[Robert I. White]: –where it disrupts anybody’s dining hours or anything of the sort. I want to apologize also for any disheveled or bedraggled appearance I may have, because I’ve been going since 4:30 this morning with a Board of Trustees meeting and many other developments. But there are a few things, one or two announcements, and also a statement of philosophy, if you want to call it that, in which I thought the students of Kent State University would be interested.

First of all, as you know, the question of the gag rule preventing me from commenting on the grand jury report, the State Special Grand Jury, has been a matter of discussion and you know it’s under suit. I am advised that the Federal Court in Cleveland, which heard the petition for a permanent restraining order this–today, adjourned about 2:30 this afternoon. The judge has taken the matter under advisement with no indication of when he’ll give a decision. As you also know, the suit against the injunction filed on my behalf by Counsel for the University John Williams is filed in the Court of Common Pleas here in Portage County. They’ve indicated that they would wait until the Federal Courts had given a decision.

Another piece of information which ought to be of interest, it certainly is to me, is the fact that despite the preliminary announcements of last Friday and Saturday, all of us can now be assured that House Bill 1219 will not be applied in the instances of the arrests under the present indictments by the State Special Grand Jury. I spent a good deal of time Friday afternoon and Saturday morning protesting what seemed to be the trend of development. It was possibly legal that the act could be applied to these cases, but certainly everyone, including myself, would feel that it was unjust. The campus should know that Chancellor John Millett gave us a great deal of help in reversing the original statement by the Office of the Attorney General.

Now, today we had a Board of Trustees meeting. These come about once every six weeks. There are certain actions which ought to be reported, and then there is a discussion piece, which I ought to bring before the student body. First of all, with regard to definite actions, perhaps you’ve heard by now that the new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics is Mr. Milo Lude, L-U-D-E, who for the last eight years, has been football coach at the Colorado State University. This recommendation was made by the search and recommending committee from the athletic committee including faculty and staff members and also students and alumni. We had the advantage of a good deal of assistance from the commissioner of the mid-America conference, and a number of other people who are very useful and knowledgeable in intercollegiate athletics. Mr. Lude is a man of tremendous vigor, a fine speaker, a good organizer, a person who will do very much indeed to advance and to promote our intercollegiate athletic program.

I can’t let the occasion pass without saying just one word of tribute to Dr. Carl Erickson, Dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, who gave up the position of Director of Athletics in order to give full time to that deanship. Over the past years, Dr. Erickson has brought into our intercollegiate athletic program a firm character, and I mean that just exactly as I say it. In these days, it is very important that your intercollegiate athletic program be open and above board, that everyone be confident that there’s nothing under the table. That means very much to us.

Secondly, and this is a brand-new announcement, I am authorized by the Board of Trustees to announce the appointment of Dr. David Ambler as Vice President for Student Affairs, to succeed Dr. Robert Matson. As you know, we installed Dr. Ambler as Acting Vice President for Student Affairs when Dr. Matson left with such short notice. That was a very logical move. In the interim since then, I have been checking with student opinion, with faculty opinion, and with the staff of that division. There is a full and convinced feeling that Dr. Ambler should be installed as permanent Vice President for Student Affairs. And it’s a matter of pleasure to me, because of what I think of him, for his credibility, his inventiveness, his flexibility, his skill and organization, to make that announcement. It is also important in that it now gives us a full crew. As you know, we lost two vice presidents during the summer, and for a while, operated with acting appointments in those two posts. We now have a full, permanent entitlement.

Now, the matter which I wanted to call to your attention and which might be somewhat–might start out to be somewhat dry to you, deals with that part of the Board of Trustees meeting which we call the President’s Report. At the Board of Trustees meetings, there’s the usual routine of agenda, specifically including recommendations of the president, reports of committees, new business, unfinished business, etcetera, etcetera, but also another section entitled the Report of the President of the University. Today, among thirteen items I listed, these four: the opening of the year, the Scranton Commission Report, the Interim Committee of the General Assembly of the State of Ohio Report, and the State Special Grand Jury. I treated those four altogether. I hold here the sheath of notes from which I spoke somewhat extemporaneously. I commented at some length on the Stanton Commission General Report, which in my opinion, is very valuable, excellent. I commented on the Report of the Interim Commission of the General Assembly, pointing out that it had a number of good points and some that ought to be questioned, and that we would take those under study. I called the attention of the Board of Trustees to the very, very, many steps which had been taken with regard to the opening of KSU for the fall quarter, being very careful to note that so far, we had done nothing to interfere with or to impair the true, basic nature of a good university.

And then, we come to the point which I would like to call to your attention. And it is of interest because it is a message that every student on this campus, every faculty member, every staff member, in fact, every voter in Ohio ought to have placed before them. I started by calling attention to that petition which is being circulated, and which is accompanied by the signs, by the little stickers that say, “Keep Kent Open.” I pointed out that this is an answer by thousands of students to the question of what can I do? And that regardless of the numbers who sign that petition, I am told it will be very large indeed, that it reflects a conviction, which is a growing focus within this campus. The students who are signing this petition are not copouts. They retain their interest in national issues, in world questions, in social problems of all sorts, they are dedicated to the preservation of free study and discourse. As indeed, all of us are and shall see to their maintenance. They are, however, convinced that KSU can run itself without outside persons, no matter of what persuasion, as the petition reads. They feel that there are peaceful ways, ways of non-violence, ways without disruption of getting at these questions. Through the device of this public meeting, I told the public that the very way to spark dissent is to suppress it. And I also called attention to the fact that among all young people, regardless of whatever political persuasion they are, there is a sense of justice, which would react to anything which smacks of being unjust. In my opinion, no institution, no university in American history has been so battered as has Kent State University during the past six to eight weeks. I don’t need to repeat the items to you, rumors, threats, incessant investigations, ripping reports, tension arousers of all sorts, incomplete or slanted press and radio television–keeping in mind of course, that almost universally, our press people are of the highest caliber–bomb scares, many other things to come, a problem that will lie with us for the entire year. To take as you have, as the faculty has, as the administrative staff has, all of those assaults in stride certainly is a triumph. My precise words to the Board of Trustees was that the shape of Kent State University today is a triumph for stamina, for good sense, for commitment, and for loyalty to Kent State University.

We have a rough year ahead. Our single task–my single task–is to see to it that we have a year of good operation. I said we had to applaud all groups connected with the University, that today Kent State University is not only far different from what it was a year ago, but it is far better. But that regardless, whatever fundamentals there were which went to make up a true university, remained unchanged, and so far as I was concerned, were going to remain unchanged.

You will like to know that at the conclusion of that report and after some discussion, the Board of Trustees adopted a resolution applauding all segments of the University. That is of interest because it shows that the Board of Trustees is a part of the family. I am beginning to find that after the Grand Jury Report of two weeks ago tomorrow, that there is a great deal of solid, friendly opinion building for Kent State University. I think we’re going to be surprised at the friends who are going to appear despite the way in which so many of us have been down in the mouth. Anyway, with apologies for the time I’ve taken, I thought that these were some items which might be of interest to you. I want to thank you for your attention. It’s been a pleasure to be with you, and believe me, it’s been a pleasure to be associated with the groups that have done what they have in the past two months. Goodnight.

[End of recording.]



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