STATEMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT CHAIRMEN, THE
DEAN OF FACULTY, AND THE PRESIDENT

~ On April 14th from 4:00 p.m. through 12:15 the following morning, and
again on April 15th starting at 4:00 p.m. and continuing to 1:00 a.m. of
April 16th the College Personnel and Budget Committee consisting of depart-
ment chairmen and the Dean of the Faculty met with President McMurray to
consider means of dealing with the current unrest on the campus. Represent-
ations were received from various groups including the Concerned Faculty
Group, a caucus of representatives from 20 departments, 59 members of the
Education Department, members of student government, the Committee for
Education at Queens College, the Human Development Center, the Queens College
Coalition and others. As a result of its deliberations the Committee is
releasing the following series of statements. These are regarded as con-
structive movement toward the solution of a number of the problems raised.

The demonstration of the College's ability to police itself is the
best guarantee of keeping police off the campus.

In the current climate of formulation and exchange of views we are
suspending judgment on the necessity of calling in outside authority to
resist attempts to impose solutions by disruptive action. We will not be
provoked into overreacting to tactics which may be viewed by some as
requiring a so-called "hard line". We put this position forward as evidence
of our desire to establish an atmosphere of good faith while we explore the
complex interests and issues represented in the current situation.

Many department chairmen and departmental Personnel and Budget Committees
share with the larger academic community a sense of uneasiness concerning some
salient provisions of the Max-Kahn Memorandum and doubt that these accord with
the relations that should exist between academic colleagues, particularly bet-
ween tenured and non-tenured members.

A detailed examination of the entire Memorandum by a group of tenured and
non-tenured faculty members, through open hearings, with a view to recommending
significant revisions is consequently called for within the next several weeks,

We note that the Faculty Council already has consideration of the Max-Kahn
memorandum on its April 17 agenda.

A substantial majority of the Committee recommended to Dean Pierson that
the charges against the three students arising from the G.E. demonstrations
be dropped. Dean Pierson agreed to accept the recommendation.

We share the feeling of many students and faculty that the present gov-
ernance structures of the College are inadequate. The recently published
report of the student-faculty governance committee provides a positive basis
for discussion and action concerning procedures for increased participation
at all levels of the campus community.

We need to explore means to change the bylaws which many students and
faculty feel require amending and that the governance report, to be discussed

over the next few weeks will provide one of the means for recommending such
amendments,including improvements in the present grievance procedures,

The first stage in this series of deliberations was the meeting of the
Personnel and Budget Committee on Thursday, April 10th, which accepted the
suggestion of the Concerned Faculty Group establishing a moratorium on the
campus. The Committee will continue to meet to examine and discuss new
proposals and further implications and implementation of the issues before
it in the hope that peace will be restored to the campus.

We would like to indicate to the College community that, in the midst
of the serious difficulties we have undergone since January we have also
undergone a profound learning experience concerning the nature of the contemp-
orary university in a period of deep social change.

April 16, 1969
Queens College of the
City University of New York