•THE VOICE
FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
BEFORE BOARD OFTRUSTEES
VOLUME 24 NUMBER 9
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.
EXECUTIVE CO
30. 1971
L TEXT
TO: Board of Trustees of Fayetteville State Univer
sity
FROMiThe Executive Council of Fayetteville State
University Alumni
The Executive Council of Fayetteville State Uni
versity Alumni has been investigating the unrest
at Fayetteville State. We have talked with faculty
members, students, the president, and community
leaders, and we are presenting our findings.
Fayetteville State was never designed to be an
Ivey League school, but a small college, and now in
name, a university. Students have come to this insti
tution, many of them, because it is small, and they
feel that they can get individual and personal attention.
We have been told that Dr. Lyons has stated that
it would be unheard of to have a democratic society
at Fayetteville State; that the Board of Trustees had
elected him as president, and that he is the sole per
son to make all decisions.
Last summer when a professor used a lady who
was eminently qualified with a Master’s degree in
her field and requested that she be hired, another
person, who is a life-time friend and teacher of the
president and less qualified was hired.
One of the faculty members who was interested in
community affairs and a member of a governing body
of Fayetteville resigned because she was not trusted
to make any type of decisions; was not given a
momentary consideration; no vacation; and meetings
were called during the Christmas holidays — was re
quired to sign in at eight in the morning. If she could
have remained on the faculty, the students could have
appreciated her.
Our fellow alumnus who participated in all civic
and community affairs beyond his loyalty and duty
at the University also resigned when demands be
came intolerable.
The history professor, who had his program gear
ed along the line of “black history” which is of
paramount interest to the students, was replaced
by a white professor.
The faculty has not been treated as professionals.
Their opinions are not respected.
The fear on the part of teachers, and lack of co
operation and disrespect to the teachers on the part
of the administration, have caused teachers not to
be able to perform at their peak.
One point of disorganization was the registration
at the end of the first semester. It was stated by
those concerned that it was a night-mare like Fay
etteville State has never experienced before.
Hundreds of bills were sent to parents who iid not
owe anything stating that unlsss bills were paid
by a certain time students would be dropped from
their classes.Perhaps, this was not due to the presi
dent— but inefficiency on the part of the Business
Office. It was felt that the President of the Univer
sity should have sent letters of apology to the parents.
This would have shown a thought of concern to the
parents of the students who make up the University.
There has been a staff member from the univer
sity authorized (not a part of the official body of the
General alumni) to encourage the alumni and chap
ters to be re-organized.
There was a workshop set up for the alumni in
August, which did not materialize and another in Oc
tober of which the Executive Board of the Alum li
was not involved in the planning. We were told that
we were out-dated and we needed to re-organize,
whereby, all funds would be channeled directly to the
university.
The president has been requested to write a letter
of greetings for the ALUMNI BULLETIN on several
occasions. We do not have that as yet.
The Athletic Program is the most pathetic thing
at the school. We were told that the university doesn’t
attract the crowd; the “E.E. Smith High” does. It
was further stated that the Athletic Program is at
its lowest ebb.
More time will — do more hard than good because
we are going to loose the better qualified professors
at the university -- and we are going to miss the
recruitment of the higher quality of students. The
alumni have already become disenchanted, which
means that the financial aid of the alumni will be
dwindling. The longer the time with the present
situation, the more danger of the school becoming
disintegrated.
As trustees of the university, you owe it to the
state, university, students, the faculty, the alumni and
University community to investigate immediately
the status of the school with the Southern Associa
tion of Accreditation of Colleges and Universities
and to investigate the school finances. It has been
brought to our attention that the school accreditation
is in jeopardy. ^
Dr. Lyons might not
have created all the above
situations, but it seems
that he has allowed these
situations to exist and has
created an image among
students, faculty and
alumni, which can no
longer exist — and defi
nite steps should be taken
to try to bring the uni
versity back to its pro
per perspective.
The survival of Fay
etteville State is much
more important than any
one person.
LET TRUTH OUT
Now is
The Time
Dy Carl Lee
Yes, now is the time for
(black)^ students here at
FSU to^take grips of them-
selves and excel by their
own bootstrap. It’s time to
stop going through phony
changes; it’s timetotake
on a more serious per
spective in everything
that involves both you and
your fellow Broncos!
Previously, Delphine
Robinson and 1, through
the Board of Higher Edu
cation, attended a two-
day visit with Senators to
discuss legislative issues
and to see the legislative
processes at close range.
I observed extremely
close everything said and
done in the committee
meetings; of course,here
is where I learned the
most, because when bills
get to the House of Repre
sentatives and the Senate,
they are mostly legisla
tive procedures.
