Crisis at Columbia

([New York :  Columbia Spectator,  1968])

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  May 3:Page 8  



COLUMBIA DAILY SPECTATOR
 

Crisis   May   Inaugura
 

te    Change
 

real constituencyoíthlsLiniversítj'

is  Its student body and faculty.

rhis interpretationoftherelation-

ships of power and responsibility

In the Unlversity has bôen impli-

cit in the vieivs expressed durlng

the past tno weeks of crisis and

may soon  be embodied in instĩ-

tutíonal  airangemenls. These ar-

rangemenls may malte possible

greater  parttcipation by students

and faculty in the dBlermínation of

University policies.

 The executive commitlee of the

faculty is  now  concerning  itself

ivith the related short and long-

lerm probiems that  this erlsis

has given them the  opportunity

to doal  with.  Their objective is

not merely  to quiel   down the

current  uproai-  and have students

resttme  their work but  also to

"set in motion proceiur;s and

mechanisnis that ívlll  ensure that

this is the l.indori.'niversitywhere

students wish to attend classes,"

according to Michael Sovern, pro-
 

'i'hc ,'II
 

prepare  a  set of proposals to

revamp Llniversity organizatĩonand
 

pendent report. Since the commit-

tee can conv.-i _e the entire faculty,

it does have a real base of pwer.

                  b directly
 

es, itci
 

ljy-p;
 

tho adminĩstration. The Truslees

acĩ on what they are told. When

information flovts to , them from

the Universitythratighpeopleother

tliat Grayson Kirk, then the admin-

istration  can  no  longer act  as

a bottlcnech.

To a university presidont,  lĩlte



prise, no way ol undermiriing liis

authority  ĩs more serious Ihan

going over his head. That is what

the executive committee is doing,

  But that is as far as the fac-

ulty has  gone. And  in going no

further  It is  losing  the faith of

many striking studenls.

fectlve step it could try

ivould be  to j-.'ii..■■■.- the absentee

control by the Tmstoes.
 

Itttion of the currenl upheaval

has been the Trustees'  absence

froni  the llniverslty and their

ignorance of thlngs that have oc-

cttrred here, sueh as the police

.rutality and tho exlent of supporl

tlic demonstrators drew.

  A fĩrst step—but only a first

step—  to reduce  the distance ol

tho Trustees from Columbiawould

be to have faculty  trustees.BeiriÊ



much time, judging fromthemani-

fold other positions trustees hold,

so that men wĩth  real academic

interests willnot reject the post

on Ihe grounds that it takes them

away from study or research. The

introductlon of faculty members

into the Trustees will loosen the

solid Mstablishmentcompositionof

the Board.

  Some ofthisvtas broughtoutyes-

terday at a meeting oí the execu-

tive committee wlth a  group of

"sludent leaders".  Tlie committee

vi-.ll bc conferring willi students

while it develops its proposals but

It is not inviting students to join.

lt may be incumbent upon students

to constitute their  own grotips to

formulale some comprehensĩve

program and tofunctlon in thenew

syslem whĩch will be established.

ftt all  cost a student government

run by campus politicos must be

avoided. Thelessonslearnedinco-

ordinating the strike may prove

valuable in setting up student

groups in the future.

  The  question now Is whether it

ivlll be possible to have  a real

surrender  of power  to students

andfacultj' by theTrusteesandad-

minĩstration without aformalde-

claration on their part. At present

many of their powers have passed

to the faculty in  fields like ap-

polntments,  tenure and curricu-

lum. They nowonly rotalnthenom-

inal right to gíve  pro torma ap-

proval. The means must be founi"

to extend the areas of pro form;

approval to  questions of dĩsci-

pline, planning, design, and com
 

  One of  the reasons for the

protest has been to show that due

process does not exist at Col-

umbia. According to the demon-

strotors, the absence of due pro-

cess made it necessary for their

protest to take extralegal forms

and matfe it impossible for them

to  abide  by the  the existing

rules of discipline.

  ĩt is doubtful thal Iho transfor-

mation of power currontly under-

way wlll redistritjute power suf-

ficlenlly lo deny the administra-



tion power to impose  arbitrary

rules.  But it  is the business of

students to ensure that the redis-

tríbution of power is in the right

dircetion and tiiat some real bal-

ance is created. It all that is done

is  to set  up  some meanlngless

.iiiiiiiiíitees that tum Into buffers

betwe
 

 formahzed changes will have been





  Setting up a perfect charter will

 maho  Iittle difference if its sta-

. tutes are  allowed to fall into des-

; uetude by the majority of campla-

\ cent students  or ĩts statutes are

j systematlcally evaded  by insen-

: sistive adminlstrators unwilĩingto

. be  bothered with tlie demands  of

"the inevitably ■small  minority"

;of concerned  students.
 

THE  COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY

            B00KST0RE
 

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  May 3:Page 8