The Campus and the Law

Legislation to quell campus unrest is often regarded as dangerous, unnecessary and useless. Dangerous because it might increase the already threatening federal and state control of our campuses. Unnecessary because it is felt that the campus authorities are able to deal with the student unrest without outside help. And useless because such legislation would not go to the root of the difficulty—which can be done only by campus reform. Yet some legislation is necessary, useful and not dangerous at all.

None of the arguments against legislation is more than a half truth. I know of no proposed law which would interfere with academic freedom. On the other hand, the students certainly do attempt to: they try to prescribe admission standards, the kind of courses to be given or not given (ROTC) and who is to give them (black studies) and what research professors may or may not undertake (military; secret) and what jobs students are to be allowed to consider (Dow Chemical). Thus, legislation is certainly not the major present threat to academic freedom.

EH

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Ernest van den Haag

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Legislation to quell campus unrest is often regarded as dangerous, unnecessary and useless. Dangerous because it might increase the already threatening federal and state control of our campuses. Unnecessary because it is felt that the campus authorities are able to deal with the student unrest without outside help. And useless because such legislation would not go to the root of the difficulty—which can be done only by campus reform. Yet some legislation is necessary, useful and not dangerous at all.

None of the arguments against legislation is more than a half truth. I know of no proposed law which would interfere with academic freedom. On the other hand, the students certainly do attempt to: they try to prescribe admission standards, the kind of courses to be given or not given (ROTC) and who is to give them (black studies) and what research professors may or may not undertake (military; secret) and what jobs students are to be allowed to consider (Dow Chemical). Thus, legislation is certainly not the major present threat to academic freedom.