of Sociology and a committee member, said the department should focus in on the historical and cutural aspects of Afro-American Studies or on socio-political issues faced by blacks today.

But Richard Guthrie '80, a concentrator in Afro-Am, said he wants the department to concentrate on the link between Afro-Americans and Africa.

He added, however, that the biases and interests of the decision-makers will determine Afro-Am's future academic frar.

Recruting departmental tenured faculty seems to be as difficult a task for the executive committee as defining Afro-Am's mission.

Freeman said he would be "ecstatic" if the committee appoints three of four tenured faculty members by next year. But four prospective faculty turned down offers to join Afro-Am because of what Ferguson called Cambridge's poor reputation in terms of race relations.

Whatever obstacles the committee faces, all agree that a great deal hinges on its success or failure.

If Harvard fails to substantially strenghthen Afro-Am, Ferguson claims other universities will question the viability of their Afro-Am departments. The department's committee, concentrators and faculty, therefore are "determining the direction of Afro-American Studies in America," he added.