ustxtxb_obs_1968_05_24_50_00005-00000_000.pdf

Photo by Berner Wright Larry Caroline concept at the University of Texas, from the board of regents through the budget council of the philosophy department.” ALTHOUGH THE budget council met in private, its decision has been discussed at meetings of graduate students and faculty of the philosophy department, a meeting of the American Association of University Professors and an SDS rally and forum. Caroline, eight members of the budget council, and other interested professors and students spoke at the four-hour SDS forum. The council’s decision and Caroline himself were discussed in minute and sometimes embarrassing detail. For the most part the members of the budget council who spoke \(most of those present had voted in favor fended the budget council’s action. “I have never heard or heard of discussions of a junior man which were more qualified by discretion,” Dr. Erwin C. Lieb told an audience of about 400. Dr. Lewis Mackey, a council member, said, “It has been repeatedly said that the budget council’s decision in re Larry Caroline was not political. In particular it has been insisted that the decision was not made in response to outside political pressures. Both these statements are literally true … Nevertheless; it is intuitively obvious to me that if Larry Caroline had not made political speeches, or if he had not made speeches of a radical sort, then there simply would have been no ‘Larry Caroline case.’ The question of his reappointment would have been, as several others were, a more or less routine question. In this sense the Caroline case was a political issue.” Caroline argued that he had been given no opportunity to reply to the accusations of the budget council and insisted he was denied academic freedom. Dramatically pointing to the press table, he said, “My friends over there are the ones who started it. They have made of me a public figure which I never wanted to become. They are constitutionally incapable of telling the truth, because their editors will not permit it.” He went on to say, “the chairman of the board of regents at this university has created an atmosphere of political intimidation on this campus and that is inexcusable …. “If you want to know why academic freedom is dead at the University, it is because every single department at the University is run by a budget council. Students are allowed to have opinions, but they are never allowed to cast the deciding vote. Because of this the university exists as a travesty on democracy.” Dr. Silber was the last scheduled speaker. “What strikes me as particularly curious,” he said, “is that in this atmosphere of intimidation there are so many outspoken men.” He discussed the Caroline case in detail, insisting that the young professor has been given a chance to rebut the budget council charges at the meeting of philosophy students and pro fessors two days after the budget council meeting. Silber told the audience, “To say that academic freedom on this campus is dead is to slander this campus. Your academic freedom is not in question and if you think it is you are a very timid person.” People have reasoned that Larry Caroline lost his job because he spoke out, Silber said. In order to counter that argument, the university would have to give automatic tenure to anyone who has been criticized by a member of the board of regents. Silber and Caroline took turns rebutting one another until the meeting was ended in order to relinquish the room to another speaker. joined Caroline in requesting an investigation by the committee on academic freedom and responsibility to see whether a public hearing concerning Caroline should be called. The AAUP voted down a resolution charging that an atmosphere exists on campus which tends to intimidate those who wish to speak out on controversial issues. Although Dean Silber and President Hackerman have upheld the council’s action, Caroline has appealed to the budget council to reconsider its decision. Caroline says he does not know what he will do if the committee on academic freedom decides against calling for a hearing on his contract termination. K.N. The University chapter of the AAU May 24, 1968 5