The university released this statement in response to the allegations:
Students in the program take up to six credit hours of African American Studies courses that include lectures at the University of Ghana at Legon, University of Cape Coast and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. This is part of our ongoing mission to embrace knowledge of African life on the continent and throughout the Diaspora.
Borrowing critical insights from scholar-activists such as Marcus Garvey and Zora N. Hurston, AAS views international travel as an imperative tool for examining the African experience from a systemic perspective. As such, student participation in the study abroad program provides a key measure of the programs strength in introducing students to advanced research opportunities and original sources within the discipline. In addition to conducting field research and oral histories, student participants in the study abroad program receive instruction and gain awareness of the everyday concerns and political economy of ordinary Ghanaian citizens.
To ensure the safety and welfare of these student participants, and of all students involved in university-sponsored events, the university has in place strong policies regarding drug use, sexual harassment and Title IX.
One of the students in the program has come forward with allegations of improper conduct regarding the Ghana trip in 2010. We are actively and aggressively investigating these allegations. The university takes these kinds of allegations very seriously, as the safety and welfare of our students always is our primary concern. We have begun interviewing everyone involved to determine the facts.
Because of the concerns that have been raised, we will be assigning a different chaperone to accompany the students on this years trip.
We will have no further comment while the investigation is ongoing.
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