DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Students for a Democratic Society, Herrnstein lecture, February-June, 1972 | 1972-03-11 Des Moines Register Article: 'Reaction to U of I Protest Is 'Encouraging' to Regent'

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Students for a Democratic Society, Herrnstein lecture, February-June, 1972

1972-03-11 Des Moines Register Article: 'Reaction to U of I Protest Is 'Encouraging' to Regent'

By a Staff Writer
VINTON, IA. - The harassment of Harvard psychology professor at the University of Iowa recently was embarrassing and discouraging to the university, but in the long run it may have accomplished some good, a member of the State Board of Regents said Friday.
"While we may have lost this battle, I think we're winning this war." Mrs. H. Rand Peterson of Harlan said at a regents' meeting at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School here.
"I think the immediate response from all segments of the university, pointing to the basic concepts of freedom of speech and academic freedom, indicates an encouraging understanding of how vital these concepts are to the very essence of what a university is," said Mrs. Peterson.
"I think there is a growing awareness by the public of the importance of these freedoms, so I think we should be encouraged by the outcome of all this," she added.
Mrs. Peterson's remarks refer to a Feb. 25 incident when Prof. Richard J. Herrnstein was prevented from making a scheduled speech at the U of I on his research on pigeon behavior.

Many Letters

Since then, many U of I students, professors, and administrators have written letters to the Daily Iowan, the U of I student newspaper, criticizing the manner in which the protest against Herrnstein was carried out. The protest also has been condemned by the Iowa Civil Liberties Union.
Regent Ralph McCartney of Charles City told Mrs. Peterson he, too, was pleased "with the ultimate outcome."
"But there's a real problem in trying to prevent repetition of this nonsense," he added.
"It's O.K. to write letters to the editor afterwards defending free speech, but if you aren't able to prevent this sort of thing from reoccurring, you really haven't progressed too far," he said. 
However, McCartney said he realizes that university officials are faced with a difficult problem when they try to prevent a disruption before it occurs.

SDS Protest

"It would take a much smarter man than I to get at that," McCartney said.
The U of I protest - sponsored by members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) - focused on a magazine article written by Hernstein which some have interpreted as being racist.
Herrnstein refused to deliver his lecture because a sizable portion of the audience would not allow him to talk on the topic on which he was supposed to speak.
His scheduled speech on pigeon research was unrelated to his magazine article which discussed a theory of intelligence based on genetics. Those who came to confront Herrnstein said they wanted to debate the magazine article, regardless of what he wanted to speak on.
University officials are investigating the possibility of disciplinary actions against those who disrupted the speech.

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By a Staff Writer VINTON, IA. - The harassment of Harvard psychology professor at the University of Iowa recently was embarrassing and discouraging to the university, but in the long run it may have accomplished some good, a member of the State Board of Regents said Friday. "While we may have lost this battle, I think we're winning this war." Mrs. H. Rand Peterson of Harlan said at a regents' meeting at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School here. "I think the immediate response from all segments of the university, pointing to the basic concepts of freedom of speech and academic freedom, indicates an encouraging understanding of how vital these concepts are to the very essence of what a university is," said Mrs. Peterson. "I think there is a growing awareness by the public of the importance of these freedoms, so I think we should be encouraged by the outcome of all this," she added. Mrs. Peterson's remarks refer to a Feb. 25 incident when Prof. Richard J. Herrnstein was prevented from making a scheduled speech at the U of I on his research on pigeon behavior. Many Letters Since then, many U of I students, professors, and administrators have written letters to the Daily Iowan, the U of I student newspaper, criticizing the manner in which the protest against Herrnstein was carried out. The protest also has been condemned by the Iowa Civil Liberties Union. Regent Ralph McCartney of Charles City told Mrs. Peterson he, too, was pleased "with the ultimate outcome." "But there's a real problem in trying to prevent repetition of this nonsense," he added. "It's O.K. to write letters to the editor afterwards defending free speech, but if you aren't able to prevent this sort of thing from reoccurring, you really haven't progressed too far," he said. However, McCartney said he realizes that university officials are faced with a difficult problem when they try to prevent a disruption before it occurs. SDS Protest "It would take a much smarter man than I to get at that," McCartney said. The U of I protest - sponsored by members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) - focused on a magazine article written by Hernstein which some have interpreted as being racist. Herrnstein refused to deliver his lecture because a sizable portion of the audience would not allow him to talk on the topic on which he was supposed to speak. His scheduled speech on pigeon research was unrelated to his magazine article which discussed a theory of intelligence based on genetics. Those who came to confront Herrnstein said they wanted to debate the magazine article, regardless of what he wanted to speak on. University officials are investigating the possibility of disciplinary actions against those who disrupted the speech.