[Marty Howard]: This is Marty Howard, WKNT, Total Information News. In response to the literally hundreds of telephone calls in the last two days since the announcement of the closing of Kent State University, and in an effort to answer some of the questions that have been posed by those telephone calls, we have asked Kent State University president Robert I. White to be in our studios and answer as many of them as possible, and with opening remarks, here is Kent State president, Robert I. White.

[Robert I. White]: Thank you Mr. Howard. With me is Dr. Ronald Roskens, who is Vice President for Administration, part of whose assignment includes the responsibility for the oversight of external releases, news relations, and so on, as well as internal communications, but who also, with many other associates including all four Vice Presidents, has been deeply and intimately involved in the events of the past days. He’s been a tower of strength and I’ll be glad to have him answer any questions which I cannot handle.

And Marty, if I may call you that, all of us at the University want to compliment WKNT for a superb job of news reporting and interpreting during the past week. It has been a splendid performance by your station in the face of overwhelming obstacles. Last Monday afternoon, within minutes after the shooting, I ordered the closing of Kent State University for very obvious reasons. We have now reached a decision that we shall remain closed in so far as normal operations go for the rest of this quarter. We do plan to re-open for the summer session, and along with the other state universities in Ohio, trust that the fall quarter will open in September on schedule. We have refused to reopen the University under normal conditions for a number of reasons, the most prominent of which is the fact that none of us is able at the moment to give assurance of normalcy or of safety to students, to faculty or staff, or to community. Nevertheless, we are going to save the day. We’re going to complete our obligations, instruction-wise and in other ways to students. The faculty is totally, enthusiastically, and completely resolved upon using a variety of methods of instruction so that students will not lose this quarter’s work.

We have in a sense, turned the corner. We’ve come out of a terrifying, a horrifying episode. We’re going to preserve the University as an institution, and we’re going to move ahead from this point. In the face of some sobering, some purging, and some unifying factors into an ever-better University. I think I’m in order too to emphasize to the Kent community, indeed to all of Portage County that we share in the realization of the necessity for the building of many bridges, of joint cooperative action with the community so that in the past, some of the things which have plagued both of us will not have to bother us again, and we’re looking forward to a great deal of joint effort along those lines. I did not mean to make these opening remarks so long, but now we’ll be glad to answer your questions. If indeed Dr. Roskens doesn’t have something he’d like to add at this point.

[Marty Howard]: Okay, fine Dr. White. Thank you very much. Now, I have a basic list of about nine areas that I think we ought to cover. First of all, you have alluded both in your meeting with the faculty, Dr. White, and in your statements here, to this fact that classes will continue by some other means. I have been given to understand from what I’ve heard you say that it is going to be up to each individual professor to make the determination on how each individual student will continue or finish this particular quarter’s work.

[Robert I. White]: With regard to the completion of credit obligations, you’re essentially correct. Much depends on the kind of class, whether it’s advanced research or a general introductory course, yes. There will be correspondence work, there will be independent seminars of one sort or another and so on. But the deans in each college and the department chairmen are at this moment, in fact, have been for several days, working on these arrangements. Each student will receive a direct and complete statement from the University within several days, in addition to direct letters from each professor he has had.

[Ronald Roskens]: Yes, I might add to that that we anticipate mailing on Monday to all students a bulletin which will contain as much information as we can provide from each of the services within the University and indeed, that letter will contain some of the things that Dr. White just pointed out. We’re especially concerned that we communicate as quickly as we can and of equal importance, that we provide up-to-date information. Consequently, we intended to mail bulletins to students at their home addresses and I emphasize the latter, at their home addresses, as frequently as necessary, and we will be conveying as much information as we can almost on a daily basis. In addition, as the president pointed out, there will be going from each professor, each member of the teaching faculty, to those students enrolled in his or her courses, letters containing information about requirements yet to be met and procedures by which that can be done.

[Marty Howard]: Let me narrow that question down now, let’s talk about seniors in particular. Now, some seniors were working towards graduation and the statement has been made now that the University will not reopen at least until summer session. That would preclude graduation apparently.

[Robert I. White]: Apparently, you are correct. Excuse me, I mean, if you use the word apparently, it is correct to say that the commencement is at least in doubt. I would not want to make such a definite announcement at this time. I think perhaps it’s fair to say we’d like to hear more from the students who would be involved.

[Marty Howard]: How?

