“Is it a monument or a working department?” Good question… Over the last year and a half since I left the employ of the University, I have made a conscious decision to refrain from public conversations that related to the welfare of the black community on Towson’s campus. However, as a former insider and foot soldier for the right of students to become “critical thinkers” and our productive leadership of the future, I can remain silent no longer. Unfortunately for the BSU, the black community on campus and all members of the campus community that value equality, fairness, integrity and inclusiveness, this is a “heroic” effort by students both black and white (SGA). I say heroic because they knowingly or unknowingly are trying to fill a void left by the dissolution of the (full service which included support for the AASD minor) TU African-American Cultural Center (AACC) and the enervation of the Office of Diversity Resources (ODR) now known as the Center for Student Diversity.
Systemically over the last five years, many of the support systems that had been put in place to ensure the intellectual, emotional and social development - leading to the successful matriculation - of black students have been marginalized or abolished by design. It all started with a 2004 task force report on the “state of diversity” on Towson’s campus. As the old adage goes, if you want to change something for good or bad you have to study it first. I was a member of that task force and privy to most of the discussions that resulted in a report that revealed that although Towson lacked many studied forms of support for underserved student populations - i.e. bridge programs, strong faculty/staff mentoring, curriculum infusion, alumni interaction etc. that for the most part given the historic/then current resources expended by the university, outcomes were, in fact, better than should be expected. The report also, commended (as I recall) the work of the AACC and the ODR with recommendations for expansion and funding increases.
Unbeknownst to the hardworking members of the Diversity Task Force the demise of the “historic” AACC and the “support mission” of the ODR were set in motion. I agree with blogger “TU Alumni has enough, in that, pandering (if that were the case) won’t help blacks get jobs, have a career and productive life.” However, I do not think that pandering (“one who caters to the lower tastes and desires of others or exploits their weaknesses”) applies to the Towson University black student community or the numerous non-black student communities that support their causes. (Unfortunately, there are places in the Division of Student Affairs and the CSD where “pandering” is the modus operandi as a matter of course; but, that’s a conversation for another day.)
The AACC had the distinction of working as a programming partner with the African-American Studies Department for many years bolstering its student enrollment and program reputation. During that time the AACC was not an official member of the advisory board for the AASD minor (although it should have been) but did serve as a conduit to students looking (or not) to become minors in Afro Studies, co-sponsor programs, field excursions and instituting new and intellectually stimulating ways of teaching.
Example: in the fall of 2006, the AACC in conjunction with the African-American Studies Dept. (AASD) established the first (to my knowledge) Scholar in Residency program in the history of the University. This joint residency enabled the AASD to hire a professor to teach a “special topics” course (filled to capacity) of diverse students that met twice weekly in the AACC for class. This year long program was phenomenal resulting in more than 20 related programs, including original writing assignments, scholar lectures, field excursions, and The Towerlight article coverage (see “Dark Tower Literary” re-creation event). This most innovative year long program that included the participation of countless diverse students was cost effective and led students to continue intellectual examinations of there “world views”, philosophies, civic and personal interests. The University has now instituted, for the first time, its own “scholar in residency” program…
Over the years as its budget grew from a paltry $7,600 annual for programming, the AACC worked hard to offer programs that students of all persuasions could engage in, and turn to, for support in their out of class learning experiences. For many nonblack students the AACC may, in fact, be/have been their “gateway” to the exploration of black culture for the personal experience and/or the completion of a class assignment. The diversity of programming modes utilized, in the AACC, attempted to contextualize information/concepts that related to culture, history and classroom theoretical frameworks. Visual learners had the opportunity to experience expertly conceived, organized and displayed fine art/cultural exhibitions that achieved in a cost effective manner their stated “learning outcome goals.” Unfortunately, for the AACC, there continued to be some disconnect on what the literature supported and the administration’s appreciation of visual learning.
In consideration of TU alum has enough’s statement online, “and it sure as hell shouldn’t be at my expense” - it shouldn’t be necessary - but I will say that Towson University is a publicly funded institution of higher learning and all Maryland citizens that pay taxes as well to support its continued operation and success.
Towson, in my humble opinion, is now in a state of moral and ethical decline. This episode seems to follow one example after another of not treating people (faculty, staff - especially students who are crying out - or the community) with care. On the other hand, feckless programming/special events and special interest “politics” on campus that serve a few and preclude the many are the norm. Time will tell if the students are onto something. Open your eyes people – the emperor has no clothes.
Students looking for support in black studies department
Published: Sunday, November 1, 2009
Updated: Sunday, November 1, 2009
RSS Feeds
7 comments