CU Boulder Announces New Center for African and African American Studies Students, scholars, and community members joined forces to bring a new space for Black intellectual thought to the flagship campus. Philip Clapham • June 29, 2021 In May, just before the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the University of Colorado Boulder’s administration announced the creation of a new Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS) on its campus. The goal of the CAAAS (pronounced “ cause”) is to provide support for those teaching and researching the history and culture of people of African descent. It will also be a physical space for social connection, something many Black CU students said was missing as part of their higher education experience. But the move to create an intellectual and communal space has not come without criticism.