[Greg Benedetti]: President Robert I. White has received personal support from two fronts of the Kent State University academic community. In a meeting yesterday, the Faculty Senate passed by unanimous vote the following resolution. The Faculty Senate affirmed its support of President White and his efforts to maintain and to reestablish a viable and safe academic community at Kent State University. This followed a previous action approved by fourteen chairmen of the Universities’ College of Arts and Sciences. Their statement said, “We as chairmen of the Arts and Sciences College wish Dean Bruce Harkness to convey to President White our confidence in him at this time.” This is Greg Benedetti reporting.

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[Greg Benedetti]: “To all faculty members at Kent State University, dear colleagues, the sober fact is that Kent State University is closed, not by decision of the faculty or administration, but by action of the civil authorities of Portage County and the State of Ohio. They have employed the processes of the courts, the state police authority, and the National Guard to enforce the closing, and to evict us from the campus. We cannot expect by our assigning blame for the tragic circumstances that precipitated this situation and making a pious demand in the name of academic freedom that our campus will be returned to us. If academic democracy is to work, it must be self-enforcing. We must demonstrate clearly that we understand and are able to assume the responsibility for conduct of our University. It is imperative that we define, defend academic freedom, which includes the right to dissent, as we have undertaken to do, but we must ensure that the freedom we defend is clearly differentiated from license to destroy by violence. Our campus must remain open to those who would express unpopular ideas, but it must not be a sanctuary for those who commit felonious acts, no matter what purpose they avow. We are not making just another appeal for law and order. Our position is that unless we insist upon the maintenance of orderly processes, the tragic circumstances of last Monday are the eventful and inevitable result. All who have contributed to the blurring of the connection between the rights and responsibilities of free people, must share the guilt for the deaths of our students. Those who have engaged in civil disobedience and have refused to accept the consequences, those who have cried for amnesty for those who have criminally violated the rights of others in pursuit of a worthy cause, those who have failed to understand that destroying a building is not a legitimate exercise of freedom of expression, and those who have stood silently by while this tide of passion has engulfed us in this tragic world.

We invite you to go beyond our earlier statement of outrage to join us in a reasoned attempt to put Kent State University back on its campuses and a viable and dynamic institution.

Signed,
Murvin H. Perry, professor of journalism;
Ralph Darrow, assistant professor of journalism;
Mrs. Irene Sarbey, associate professor of journalism;
Henry Beck, professor of journalism;
Harvey Saalburg, associate professor of journalism;
and Nancy Somerick, instructor of journalism.”

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[Greg Benedetti]: The Presidents’ Office has just released a letter dated May 6th, that is being sent to all parents of Kent State University students. The letter reads as follows:

“Dear KSU Parents,

Nowhere in the world is the shock of the Kent State campus tragedy more fully felt and more deeply regretted than within our University Community. Evidence of the horrors, of the violence and disorder are clearly visible. Less visible, but much deeper, are the feelings of personal loss and sympathy for parents of the students who died. I share with my colleagues a sense of frustration never before experienced. Events during those hectic days were quickly taken from our hands. Off campus security forces assumed command of the University, but alas they were unable to quell the forces of violence.

Our concern for the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff, clearly mandated the closing of the University. At this writing, our campus is still patrolled by forces of the Ohio National Guard and other state security agencies. I have, however, received word that the guardsmen are about to be released from campus duty. The University is calm, but the picture of the campus secured by armed soldiers in absence of its young people does not befit an educational institution. We must therefore focus our attention on a reopening of the University. Before reopening however, we must and will provide assurances for the safety of those within our charge. We seek normalcy and ask your assistance in reaching that goal. The mechanism for change must be reason, not violence. Efforts to secure the cooperation and the leadership within faculty and student organizations are underway. We are also working closely with the various security agencies. As soon as definite word on reopening is available, you will have immediate notification. Your understanding, support, and assistance, and that of your son or daughter on campus is vital to our efforts for reopening. We sincerely hope for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Robert I. White, President.”

