The Archives of The University of Notre Dame 607 Hesburgh Library Notre Dame, IN 46556 574-631-6448 [email protected] Notre Dame Archives: Alumnus UIS'IVERSITY It Happened At Notice Dame JcsT one month ago, Father Hes­ cease and desist, they will be asked Notre Dame head direct his comments burgh leveled his sights on campus for identity cards." on campus unrest in genei-al to Vice- disruptions. While it was aimed spe­ 2) "Those who produce these President Agnew who was_convening cifically at unrest on the Notre Dame (identity cards) will be suspended a meeting of the 50 state governors in Campus, his declai-ation rang through­ from this conununity as not under­ Washington. On their agenda was a out the country di-awing massive sup­ standing what this community is. proposal, backed by Governor Ronald port from all corners. Those who do not have or will not Reagan of California, to conduct a Alumni were lieartened by his produce identity cards will be as­ fedex-al investigation into the causes statement. Goveriunent officials, led sumed not to be membei"s of the com­ and sources of US campus unrest. by the President of the United States, munity and will be charged with hailed it as a "fortliriglit stand." The trespassing and disturbing the peace MN his message to the Vice-Presi­ public as well as the nation's press on private property and treated ac­ dent, Father Hesburgh appealed for had nothing but praise. And on the cordingly by the law." the understanding of both peaceable Campus, the University's student 3) "After notification of suspen­ and rebellious students and urged body, in addition to giving substantial sion, or trespass in the case of non- that universities be allowed to settle support to his letter, proposed the community members, if there is not their own problems whenever possi­ institution of an academic depart­ then within five minutes a movement ble. Father Hesburgh further noted ment of the non-violent resolution of to cease and desist, students will be that a disrupted school should not human conflict, a project which al­ notified of expulsion from this com­ hesitate to summon any outside assis­ ready has atti-acted a sizeable grant munity, and the law will deal with tance "necessary to presei-ve the uni­ from the Gulf Oil Company. them as non-students." versity and its values.' But he ex- For Reverend Theodore Mai'tin Ijlained that only the university could Hesburgh, CSC, sixteenth president of AoT everyone thinks Father Hes- make the decision. The proposal be­ the University, February 17 marked burgh's "15 minutes to meditate" or fore the govei-iiors was rejected. the day he made a stand to preser\-e else policy will work. Numerous col­ Father Hesburgh's letter to faculty, what he called "the University as wo lege and university officials inter­ students and their parents was pre­ have known and loved it." viewed recently by the Wall Street cipitated by a series of student pro­ The now-famous eight-i)age letter Journal feel Hesburgh's solution is tests on Campus over the past two to faculty members, students and workable only at Notre Dame. They years. But the event that immediately their parents states that any member go even further by saying that if triggered his hand was an aborted of the University community who per­ adopted at their institutions it would student-sponsored conference on por­ sists in protest activities which dis­ result in even greater confrontations. nography and censorship out of which rupt the normal operation of the Uni­ Those questioning the Notre Dame came the confiscation of a "porno­ versity or infi-inge upon the rights of president's stand are outnumbered graphic" film by law enforcement of­ others faces on-the-spot sus))ension, significantly by supporters of the ficials. From that debacle developed expulsion and action by civil au­ stand. Perhaps the most celebrated cries of "infi-ingement of academic thorities. endorsement came from President freedom," and "police brutality." Days Father Hesburgh spelled out the Richai-d JI. Nixon. In a Febniary 22 later the Hesburgh letter was issued. steps which the University would take letter Nixon applauded Father Hes­ The beginning, in recent times, of against "anyone or any gioup that burgh's views and asked that the student protest at Notre Damo is not substitutes force for rational persua­ quite two yeai's old. The first demon­ sion, be it violent or non-violent": stration came outside the JMorris Inn 1) Such persons. Father Hes­ in 10G6 where a group of students burgh said, "will be given 1.5 minutes and faculty protested the awarding of meditation to cease and desist. of the Senior Class Pati-iot of the They will be told that they are, by Year Award to General William their actions, going counter to the Westmoreland, then commander of overwhelming conviction of this com­ allied forces in Vietnam. Small, ten- munity as to what is proper here. to fifteen-men demonstrations