Penn Students Protest Closure of Africa Center

University of Pennsylvania students are protesting the decision to close the Africa Center, saying that it is too vital to be shut down. Penn officials said that cuts in federal support for international research and education programs left the Africa Center without a source of funds. In addition, officials noted that Penn continues to support Africana studies, which includes all groups of African descent. Students said that they needed a center focused on Africa. They staged their protest to interrupt a brief outdoor talk by Jeffrey Kallberg, associate dean for arts and letters, at an event at which faculty members discussed the offerings of different departments.