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[Greg Benedetti]: Dennis P. Carey, a doctoral student in education, last night released a letter that he had sent to President White. The letter reads as follows:

 “Dear President White,

This letter is to inform you that the student effort to express support for the reopening of Kent State University as soon as possible, avoiding the situation that occurred during the weekend and Monday is being made. We’ve begun after calling several students and finding them eager to return to classes. We decided to try to secure a written expression of all students’ desires in the matter. The following was the message given over the telephone radio television media:

‘To the students of Kent State University, there is an effort being made by the undergraduate and graduate students alike to express support for the reopening of the University as soon as possible. All students are urged to send a simple statement such as, ‘I want to come back and help return the functions of KSU to normalcy.’ Please sign such statements with your name and student number and send this statement and address to concerned Kent State Students General Delivery, Ravenna Ohio, 44266.’

It should be understood that this is not an organized group, but rather an urging expression of students to the faculty, the administration, the Board of Trustees, and others that will be responsible for the reopening of Kent State. We feel a profound need to provide the faculty with current student wishes and desires. The response is already coming in and is overwhelmingly positive. We feel confident we will soon have a majority of the student body upon whom you can be responsible for adult behavior upon reopening this University. Sincerely, Dennis B. Carey, doctoral student in education.”

Following his letter, Dr. White released the following statement, “Dear Dennis, such efforts as these represent an expression of the type we would be forthcoming for our many responsible students. We deeply appreciate these indications of concern and willingness to help in this difficult period. Responsible leadership and support of this nature from within the student body is invaluable in bringing Kent State University back to normalcy. Sincerely, Robert I. White, President.”

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[John Preston Smith]: Kent State University President Robert I. White announced at the University this afternoon, to members of the Kent faculty, that the University cannot reopen normally this quarter. President White said:

[President White]: Everyone who has been asked to study the situation, take a look at it, has advised that it would be unsafe to bring students back. There are guns, there’s the danger of fire, there are publications which have advocated the killing of certain people. And there’s no one who could say to any parent, ‘we can give reasonable assurance for the safety or convenience of your son or daughter.’ There’s just no other conclusion possible other than to recognize that we cannot reopen normally this quarter.”

[John Preston Smith]: This is John Preston Smith reporting from Kent State University for WKSU news.

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[Greg Benedetti]: Kent State University is closed to students for the rest of this quarter. Arrangements are being made and students will be notified by their department chairman or faculty as to how they can earn credit for this quarter. Mechanical details about such things as picking up clothes, about graduation, about refunds will be forthcoming as soon as they are available. Each student will be notified. This is Greg Benedetti reporting.

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[Greg Benedetti]: President Robert I. White of Kent State University announced this afternoon that the University cannot reopen normally this quarter. At the same time, he said the University is working on ways to enable students to complete work for the present quarter through such methods as independent study. He made the announcements in a meeting of more than 1,000 members of the Kent faculty at a ninety-minute meeting in the University Auditorium.

“Everyone who has been asked to study the situation and take a look at it has advised us that it would be unsafe to bring students back,” Dr. White said, adding, “There are guns, there is danger of fire, there are publications which have advocated the killing of certain people, and there is no one who can say to any parent, ‘we can give reasonable assurance for the safety or convenience of your son or daughter.’ There is just no other conclusion possible other than to recognize we cannot reopen normally this quarter. We’ve lost protection,” Dr. White said, and stressing that a guarantee of safety for students and faculty was a key condition for reopening the University.

