MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING 

OF THE 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
May IT, 1962 

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Present:  Dr. Smith, Chairman, Messrs. Huff, Merriman, Stevens, Vanderploeg; President Hannah, 

Treasurer May and Secretary Breslin 

Absent:  Mr. Harlan; Dr. Bartlett 

The meeting was called to order after dinner in the Red Cedar Room at Kellogg Center. 

The President presented a review of the situation that has arisen as a result of an invitation 
extended by the Young Socialist Club (a student organization) to  Robert G- Thompson, a 
notorious Communist, to speak at an open meeting in the Student Union Building on the evening 
of Wednesday, May 23, 1962. 

Young 

j Socialist 
I Club denied 

j u se  of Uni 
versity 

After considerable discussion, a motion was made "by Mr. Merriman, seconded by Dr. Smith, and 
it was voted to instruct the President to deny the use of facilities owned by or controlled 
by Michigan State University for this purpose.  The Board restates its view as contained in its 
policy statement of December i960 for guidance of University administrators and officials: 

facilities to 
have Commun-
ist Robert Gr. 
Thompson 

Students need to be taught and to learn about communism, 
but they should get their facts from faculty members who 
are competent in the field and who respect the obligation 
to tell the full truth.  The University never has and never 
will knowingly invite Communist to preach his treason on 
our campus for we see no point in providing a platform for 
an exponent of communism who is not bound by any obligation 
to tell the truth. 

\ speak  on 
i campus 

The vote was four to one, Mr. Stevens asking to be recorded as voting "no".  Subsequently the 
President contacted Mr. Harlan in Portland, Oregon, by telephone, and he indicated that had he 
been in attendance he would have voted "yes". 

The complete policy statement as developed in December i960 is as follows: 

To be true to itself, a university must encourage rigorous examination of all points 
of view on matters of proper educational concern, regardless of their popularity or 
unpopularity.  The tenets of academic freedom require that these points of view be 
advanced only from a posture of professional competence, complete candor, and absence 
of concealed bias. 

A university is obligated to defend academic freedom.  It is obligated equally to insure 
that advantage is not taken of that freedom for purposes of propaganda. 

These obligations of a university are shared by its faculty, trustees, administrators, 
students, alumni, and the general public.  All are responsible for safeguarding 
academic freedom against both those who would curtail it, and those who would abuse 
it as a license to mislead and confuse the unwary. 

This responsibility extends to those invited to visit the campus.  A prospective 
speaker should not be disqualified solely by reason of his political adherence. 
Neither should he be allowed to use his rights in his field of professional 
specialization to advance his personal political views. 

political parties but which is recognized 

This philosophy has special validity in the case of communism, which is not a 
political party in the sense we know 
as an international political conspiracy aiming at world domination through the 
subversion and overthrow by violence of existing governments, especially our own. 
Students need to be taught and to learn about communism; but they should get 
their facts from faculty members who are competent in the field, and who respect 
the obligation to tell the full truth.  The -university never has and never will 
knowingly invite a communist to preach his treason on our campus, for we see no 
point in providing a platform for an exponent of communism who is not bound by 
any obligation to tell the truth. 

Under the law, final authority to decide who may use the University's facilities 
rests with the members of the Board of Trustees as the continuing custodians of 
the University's welfare and prestige; but faculty members, administrators, and 
students are equally responsible for the defense of the University7s best interests. 

Adjourned. 

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