In the establishment of the Africana Studies program, the Committee for Afro-American Studies (CAAS) requested only one full-time appointment in the program, the director, perhaps as a means of expediting its approval—the College would only have to fund one new faculty line. In practice, that meant the faculty director not only taught but managed the program, developed curriculum, and advised majors as well as the African American Society. This arrangement persisted for forty years, making the contribution of students’ time, effort, and advocacy to the program invaluable.
Correspondence with Maine Politicians
In these telegrams, members of the Society report to Maine Senator Edmund Muskie that the struggles of AAS to recruit black faculty and students could not be addressed “unless and until the states [sic] most respected leader intervenes to insure justice.” They propose that he host a state-wide conference to design equal opportunity programs to minority and economically disadvantaged college students.