“The Ohio National Guard has pulled out and it is unlikely, in my opinion, it will be ordered back to any college campus in Ohio,” Dr. White said. He added, “In addition, the Ohio State patrol lost ninety-eight men in the five days of disturbances at Ohio State and are undermanned. So, you see,” Dr. White continued, “we are stripped of trained professional protection and unfortunately, we are now a mecca throughout the nation.” Dr. White, who has headed Kent State since 1963, talked for one hour. He also explained the original injunction granted by Portage County Common Pleas Court Monday, the day four Kent students were fatally shot. The injunction, he added, contended the situation including the deaths, presented a clear and present danger to the health and safety of the country. In discussing how students might complete their courses this quarter, although the University will be closed, Dr. White said, “We can save the day, however. We can save the day as far as appropriations are concerned. We can save the day in our obligations to our students if we nerve ourselves up to it.” Always we must be sought adding, “it will be up to our deans of the four colleges and graduate school to affect the level way to do this.” Dr. White received a standing ovation from the faculty as he walked to the stage shortly after 2:00 p.m. He reached the lectern and said, “That’s the first nice thing in many, many days and a sign of your loyalty to Kent State University.” He said he had hoped to communicate with faculty members on a regular basis following the Monday shootings, which he described as the horrifying thing that has happened, but that he simply had been too busy with the courts, federal agencies, our University officials, and the Board of Trustees, along with others. Dr. White added that suggestions and telephone calls and other correspondence from the faculty had helped preserve whatever sanity one may have had. He also referred to the Monday incidents as “a moment of shock and horror which I never want to live through again, nor do you. Since then,” Dr. White added, “preservation of the University has been our first goal and it still remains that. However, we will have to operate under things we don’t like. I trust we all can be tolerant with each other.” He also added, “My remarks are very sober, they are realistic. We are up against it.” Referring, once again, to the shootings Monday, Dr. White said, “I have long since gone past the point of trying to assess who is to blame.”

Dr. John D. White, associate dean, graduate, issued the following statement, “All course work will continue through the quarter by means of off-campus meetings, telephone, mail, and other information which will be made available. Each department in the graduate school will handle this individually. All graduate students should contact their departmental graduate coordinator or department chairmen. It is hoped that all academic goals will be achieved, but without the graduate students actually being on campus.” That’s according to Dr. John D. White, associate dean of the graduate school.

Going on to the faculty meeting, once again, Dr. White continued, “There is the haunting realization that the very existence of the University may be in jeopardy.” The President said, “Nationally, and statewide, there is a polarization. On the one side, there is lunacy and on the other, frightening repression. There are those who advocate action without order and those who want order without discussion. I have not heard from those who know how to put the two together.”

The original injunction issued by Portage County Common Pleas Court Judge Albert Caris, Monday, had closed the Kent State University campus to all students, faculty, and staff, and civil service employees, except those specially authorized by the National Guard, which came to Kent Saturday and onto the University campus Saturday night, following the burnings of an ROTC building. Dr. White explained to the faculty that five modifications have been obtained. They are: the Kent State University School, which is operated by the University, but is located across the street on Summit Street from the Kent campus, will be allowed to reopen Monday. As of 8:00 a.m. Monday, all regular rank instructors, assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors, full-time faculty members of the University, will be allowed on campus between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. And, that as of noon, Thursday, May 8th, President White, members of the Board of Trustees and whatever civil service employees are needed to have access to the campus, may have it. Also, at the meeting was a letter received from John Millet, the Chancellor of Ohio State Colleges. That announcement on what he had to say will be coming up shortly.

President White announced at the faculty meeting the appointment of a special investigating committee on campus violence at Kent State University. The commission,  scheduled to convene early next week, is charged with the responsibility to receive and evaluate statements related to any facet of the recent events on campus. Dr. Harold M. Mayer, university professor of geography, has been named chairman of the commission. Other faculty members selected by the faculty sentence committee on committees are Dr. John Doutt, chairman of the management department, Dr. Doris P. Franklin, English, Dr. John F. Ohles, secondary education, and Kathleen Whitmer, art. Administration members selected by President White to serve on the commission are the University’s four vice presidents, Richard Dunn, business, Dr. Louis Harris, provost, Dr. Robert Matson, student affair, and Ronald W. Roskens, administration. Three students also will serve on the commission. They are senior political science major, Kathy Stafford, of 424 West Plum Street, Tip City, junior history major Jerry Warnement of 131 Manor, Southwest Canton, and doctor of philosophy candidate in geography, Hubert Bloomer of Kent. The undergraduates were chosen by student body president, Frank Frisina, and the graduate student, William A. Resch, chairman of the graduate student council. All appointments were approved by President White. Kent State University’s six branches and three academic centers will open Monday for classes. The facilities with an enrollment of seventy-five hundred, can re-open because we are not included in the injunction, according to William Stevens, dean of University branches. The branches and centers are located in Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Salem, Elyria, Geauga County, Chardon, and Chesterland, Orville, Canton, Warren, New Philadelphia, and Wadsworth. This is Greg Benedetti reporting.

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