[Robert I. White]: Here’s a chance for them to show their commitment to orderly process, their deep personal involvement, their deep resolve to do all they could to get matters back on a normal basis as soon as possible. Dr. Millet, in his general statement to the Universities which I read to the full faculty yesterday, recommended that all extracurricular activities be suspended in the instance of a school such as ourselves which will not reopen, and he specifically referred to commencements as an item that ought to be foregone. Let me say only with regard to commencement then that we’re still leaving that item in, you might say limbo, at the moment, but it is definite that all extracurricular activities, all gatherings, all clubs, all student government procedures, all concerts, all public meetings, anything of that sort is scrubbed for the rest of the quarter.

[Marty Howard]: Now, let me separate the word graduation from commencement. A senior might–would receive a diploma from Kent State University providing that he has finished this quarter’s work based on whatever would be figured out. He would still graduate from Kent State University in the area of June.

[Ronald Roskens]: Of that, there’s no doubt that obviously, each person would be expected to complete the requirements as they’re outlined by faculty and by the total faculty of the college in question, but once those have been completed, obviously, we intend to provide certificates of completion, normally called graduation.

[Marty Howard]: Next question deals with extracurricular groups who are at work now. They may be new organizations, they may be old organizations working. We’ve had one announcement saying that there was a quote, “faculty meeting scheduled for today.” All this information Dr. Roskens, is coming directly through the information service, is this correct?  

[Ronald Roskens]: Let me say to that question Marty, that we’d like to think that after today certainly, we’ve been talking about this a good deal in several meetings in which I was a part this morning. We hope that after today, all information pertaining to official meetings, that is those which are endorsed and are a part of the University per say, be they faculty, students, what have you, will come from and through our University News Bureau. Indeed, we would ask all members of the faculty and the student body who wish to have some announcement of some official kind of meeting, we would ask them to make certain that the News Bureau is informed and they in turn will see that the various news media have the information. Indeed, in each instance, we’re asking the vice presidents to certify the correctness of announcements as we proceed from this point.

[Marty Howard]: Right, so people on WKNT then would be hearing announcements mainly from John Preston Smith and Jerry Hayes and Paul Schlemmer and Jim Bruss and Joe Durbin and those folks from the News Service through our newsroom.

[Ronald Roskens]: That is correct.

[Marty Howard]: Now, civil service employees have been calling here periodically. As I understand it now, and correct me if I’m wrong, the civil service employees are to begin work Monday if they are called by their supervisors.

[Ronald Roskens]: Yes, Vice President Dunn has made it quite clear to his supervisors and we think the same is true in let us say, academic offices for example. Our information this morning was that all have been notified, all persons who need to make notification, I mean by that, that if employees are needed and wanted in the offices on Monday, they will be informed by telephone from their immediate supervisors.

[Marty Howard]: Dr. White, about the University School, as I understand, the injunction has been changed slightly to allow the opening of the Kent State University School.

[Robert I. White]: Yes, we were very happy to see that. In fact, that’s one of the modifications for which we petitioned. As what you might call a phasing in of regular processes, the University School will be open regularly, normally, as of next Monday.

[Marty Howard]: The next question deals with people who may have the bulk of their clothes, possibly some very valuable personal possessions that they would like to move off the Kent State University campus. I’ll let Ron field this one. Dr. Roskens, when will they be able to come on campus?

[Ronald Roskens]: I regret that I cannot give a specific time at this point. There are a number of questions that need to be answered by various personnel at our place before we can move into that area. But I can say that this bulletin of which I spoke earlier, the first of which will go tomorrow, and subsequent issues will go soon thereafter, in those bulletins, there will be that information as quickly as it can be made available. Dr. Matson, vice president for student affairs and Dr. Ambler and others were beginning the planning of that sort of eventuality this morning and we certainly contemplate making announcements accordingly, soon.

[Robert I. White]: Just as a side comment to support Dr. Roskens’ statement, we are getting all sorts of phone calls from parents and students who are worried about this or that. There was one young lady, called in this morning from her home in the Western part of the state to warn us that in her room, there were some dead cats from an anatomy class and that she hoped we would get in and take care of them.

[Marty Howard]: Before they took care of you. Odor, all right. Athletics, Ron, I assume that the sporting has been canceled, although I understand the MAC has a meeting tomorrow.

[Ronald Roskens]: I really have no specific additional information to that. My assumption is just as you phrased it, but certainly, I do not anticipate, I don’t think we do, that there would be any further athletic activity of a formal nature during this spring term.

