BROOKLYN COLLEGE
OF
THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
BROOKLYN, N. Y. 11210

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT ; MEMORANDUM
To all members of the student body

From the acting president

I want all of you to be aware of the seriousness with which I view the
disruptions which have recently taken place on the Brooklyn College campus. Last
Thursday and Friday roving bands of vandals broke into offices, terrorized staff
members, damaged college and student property, threw smoke bombs, set fires and
generally interfered with the normal operation of the college. In my judgment those
acts went beyond the critical point at which it was absolutely imperative that some
counter action be taken immediately.

At its last meeting, the Faculty Council delegated its former CLAS respon-
sibilities regarding discipline to the Student Government of CLAS. I agree with the
Faculty Council that, with regard to all but major infractions ,the Student Government
has full authority. The transferred responsibilities also give Student Government
an equal voice in due process appeal and review and in recommending disciplinary
action in cases of suspension. The actual power and responsibility to suspend de-
volves only upon the deans and the president, but suspensions are temporary, and
subject to immediate review. The Student Government may itself prefer charges and
make recommendations. No. such charges were made by last Friday. Dean Wiepert's-
action was necessary, and it is essential that the faculty and student committees
stipulated in the legislation sit immediately so that the suspended students will
be assured of due process. The Student Government has designated the student com-
mittee, and by this afternoon the faculty committee will have been named.

I would like to point out that action was taken only after repeated
warnings and in the face of persistent acts of disruption. In addition to warnings
given in recent weeks, a regulation passed last May,and published in various com-
munications that reached all students, specified that any student who disrupted
the normal functioning of the college would be subject to suspension.

If Brooklyn College is to continue to meet the needs and respond to the
desires of the great majority of its students, the administration, faculty and
student governments have a moral and legal obligation to take action against persons
whose actions disrupt the functions of the college and pose a danger to staff and
students alike. JI am not passing judgment on the expressed goals of the protesters.
We must distinguish between goals and actions, and I emphasize that what has been
done is based on actions. My previous statements on the objectives of the Concerned
Students Coalition still stand and I trust that necessary changes in college policy
and curriculum can be worked out when tranquil conditions prevail for the discussion
of the problems. It is futile to attempt discussions in an atmosphere of violence
and disruption, but steps are already being taken to implement a number of the

‘ "demands" that the college believes are just and for which it has -- or expects to
get -- the resources necessary for implementation.

May 5, 1969

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