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2 The Daily Tar Heel Monday, February 16, 1987 AfroAii. stadlies loe appeal. By LAURIE DUNCAN Stan Writer Afro-American studies programs, evolved in the 1960s and 1970s out of protest from black students nationwide, have withered due to a lack of student interest, N.C. univer sity officials said. "We were reading the interests of the students," said Dr. Valeria Fleming, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Fayetteville State University. "There were no students in the program, and there had not been a demand for the major." Fleming said the degree program was discontinued last year. The criteria for measuring black studies is not accurate, said Colin Palmer, chairman of UNC's Afro American studies. African studies and history departments, which still has considerable enrollments. "You don't measure the health of an academic program in terms of the number of majors you have," Palmer said. "You measure it by the number of people who take the courses." UNC has 2,500 students a year taking courses in Afro-American studies, but has fewer than five majors in the subject. Palmer said. "Our focus is not on majors," he said. "We teach the broad, introduc tory courses. We don't have the staff to handle more (majors). We see ourselves as a service cirriculum to reach as many students as possible." Palmer said UNC has one of the largest and most successful Afro American studies programs in the country. Program put into other areas Offered as electives, black studies courses are buried beneath the Two minutes is for Calabash Even second counts when you re cookin' Calabash. U hen the color's perfect you're done, and that's always less than two minutes. That's why Calabash seaftxxl has so much taste and tenderness, heaped up high on your plate! La1 I'llHEHS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT where rfte coofcm s timeo in seconds mm n in n x""-' i A K f a. t m m m mm A 0 f Hi, I'm your Dean, McLean Stevenson. And I've got some great news about this year's Spring Break. You can afford it. Without having to sell your books, your stereo, or your roommate. You see, I represent Piedmont Airlines and I know how you can fly for as much as 70 off regular coach fares. Just as long as you book well in advance. Which means you and your friends can party in any of the 150 cities coast to coast tnat Piedmont flies to. So, if you really want this years Spring Break to be very memorable, yet very affordable, get to your local travel agent or call Piedmont at 1-800-251-5720 and start researching it now Because you can't cram for low airfares. traditional cirriculum of history, literature and religion courses where most students take little notice of them, officials said. "Black studies courses have been incorporated into standard pro grams and are hidden under the general college studies that are part of students' core curriculum," said Dr. Percy Murray, chairman of history at North Carolina Central University, where the black studies program was discontinued almost two years ago. "Schools ought to have a required course in Afro American history." Many professors at other N.C. schools are concerned that students may be neglecting the liberal arts aspect of their education and that the decline in Afro-American studies programs is an indication of this. Shift toward pre-professionalism Student apathy and disinterest in black studies and other liberal arts offerings may be symptomatic of a nationwide shift in student prefer ence from an intellectual perspective of education to a job-related pers pective, professors said. "Students are more interested in getting majors that will lead them to specific careers," said Dr. Mario Azevedo, chairman of Afro American studies at UNC-C. "They're avoiding liberal arts courses and are flocking into business, even though they need these (liberal arts) courses to be educated beings and to understand our multi-ethnic, diverse society. Black studies pro vides part of that knowledge." Alexander de Grand, head of the history department at North Carol ina State University, said, "Students have a general careerist approach to too long Dinner: 5-9. " days a week Lunch: 11:30-2. Mondav-Friday 493-80 -822 Major credit cards Hwv 54 East at 1-40 1. cvfo. LI U Lj ri nnc life. There's less idealism and more career-orientation on the part of everyone on campus." The lack of idealism may be attributed to the pressure exerted on them by society to compete for jobs, Camille Roddy, president of UNC's Black Student Movement, said. Lawrence Clark, vice-provost at North Carolina State University, said: "1 think black students are just like all the other students in the country. When the jobs favor other areas, (Afro-American studies) doesn't attract students like it did in the early '60s and 70s." J. Howell Smith, a history pro fessor at Wake Forest University, said, "Students today have less optimism about how to solve the problems (of a multi-race society), so there's less desire to learn about the problems." Students of the 1960s had different ideals, Azevedo said. "They were more involved in civil rights, human rights and education for the sake of education," he said. "There is much more pragmatism among (today's) generation of students." Economics may close programs As long as students are career driven, Afro-American studies pro grams will be facing economic and social forces outside the university, said Roberta Ann Dunbar, associate professor of Afro-American studies at UNC. Small schools are hit hardest by the student trend away from liberal arts fields, Dunbar said. Funding for black studies programs is based on enrollment, and the lack of demand has meant small colleges cannot afford to continue the program, she said. Because Afro-American studies is Present this Coupon When Ordering 2 9 iMiinliiiiiiiii.il. ,SBP -I ' wfi n mik - i " M iriiiiiimMMrrrfiiiiiMMifMagMMMii-aniMiBWMWi urnnniniiiiiw wiaumiiiiuajjjjjiujuiim l .u a new field, it's usually the first program to be cut when schools have to tighten their financial belts, she said. The program at UNC has been fortunate, Dunbar said. The Univer sity has supported the program as a legitimate field of study since it was implemented in 1974, she said. Many colleges implemented black studies programs in the '60s and 70s that were hastily organized and poorly staffed which may be why some programs are failing now, Roddy said. In addition, a change in the type of black student attending college today has decreased the number of majors in the program. Smith said it was possible that blacks entering college are more professionally oriented than the students who called for the creation of black studies programs in the '60s and 70s. Maurice Green, president of the Black Student Alliance at Duke University, said that black students in the '60s wanted, black studies to be a "self-revealing education," something symbolic that was part of establishing their identity. Black studies still important Black students want Afro American studies to be included in college cirriculums as an enhance ment to all students' education, Green said. Students should develop a sophis ticated knowledge of other cultures, Dunbar said. Given the political climate of recent years, she said it would be significant to understand cultures other than our own. "1 think any of us who work in cross-cultural fields of study worry a lot about ethno-centrism of Amer ican citizens," she said. 131 Democratic panel criticizes Reagan's summit dealings From Associated Press reports WASHINGTON - President Reagan was poorly prepared for the U.S.-Soviet summit meeting last October and the two-day meeting ended with uan astonish ing degree of confusion" about potential nuclear arms control agreements, the House Armed Services Committee said Sunday. The report by the Democratic controlled panel was sharply critical of Reagan and his admin istration, citing confusion and disputes among U.S. officials about the wide-ranging arms control proposals discussed and almost accepted by Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The report was based on a series of hearings held by the committee's defense policy panel, Unusual competition in senate minority race By MEG CRADDOCK Staff Writer Three of the 10 Republicans in the Senate of the N.C. General Assembly said they still have a chance at holding the position of Senate minority leader after last week's caucus. Sens. Paul Smith from Rowan County and Don Kincaid from Caldwell County each said they have the support of five of the 10 Republicans. Sen. Larry Cobb from Mecklen burg County however would not give up, saying there is no way of knowing which way the vote will go and that he is still interested in the job. The number of people competing for the job of minority leader this year is unusual but the competition is good, Smith said. Often in the past there has been only one candidate for the job, he said. One reason people are interested in the position of minority leader is that there is a Republican governor and a Democratic senate, said Jack Hawke, chairman of the N.C. Republican Party. Because of this, the minority leader will play a key role in proposing legislation impor tant to the governor and forming coalitions with moderate Demo crats, he said. Hawke said it was impossible to say who was the frontrunner in the race. He said all three are qualified and experienced. Kincaid and Cobb have served as minority leader before. Smith has been the Republican whip for the mimmm mm tmmmm f IS it AVilf HlfiSWslht, WiUlt ilJ 'item t wn Mi? iHm ftw (Phh I in twills ii f i .1'. v.n$mmntfmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm f 7 ' i -&y VX X V J V 1 4. ' -i C , -' : y M4 1 News in Brief which listened to a variety of witnesses, including several U.S. participants in the Iceland sum mit last Oct. 11-12. New prospects for arms talks " VIENNA, Austria The War saw Pact has accepted a N ATO invitation to discuss prospects of new talks on conventional arms in Europe, but the two sides are already divided over who should take part in such negotiations. Western diplomats say the 16 member North Atlantic Treaty Organization wants to negotiate only with the seven members of the Warsaw Pact. past two years, and as part of that job, has sat in on all meetings with the governor and the Senate lead ership of both parties. Smith said that, if elected, he; hoped to "work within the framer work of the Senate to get the programs of the Governor passed." He said he would work to form coalitions of Republicans and mod erate Democrats. Kincaid said he wants to do the best job possible for Republicans in North Carolina and also for Gov. Jim Martin. He said he wants to "help the state progress in a conser vative manner." Cobb said it was difficult to have a real platform in a race such as this. He said because he was from the same area as Martin he felt he could communicate well with the governor and would be able to express clearly the party position on the Senate floor. Sen. Bill Redman, R-Iredell, who is leaving his position of minority leader to join the N.C. Utilities Commission, said he was surprised by the competition in the race. He said since minority leader and whip were the only Republican elected positions he assumed Smith would automatically graduate to minority leader. The final vote to determine who will be the minority leader for this session will be held today. Sens. Jim McDuffie from Meck lenburg County and Austin Allran from Catawba County would prob ably be swing votes, Smith said. yHP fm I A Piedmont Airlines. 1 i
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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