The Africana Studies Student Association (ASSA) at California State University Long Beach rejects the proposal of College of Liberal Arts, Dean David Wallace, to demote the Department of Africana Studies into a program.  Program status is a step toward the eventual dissolution of Africana Studies at CSULB.  ASSA will not condone or surrender to the destruction of our esteemed Department!

Dean Wallace explains that the department is required to have six tenured faculty to maintain its status.  Yet, CSULB President F. King Alexander has refused to hire new Department faculty for 8 years and now only 3 tenured faculty remain. The University president uses the California budget crisis as an excuse for not hiring new faculty.  The Africana Studies Department is being punished for this neglect of action.

A well-rounded education MUST include Africana Studies, as well as, other Ethnic Studies Departments. Multicultural education is quality education!

We demand the following:

1)    Africana Studies remain a Department.

2)    The hiring of three full-time tenured-track faculty in the next academic year.