Students Demand Greater Role for Afro Dept. In Deciding Dubois Institute's Future Course

The DuBois Institute Student Committee (DISC) yesterday presented a see of recommendations calling for action which would avert the eventual Isolation" of the Afro-American Department from the proposed W.E.B. DuBois Institute for Afro-American Research.

About 175 students listened as Patsy Faith Davis '76, president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Association of Afro and Afro-American Students, read the proposal at the Science Center.

DISC is a coalition of student groups and individuals formed last October to encourage student input in deliberations concerning the institute future.

The DISC proposal recommends the creation of a 10 to 4 member trustee board which would oversee long range planning at the institute."

To ensure a secure connection between the department and the institute, at least three members of the board should be from the department, the recommendation said. The proposal emphasized the need that the director be someone with lengthy experience in the study of Afro American life and history.

DISC called for a University-wide committee composed of members of the Afro-American Studies Department, other faculty and student to conduct the search for a qualified appointcee, who would hold a tenured position in the Afro Department.

Three Should Serve

DISC recommended that at least three of its members be allowed to participate in advisory board discussions of plans for the institute.

The twelve-member advisory board created by President Bok earlier this fall to formulate proposals for the structure of the DuBois Institute, currently includes no students or representatives from the Afro-American department.

DISC also outlined plans for numerous graduate and post-graduate programs to be sponsored by the future institute.

Initial stress is to be placed on involving distinguished persons whose work is both of an academic and non-academe nature, the proposal said.

These programs, DISC proposed, would be over been by a functional committee consisting of two faculty members three fellows, two graduated and two undergraduate students all of whom would be affiliated with the Afro-American Department.

Five members of DISC presented Bok with the completed 8-page proposal yesterday morning. Davis said. The advisory board members have also received copies of the proposal.

President Bok said yesterday that "he was not in the position to comment on the proposal." He said he had not had an opportunity to read it, and that he would probably not have an opportunity to read it for several days.

Dean Rosovsky and the members of the advisory board yesterday could not be reached for comment in the newly released proposal