Students calling for the strengthening of the department held several demonstrations last spring, including a day's boycott of classes. These students charged Harvard administrators with failing to search aggressively for tenured professors and working to undermine the department. Afro-Am has one and one half tenured professors--Southern and a semiretired professor.

Southern said she believes that "students have been manipulated by some department faculty" to believe the department is weak.

One concentrator who graduated last spring said this month, "There is evidence of a very high turnover and very little consistency within the department. No secretary knows whether a course will be taught from year to year, which leads to student insecurity."

Exodus

The student said the departure of three junior faculty this year aggravated student concern about the stability of the department.

Southern's resignation follows the departure of three junior faculty members in Afro-Am-Mottl, who did not receive tenure; Moore; and Rampersad, visiting professor of Afro-American Studies. Moore and Rampersad had one-year appointments.

Southern said the department does not have a turnover problem. "Each person who is leaving who had a five-year appointment has stayed five years. Harvard only allows you to stay five years. It's not fair to say there's a high turnover. That reflects on me as chairman," she added.

Southern said that junior faculty she brought into the department still have two years before their appointment expires. "Before I became chairman, there was a higher turnover," she added.

Tenure

Southern also disagreed with student charges that Harvard has failed to recruit tenured professors. While she was chairman, Harvard offered five professors tenure, Southern said.

Southern said these professors refused tenure for a number of reasons, including the department's lack of a graduate program, the problems of finding jobs for wives in Cambridge, and Harvard's inability to better some of their current salaries.

Southern added she hopes the controversy will ease this fall: "Students don't like to be involved with confusion and chaos. I want them to know I'm a tenured person and will be here," she said