The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, October 14, 1970, Image 1

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    Davis
agrees
to talk
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WED., OCT. 14, 1970
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Further construction projects . . . are up in the air because the Regents Monday deferred
action on the capital construction.
Soshnik creates ad hoc
disruption committee
Campus President Joseph
Soshnik announced Monday
that he will create an ad hoc
committee to review the
University's policy on campus
disruptions.
"I believe that the document
should be reviewed by the total
university community if any
changes are to be made,"
Soshnik said at Monday's
Board of Regents meeting.
"We have a good document,"
added the Campus President,
"but It can be Improved."
The Spelts Commission,
which investigated last spring's
disturbances on the Lincoln
campus, recommended that the
University's "Response to
Disruptive Action" policy
should be clarified. The Com
mission noted that Unfversity
administrators were hampered
in dealing with the ROTC
building occupation last May
because of ambiguity In the
policy.
In separate action Monday
the Board of Regents granted
more time to a faculty com
mittee to prepare Its report on
Stephen L. Rozman, assistant
professor of political science.
The Spelts Commission
labeled Roman's actions dur
ing last spring's disturbances
as "highly Inappropriate tor a
Michael Davis, the Universi
ty of Michigan graduate stu
dent who was denied a job as
a philosophy instructor at t h e
University of Nebraska, said
Tuesday evening he h a s ten
tatively agreed to speak at the
Nebraska Union Thursday, Oct.
29.
Ia a telephone interview from
his Ann Arbor, Mich., home,
Davis said he would probably
arrive on campus Wednesday,
Oct. 28, staying at least through
Friday.
"This appearance is subject
to working out details," he
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3
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i f it
LINCOLN, NEB.
teacher." The Regents later
directed the faculty committee
to study Rozman's case and
recommend what sanctions, if
any, should be applied against
Rozman.
Regent Richard L. Herman
of Omaha said that Rozman
should be notified that he mfght
not be rehired if the faculty
committee's report is not com
pleted by Dec. 15. That is the
date when the Board usually
notifies faculty members who
aren't going to be rehired.
However, Soshnik said Dec.
15 is not a final deadline to
notify faculty members who
aren't going to be retained.
University Chancellor
Durward B. Varner said that
he was not optimistic that the
faculty committee's report will
be completed by the November
Regents' meeting. But he said
the report should be available
by December.
The Board also Monday
deferred any action on revision
of the 1971-73 University capital
construction budget. The
Regents' original $24 million
budget request did not include
the W 8 million in building
projects which were in
validated by the State Supreme
Court. Included in these pro
jects was the addition to Love
said. "But MI probably be
there." The question of ex
actly which student group
would sponsor Davis ap
pearance, or how the ap
pearance would be paid for,
remained uncertain Tuesday
night.
The invitation Davis has ac
cepted came from a new stu
d e n t organization, the F r e e
Speech Movement, that gained
tentative approval only last
week.
Davis said he has talked by
telephone with officers of t h e
Free Speech Movement. The
VOL. 94, NO. 17
Memorial library on the City
Campus.
The projects blocked by the
court now have a price tag of
Turn to page 2
J. Edgar Gade to
The case
The case of the mysterious
black briefcase provoked
hearty laughter from Campus
Security Chief Gail Gade,
Regent Richard Herman of
Omaha and other high
University officials after the
Board of Regents meeting
Monday.
But nobody was laughing
over the black briefcase an
hour earlier.
The incident, which shows
the great University concern
over bombs, potential bombs
and bomb threats, began just a
few minutes after the Regents
meeting commenced at 10 a.m.
in the Chancellor's office suite
on the Administration
Building's second floor.
Students had crowded into
the meeting; some were sitting
on the floor, other were stan
ding near a wall. While the
group wonld like the Davis
speech to be financed by stu
dent fees allocated by t h e
Union Program Council.
Although most speakers
coming to campus demand a
fee in addition to expenses,
Davis has said he would come
to campus only for expenses
estimated by students to be less
than $200.
