After a vote of faculty and top administrators, Central State University will no longer require students to take HIS 1110: History of Africans. Members of the University Senate voted February 21, 2019, to drop the long-standing requirement. Students will now have the option of taking History of Africans or Global Civilization to satisfy the general education history requirement.
Many students were surprised by the change. “Most of the students were forced to learn white history in high school, so why are we stopping them from learning black history now?” Mr. CSU Mark Barton asked. “It’s important to know your history.”
Another students said that the university should hire more adjunct professors to teach African American history.
History professor Carol Bargeron spoke against the proposal at the Senate meeting, while history professor Jawahra Giddings asked for more time to consider the issue. In the end, faculty approved the measure overwhelmingly.
Supporters of the change said that it was difficult to staff the course. Other people said that some students might be more interested in Global Civilization than African American history and that those students should be able to take what they want.
Central State’s Vice President for Student Affairs Sherrance Russell encouraged students to set up an appointment with Provost Pedro Martinez if they wanted to discuss the issue. Dr. Martinez office is located on the second floor of the Administration Building.
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