Kennesaw State students’ outcry against removal of Black studies major

KSU eliminating Black studies program

Some students at Kennesaw State University are speaking out after the university removed three majors, including Black Studies. KSU leadership says they’re removing the programs due to low enrollment, but students believe the university is caving to political pressure. Students are urging others to also speak out and express their concerns to university leaders, as they worry this move by KSU will make it less welcoming to diverse students.

KENNESAW, Ga. - For the first time, we’re hearing from students at Kennesaw State University about the school’s decision to get rid of several majors of study, including Black Studies.

What they're saying:

"Being a Christian, Egyptian woman who just didn't have a box for her to fill in, I've always felt like I was kind of an outcast in a way," said Kennesaw State University junior Mariam Shafik. 

She’s majoring in both Black Studies and Sociology. 

She says the Black Studies major has given her a safe space to explore her own culture and how it fits into African-American culture in the U.S. "Black Studies helped me discover the fact that there are people who feel the same way as me and that I can continue to learn more about it," Shafik said. 

But now KSU says it’s doing away with the program. "I was angry. I was fuming. I was furious…also, I'm not going to lie. I did cry, I literally shut down for a minute. I was like, ‘What is happening right now?’" Shafik said. 

Shafik says she immediately went into action trying to figure out how to voice her opposition to the move. "We need to fight for this, we can’t just stay silent," she said.

The backstory:

According to KSU's website, students in the Black Studies program examine the Black experience and cultural and historical relations between Africans and people in the Diaspora. 

The program has been at the university for 20 years. In a statement to FOX 5, a spokesperson for Kennesaw State University said the university made the decision to remove the majors "in accordance with the University System of Georgia’s established thresholds." 

"While the Black Studies, Philosophy, and Technical Communication programs have all consistently fallen short in enrollment and degree output over at least the past 10 years, a two-year teach-out plan will still allow current students to complete their degrees," the statement read. "Faculty will also continue offering courses in these areas for minors, electives, and general education."

Local perspective:

But some students claim low enrollment is not why the university is doing this. "It is absolutely connected to the anti-DEI discussions that are happening," said KSU student Simran Mohanty.

Mohanty and fellow student Sebastian Wilson spent Friday urging recent graduates not to shake the university president’s hand when they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. "A small act of protest to inform admin that we are dissenting against their changes," Mohanty said. 

These students claim the university is trying to curry favor with the Trump administration, which has gone after universities for DEI policies and programs. "This is kind of setting a precedent, a very dangerous precedent to put a lot of majors at risk that are all about critical thinking and about humanitarian rights," Mohanty said. 

FOX 5 reached out to KSU administration to ask for a response to this allegation, but they didn’t respond. 

Shafik believes this decision to do away with her major and the others could make KSU less welcoming to students of all backgrounds. "You claim that you're a diverse school. You claim that you care about students' success…but it doesn't look like you are when you take out programs like this and take away programs that focus on diversity," Shafik said.