In sharing my know
ledge with you, 1 would
like to clear up a couple
of rumors or lies. It has
been said that if this
school were closed down
because of student disor
der or unrest, students
would lose their finan
cial aid and could not
receive any more any
where else up until five
years. I have learned that
the state of North Caro
lina does not have a law
directly to this effect,but
may have one on miscon
duct of students. The fed
eral law says that a stu
dent will lose his finan
cial aid as a result of
student disorder if con
victed and only if con
victed, then one may at
tend another institution
on aid according to how
that particular institution
operates.
Secondly, it has been
said that everything has
to go through the Board of
Higher Education and to
be approved. Well, con
trary to that, I learned
that the Board of Higher
Education serves as a
barrier or screener be
tween you and the general
(Continued on page 4)
ALUMNI BLASTS LYONS
ALEX. BARNES’TEXT
Mr. Chairman and members:
Permit me to begin by thanking you for having
granted us this opportunity. 1 hasten to say to you
that this presentation is made without hope of re
ward or fear of punishment. It is not proposed to
convict or to free, to threaten or to praise, but is
being presented in the hope that it will serve to ^ring
our beloved alma mater in step with the signs of the
times, so that it might serve the purpose for which it
was designed — to make the lives of those who enter
the portals of this institution more helpful in the com
munities, they go out to serve and to open a better line
of communication.
This presentation is based on 50 years of loyal
devotion, unselfish service and an abiding faith in
the true principles of a properly administered pro
gram, that will enure to the best benefit, not to the
administration, the faculty, nor the alumni, but to the
students, who choose to further equip themselves for
service, at this institution.
We have been conducting a wholesale investigation,
which did not begin with the present administration
and will not end with this presentation. The investi
gation, so far, has revealed that Fayetteville State
University is suffering from a bad state of inept
ness, on the part of its trustee board. This has
been steadily creeping up on the institution and its
much to be deplored that
it had to erupt under the
present administration.
We are mindful of the fact
that much of the present
unrest was not planned
by the present admini
stration, but we are high
ly conscious that this au
gust body must rise to the
occasion and seek to ex
tricate the school from its
present entanglements.
It rests upon your shoul
ders to furnish the neces
sary guidelines to insure
a dem ocratic admini
stration that will re
spect The rights of faculty
and students, without fear
or favor. The duty de
volves upon you to se
lect a president and a fa
culty whose first con
sideration must and shall
be the students. This does
not mean that admini
stration is vested in the
hands of faculty and stu
dents, but it must be the
kind of administration
that is designed to make
FSU a beacon for con
ducive learning, devoid
of personalities, petty
politics and autocracy.
We are sorry to relate
to you that our investi
gation, so far, tends to
sho w that this has not
been the prevailing idea-
ology. We would also like
to point out that unless
this body moves with con
siderate speed, it bids
fair to becoming more
and more intolerable.
Even though the present
image is precarious, the
rumblings and reactions
tend to jeopardize the fu
ture of the institution to
an irreparable state.
Our investigation re
veals that the lap of the
gods hold untold advan
tages for our alma mat
er and the results ob
tained therefrom would
stagger the imagination
of many of us. Unless
this body acts with alac
rity there is possibility
that these dreams will
vanish and FSU could eas
ily be a matter of his
tory.
We dare not say to you
that we have all the an
swers and we also know
you cannot prognosticate
the future, we do know
that the power of control
is in your hands. You can
carry the ball to victory
or you can let the evils
of autocracy, domination,
politics and personal ag-
gandizement squeeze us
into oblivon. You can win
the battle and yet lose
the war.
It is our understand
ing that the laps of the
gods hold one of the most
inviting expansion educa
tional systems that any
school in the state would
be happy to administer.
The combination of a pro
gram that Includes FSU
NCSU and Ft. Bragg is
easily the envy of any
college or university. We
hope you learned solons
and astute educationally
minded persons, will take
into consideration the fact
that this is a giant step
and we must have the kind
of leadership that can
cope with the situation.
Let me close by say
ing to you that due to the
fact our investigation is
not complete, it is the
concensus that the pre
sent administration has
not exempiifiedthetypeof
know-how that it takes to
administer such an elabo
rate program. We are
asking that you approach
this matter with an un
biased mind, a progres
sive design and an ed
dying spirit, that will
bring peace out of con
fusion, cooperation out of
chaos, profound leader
ship to a groping admin
istration and aid inmak
ing the world better, by
having despensed a qual
ity education to those who
saw fit to matriculate at
FSU, and to others who
will follow after them.
IF you LOOKEP
AT 60ME QTY CHJMPS,
YOU'P SPELL IT
EEK-OLOeV!