Page 6 THE CAROLINA JOURNAL February 25,1970
Somthing Inside Of Me Soys
Have To Give A Damn
I
PHOTOS AND STORY BY ALAN GUGGENHEIM
leaves his black neighborhood and
drives across town to Myers Park
Baptist Church. He is on a “close
personal basis with the minister,”
though some of the members
consider him “rather weird.”
Others are “very, very opposed to
my actions,” and tell him so every
Sunday.
Blevins is an unconventional
graduate of Wheaton College in
Illinois with a masters degree in
social work from Columbia
University in New York.
David Blevins si
crowd at the Moratorium meeting
here at UNCC last Friday. In his
brief talk, he reiterated his
opposition to the war in Vietnam
and siiid that the thrust of his
court action against the
Disruption Policy of the
University will still intact.
In a more candid remark to the
audience, Blevins revealed his
reason f**r his constant work for
social change: “Something inside
me sjiys that I have to give a
dnniii.”
DAVID BLEVINS. “RATHER]
WEIRD”
If David Blevins had the time,
he would probably lie a nornuil
jHTson living in the nine-to-five
rut with two weeks paid vacation
each year.
However, Blevins works far
more than eight hours a day fur
the Charlotte Area Fund. He is
happily single and rooms with two
other men, one of whom is black.
They live in a predominantly
black Ponderosa section of town
because, “the people don’t hassle
us as much here about having
racially mixed meetings and
parties.”
Blevins was evicted from a
white apartment during the
summer of 1968 because of his
integrated parties and meetings.
On Sundays, Blevins regularly
U.S. Middle District Court of
Greensboro to reinstate him as an
instructor because there had been
no final ruling in his case and
therefore was still, “pending
before the University Hearing
Committee.” Blevins named
Chancellor J. Carlyle Sitterson
and Consolidated University
President Friday as defendents in
this new trial.
Though a final ruling had not
been delivered by President
Friday, he said two days after
Blevins took his case to Middle
District Court, that he
“considered the case closed,
because,” Blevins’ instructorship
contract with the Chapel Hill
Graduate School had expired.
However the case was not
closed according to Blevins.
Since Oct. 15 the issues in the
case had grown far more complex
than just simple opposition to the
war in Vietnam. At different
times during his trial by the
Hearing Committee, Blevins said
that he wanted, “to establish the
right of a professor to speak his
conscience as long as he does it
responsibly,” and that secondly,
he wanted, “to teach and establish
my right to teach.”
This new appeal for academic
freedom, “on behalf of both me
and all of the University
professors,” had been his defense
for cutting class. He considered
his dismissal, retaliation “for
exercisingi his Constitutional
rights.” I
U.S. Middle District Court
Judge, Eugene Gordon, found last
Friday that there should be a
hearing to decide the issues
Blevins raised concerning the
constitutionality of his dismis^l.
Judge Gordon however,
declined to issue an injunction :
forcing the Chapel Hill Graduate *
School to reinstate him as an
instructor.
Blevins said that he was not
discouraged by the ruling because
the main purpose of his suit is to
challenge the constitutionality of
the Disruption Policy of the
Consolidated University.
In a letter of appreciation
directed to the UNCC Student
Legislature for their gift of Si00
to the Blevins Legal Defense
Fund, Blevins said, “If I win the
suit, this will not only vindicate
me, but it will provide some
assurance to other professors and
instructors that they do not need
to fear oppression or reprisals.
Thirdly, I sincerely hope the
concept of academic freedom and
the right of effective freedom of
speech will be strengthened as a
result of the testing of the
Policy.”
MORATORIUM - “A SIMPLE
THING”
The neatly bearded Blevins first
came to the public’s attention
Oct. 15, 1969 when he violated
the statement of University policy
adopted by the Executive
Committee of the Board of
Trustees of the University of
North Carolina.
The particular chapter violated
was Section 5-1, part b which is:
ANY FACULTY MEMBER
(INCLUDING ANY FULL-TIME
OR PART-TIME INSTRUCTOR)
WHO, WITH INTENT TO
OBSTRUCT OR DISRUPT THE
NORMAL OPERATIONS OR
FUNCTIONS OF ANY OF THE
COMPONENT INSTITUTIONS
OF THE UNIVERSITY,
WILLFULLY FAILS OR
REFUSES TO CARRY OUT
VALIDLY ASSIGNED DUTIES
SHALL BE SUBJECT TO
DISCHARGE.
Blevins was a part-time
instructor teaching an extension
course for the Chapel Hill based
Graduate School of Social Work.
During the class period prior to
the Oct. 15th National
Monitorium Day, Blevins told his
cLiss that they would have to
meet without him on the 15th. He
wished to observe the Vietnam
Moratorium and to help the
opposition to the war by
boycotting his class. The School
of Social Work in Chapel Hill was
also notified of his intentions and
they sent a substitute to conduct
his class.
By this simple act of cancelling
his class, Blevins became
embroiled in the most
controversial issue on the six
campuses of the Consolidated
University. President William
Friday said that Blevins was the
only teacher at any UNC branch
who failed to meet his classes on
Oct. 15. As a result of his
classroom absence. Blevins was
tried by a University Hearing
Committee which ruled last Jan.
20. that he had violated
University regulations. There was
one dissenting vote in the ruling,
and it was cast by law professor
and former Chancellor, William B.
Aycock.
Ten days after this preliminary
ruling. Blevins and his attorney,
Adam Stein of Charlotte, asked
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On
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inside
BLEVINS: “I AM NOT
DISCOURAGED
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