Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Oct. 22, 1969, edition 1 / Page 1
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vol. 1 No. 4 E. C. NEWS - LIBERATED PRESS Elon College Wednesday, October 22, 1969 Editorial Smith Suspended S dVcisSn to S^thP vw CommmaJci, and to the faculty in response to Comminakl's i f- National Vietnem Moratorium. Comments in this letter pertaining to faculty : ^icSses” -ilfh “resolved to tolerate no interruption of i ho members mi^t Uke to cooperate with you, as faculty ? ^^>11 our obligations to our students and to hold our classes i; P^®ssor Smith apprises President Danieley of his plans not to meet his i Wednesday, October 15, in accordance with the National Moratorium. ■ gWetoesday, October 15: Smith does not meet, his two classes but has arranged for them to meet; with two of his colleagues. Smith gives keynote Moratorium speech on campus and joins peace : march in Burlington. : •j.^iday, October 17: Smith is notified in A.M., by Presidential Assistant A1 Hassell to meet with • gttoieley immediately. At this meeting (about noon), Danieley directed Smith not to meet with his j jvclasses (suspended him) , until the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Elon College j .;.;met, tentatively Wednesday, October 22, to decide on Smith’s dismissal for breach of contract. • IjSmith would obey this direction if provided with a written statement from Danieley directing him : y.not to meet his classes against his wishes. Smith was not at that time given the statement. Friday i gP.M., Danieley was contacted by the Greensboro Daily News and the Burlington Daily Times who :■ yjboth, in Saturday’s issues reported him to have declined comment on the grounds that this iS a :■ ::j:‘‘personal matter” or a ‘‘conjectual matter” between Smith and the Board of Trustees. Danieley S xtold the Burlington Daily Times, however, that “appropriate reasons for a professor cancelling i classes would be death in the family, sickness, or to attend a professional meeting.” ;:;Saturday, October 18: Local AAUP officials make inquires with regional and national officers of i ■:;AAUP, to determine what procedural standards in the suspension and possible dismissal of Pro- > •jjfessor Smith have been violated. An ‘Ad hoc’ committee of students begins to form to mobilize i :|:the support of the student body for Smith. The Committee meets Sunday night at 7:00 P M S Saturtoy evening, news stories of the matter are released to the New York Times and the na- ■ gtional wire services Associated Press, and the United Press International The reason why the academeic freedom of Prof. Smith is being violated can be arrived at byway of reference to certain facts surrounding the issue and cor- responding legal points. First, President Danieley in his Sept. 26 letter to the faculty stated that the faculty had no choice but to hold classes on Oct. 15. In a telephone inter, view with the Burlington Daily Times, the Times quoted him as saying that appropriate reasons for a professor cancelling clas- ses are death in the professors’s family, sickness, or to attend a professional meeting. Neither of these statements have basis in any regulations regarding the cancellation of classes. Section (15) of the Faculty Handbook specifies “illness or other rea- sons” concerningfacultyab sences. Second, since many faculty members in the past have taken advantage of this leeway in the Faculty Handbook, and have can- celled classes for many and var ied reasons, the temporary sus pension and proposed dissmissal of Michael Smith may be con- sidered a case of “selective en forcement.” This means that Smith’s job is in jeopardy be cause he cancelled his classes on the specific date Oct. 15, in accordance with the Vietnam Moratorium. Smith alone had de nied this false authority of the President and is now being made an example for the stability of the Administration and thus, the continuance of such arbitrary rule. It must remain clear how ever that Prof, Smith’s motive in not meeting his classes on Oct 15 was not Intentionally a direct challenge or protest a- gainst the College Adminlstra. tion, but an outgrowth of his own deppest convictions concerning the war in Vietnam. Third, President Danieley himself brought the matter to the Board of Trustees, the Ex ecutive Committee of which will decide on the dissmissal of Smith on Wednesday. But until that decision Is reached Danieley has instructed Smith not to hold clas ses, In effect, has temporarily suspended him. Michael Smith is be^ punished In advance of the settlement of his guilt or in. nonce by the Executive Com- mittee. In these ways, we suggest, the academic fre^m of one of our numbers Is being violated. The whole academic community, while some may not agree with the personal politics of Prof, Smith, must stand In defense of one of its constituents when such grave innustices are committed against him. If we stand idly by now, this Infection may weU spread further, to at any time jeopardize the academic freedom of any one of you. The authority at Elon may truly become un questioned because of fear, an authority limited by no adherence to what is both legal and just. Sorrowful it is that justice here is the underdog, but our one re. course as a student body In in- deed our unquestioned siQ>port of Prof, Michael Smith. Side Order In the case of Prof. Michael Smith’s dismissal, some addi tional points deserve mention here and consideration by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. Through precedent and through the stipulations of the faculty handbook, we know that faculty absences, if foreseen, must be reported to the Administration In advance of the fact. We know also, and most of us have ex perienced that classes are of ten conducted by student group discussion leaders without the presence of the teacher. In reference to these points, VERITAS leared the following information in an interview with Prof, Smith, That he informed the Admin istration on Monday, Oct. 13, of his planned absence Oct, 15. That on his way to his 1:20 class on Monday, Oct. 13, he encountered Robert G. Blake, Chairman of the English depart ment, who told him that he had just come from Smith’s 1:20 classroom where he had infor med the students that class would meet oa Wednesday whether Smith was present or not. He had one so vtithout Smith’s know ledge of it. That Smith then attended his class and arranged to have two students lead a disucsslon of the work then under consideration. That alter this class he Infor- med Blake of what he had done and Blake said that this was not sufficient, that he must ar range sulstltute faculty mem bers to hold the classes. That Blake again attended Smith’s 1:20 class and presented the same information as be had to the 1:20 class, and that Smith agreed to arrange forsubstltues. Smith’s classes did meet on Wednesday, Oct. 15, under Pro- fessores Bland and Ramsey.
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Oct. 22, 1969, edition 1
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