[Marty Howard]: My information also says that the mid-American conference commissioner, Bob James, will be meeting tomorrow with his fellow commissioners and it was my understanding, and this is not official, that if any one of the member schools were closed, the spring activities would be canceled. This may sound like a way-out question, and it did to me initially, and then it dawned on me that while Kent State University is closed, there are young people who are trying to make plans for fall 1970 about going to school. Their applications may be in process at Kent State University. They may be thinking yet of applying to Kent State University, do we have anything that we can say to those people?

[Ronald Roskens]: Well, certainly, we could say that our admissions staff will be in full force, or certainly, a reasonable number of persons will be in those offices beginning tomorrow, and I should imagine that the communication process will begin to see letters going out rapidly and we would hope that such individuals who have been contemplating attendance at Kent State University as freshmen will continue to regard themselves as future students of ours and we look forward to having them. But certainly, if there’s question of hearing from us, I do say certainly, they will be hearing from us soon.

[Robert I. White]: And we do plan to go ahead with the regular schedule of new student activities during the summer session.

[Marty Howard]: Enrollment for summer session too will go on as scheduled as it stands right now. Is that correct?

[Robert I. White]: Yes, that’s correct.

[Marty Howard]: I believe that covers my list of questions. Bob Carpenter has been on the telephone about as much as I have. Are there more that you can think of that we have passed over? I think this is a summary of the ones that we have gotten and there are any further comments that we have from either Dr. White or Dr. Roskens?

[Ronald Roskens]: Could I just add a comment? I don’t believe we’ve mentioned the branches in this conversation.

[Marty Howard]: No, we haven’t, thank you.

[Ronald Roskens]: And I think it would be desirable to mention again, as you have been doing very faithfully and I certainly second Dr. White’s comments. We should mention again that the branches are exempt from the proceedings through which we have been going here recently, to the extent that the branches are opening tomorrow in all instances and I think it’s fair to say that they will be moving toward full programs very quickly.

[Robert I. White]: I have one additional observation. We were talking here on Saturday afternoon, it was a week ago yesterday night, at a rather frightening series of events began to unfold. It is possible to say that for four days, all of us lived under the possibility that death might descend some place or other. We cannot let this opportunity pass knowing of course that WKNT covers this area without trying feebly to give our heartfelt thanks to the law enforcement units of the City of Kent, the City of Ravenna, Portage County, the Kent Fire Department; I understand also that the Ravenna fire department was called in; to ever so many organized and volunteer agencies who rallied around in a display of assistance as well as community concern. That has meant very much. It is not possible to give enough thanks for the help which was extended. We do appreciate it, we probably are not going to be able to find everybody who helped out. For example, I noticed canteens on the campus helping to provide food and some sort of food refreshments for members of the National Guard, or for the State Highway Patrol and we’re gonna continue to need that kind of help for some time to come. I understand that that was the Red Cross and the Salvation Army who rallied around the flag there particularly. So, as I say, we’re not gonna be able to identify everybody, but to whatever extent we can, we want to make sure those thanks are understood.  

[Marty Howard]: There’s one final comment that Bob just brought up, Bob Carpenter just brought up. There have been stories and counter stories and so on about rebate on student fees that may have been paid. Would you care to get into that at this point?

[Robert I. White]: Yes, that’s very specific. With regard to instructional fees, there is of course, no rebates since the faculty is fully mobilized and hard at work and it is understood that all students will have an opportunity to receive credit. With regard to the general fee portion of the total fees, there will be no rebate either since those money commitments were all made and furthermore, additional funds will be needed for the repair of damages. There will be refunds for unused room and board charges in the residence halls. Those exact proportions have not yet been determined, but there will be such rebates and there will be announcement of that within several days.  

[Marty Howard]: All right, and I think for many of the questions that are being phoned to us, we are not taking telephone calls and questions, and we will take them, but not for direct answering here and we will pass them along to University News Service. Dr. Roskens, I guess this falls in your area, will there be refunds on campus day activities and tickets?

[Ronald Roskens]: It doesn’t happen to fall within the privy of my responsibilities, but I will speak to it, in that I happened to have heard just today that there is in process procedures which will provide for refund of those tickets, and I regret that I can’t give specific information about what that procedure is, but I do know that that’s one of the things that will be contained in the newsletter of which I spoke earlier.

[Marty Howard]: All right, so I think we can sum up briefly what has been said then. The University is definitely closed at least until summer session, and that any further operational or as I believe you phrased it on the phone, mechanical information will be furnished in bulletins, and they will be sent not to the Kent address, but to the permanent address of the student involved. Dr. White, thank you very, very much for coming out. I know you’ve had a very busy week. Dr. Roskens, thank you too, sir for being here. This is Marty Howard, WKNT Total Information News.

[End of recording]

×