also If they do not within that time period were directed toward the Dow Chem- NOTRE D.VME .VLU.M.XUS, Vol. 47, No. 2, March, 19C9. TIic ALUXI.VUS is publislicd cii-lit times a j-car by llit Uinvcrsity of .Voire Dame. Second class postage paid at Notrt, IX -10556. ^ ^' :2»i^"«»i £ ical Company in 1967-68, an academic University would follow if confronted The case was also presented to the year which ended with a peace dem­ with future disi-uptive demonstra­ U.S. Supreme Court which refused to onstration by nearly 200 participants tions. But before he finalized them, review the New York decision. As a at the annual KOTO presidential re­ the ciisis over the pornography and result University officials felt the film view. Student protest also raised its censoiship conference broke and the would probably be in violation of the head this fall. In November two to University found itself in the midst of applicable laws of the state of Indi­ three-hundred students staged a three- a confrontation. ana. Once so appi-aised of the film day sit-in outside the Placement Of­ The conference, planned by the and the art exhibit, student leaders fice where Dow Chemical and the Cen­ same students who last year directed banned both features from the con­ tral Intelligence Agency representa­ the nationally tauted Sophomore Lit- ference. tives were conducting interviews. The erai-y Festival, was intended to be a first two days of the protest went ac­ sequel to a similar pomogi-aphy- A cONTlNTnNG lack of coordination cording to the demonstrators' plans censorship meeting successfully pro­ resulted in the partial showing of approved by the University's adminis­ gramed in the Center for Continu­ "Flaming Creatures' as well as a sec­ tration ... peaceful and unob- ing Education last year. ond unauthorized film, "Kodak Ghost structive This year's conference, however, Poems," before an audience in the developed troubles long before it ever Center for Continuing Education. HoWEVEB, a maverick group of got off the ground due primarily to Members of the Citizens for Decent about 20 students, seeking to inten­ faulty communication and little, if Literature were among the viewei-s sify the protest, blocked the CIA in- any, coordination within the planning and the next day filed a complaint tei-viewer's dooi-way. Administi'ation committee. As a result the Univer­ with the county pi-osecutor. In ad­ officials and student government lead­ sity had on its hands on the eve of dition the CDL group indicated their ers urged the dissidents to desist. They the conference a film outlawed in sev­ belief that the movies in question were didn't and tensions heightened. The eral ^states, an art exhibit i-eviewed going to be shown again. possibility of a confrontation dissi­ by University officials as worse than The county prosecutor stated that pated, however, when the CIA repre­ "hard core pomognraphy" and, to it was his duty to obtain a war­ sentative was told by his superiors to heighten tensions further, onlooking rant and impound the films. He no­ leave the Campus. representatives from the Citizens for tified the University of the impending The incident drew sharp criticism Decent Literature, invited by students action but agreed to allow University from Father Hesburgh who labeled to participate in the conference. officials to take every possible action the action of the belligerent group The film in question was "Flaming within their power to prevent the "clearly tyranny." He then enjoined Creatures," a movie judged by the screening of the films. When it be­ all representative bodies within the supreme courts of New York and came apparent that Notre Dame Notre Dame community to declare Michigan as "hard core pomogfraphy." couldn't provent the showing of the themselves and to give him a "clear mandate" as to the type of society they wished to see at the University. By December, Father Hesburgh re­ ceived the statements he needed. The Student Life Council, the Faculty Senate and the Academic Council sent resolutions to the president to: 1) uphold the rights of all, 2) to main­ tain. civility and i-ationality and 3) insure that lines of communication were always open to all segments of the community. Father Hesburgh evaluated the res­ olutions of each of the representative groups and formulated procedures the The Heshurgh letter February 17, 1969 Dear Notre Dame Facul^ and Students: This letter has been on my mind for wedcs. It is bodi time and overtime that it be written. I have oodined die core of it to die Student Life Council, have dis­ cussed the text with die Chairman of die Board of Trustees, the Vice Presidents Council, all the Deans of die University, and the Chairmen of die Faculty Sen­ ate and the Student Life CoundL This letter does not relate direcdy to what happened here last wedcend, although those events made it seem even more neces­ films which were no longer in the sary to get this letter written.