However Dave Ratliff, a
junior in Arts and Sciences and
treasurer of the F r e e Speech
Movement, said if necessary
the group will raise the money
by soliciting donations "from
Standards set
for faculty
"There are no established standards for judging actions of
faculty members; no provision for penalties; and no procedures
for determining whether a faculty or staff member has acted
improperly." Page 26 of the report of the Regents' special com
mission that studied the May anti-war protests.
by JOHN DVORAK
Nebraskan Staff Writer
In its 101 years of existence
the University has never had a
written policy that attempted to
outline the responsibilities and
define the proper conduct of its
teachers.
Such a policy would have
been helpful in past years.
Now, particularly since the
strike activities of last spring
and the subsequent case of
Steven L. Rozman, assistant
professor of political science,
many members of the
University community from the
Board of Regents on down, feel
such a policy is essential.
Rozman was accused by the
Regents of improper conduct
during the strike activities. The
Board then ordered the ad
ministration to refer Rozman
"to the appropriate faculty
committee" for sanction.
But what was the appropriate
committee?
What were appropriate
sanctions?
Were, in fact, any sanctions
necessary and proper?
After much discussion,
Campus President Joseph
Soshnik handed the Rozman
case to the Faculty Senate
Committee on Academic
Privilege and Tenure.
The chairman of that group,
Robert E. Dewey, admitted the
the rescue
of the hlack case
Regents were discussing
University of Nebraska at
Omaha matters, two young
men who appeared to be
students suddenly left the
meeting.
Behind where one of them
had been sitting was a black
briefcase, resting aginst the
wait with no owner in sight.
Gade, who watched the two
students leave, immediately
spotted the briefcase. After
studying it, he whispered to
some students nearby. But
none owned it or knew who did.
Gade then conferred in
whispers with Chancellor D. B.
Varner, Corporation Secretary
G. Robert Ross and Board of
Regents President Robert Raun
of Minden.
After more consultations in
the chancellor's private office
next door, and more study of
the owner-less black brief case,
. anybody wishing to give."
The Free Speech Movement,
like any other approved student
organization, has the r i g h t to
sponsor the Davis speech, as
well as to use Nebraska Union
facilities for his appearance.
The Free Speech Movement's
request that student fees be
used to pay for the appearance
was dealt a setback at the
Tuesday night meeting of the
Union Program Council. .The
group voted t-3 to t a b 1 e until
next week a motion which
Turn to page 3
case was unprecedented and he
was unsure how to proceed.
So at the Tuesday afternoon
Faculty Senate meeting, a step
was taken to eliminate at least
some . of the doubt and con,
fusion when future instances
similar to the Rozman case
arise.
A "Statement of Faculty
Responsibilities and Conduct"
was presented publicly for the
first time.
The tentative draft presented
Tuesday afternoon lists five
general responsibilities o f
faculty members everything
from "upholding and defending
academic freedom" to
"observing those regulations
duly established for the general
welfare of the University."
It also lists five examples of
prohibited conduct for faculty
members:
Intentional obstruction or
disruption of teaching or other
educational activities,
Intentional obst ruction
which unreasonably interferes
with the freedom of movement
on campus,
Possession or use of fire
arms, explosives, dangerous
chemicals or other dangerous
weapons contrary to law,
Intentional detention or
physical abuse of any person,
Malicious damage or
Turn to page 8
it was decided to remove
the
object from the room.
Unknown to most of the 50
people at the meeting, Gade
gingerly picked up the brief
case and slowly carried it
away. He stashed it in the tiny
private bathroom ajoining the
chancellor's office. The
bathroom door was then shut
and Gade. still a bit nervous,
waited until the end of the
Regents meeting.
It is not known exactly when
Regent Herman noticed that
his black briefcase, which con
tained some papers and had
b en placed against the wall
before the meeting was missing-
But it was the great laughter,
as well as with great respect
for the ever-suspicious and
watchful Gade, that Herman
retrieved his briefcase from the
Chancellor's private bathroom.