DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Students for a Democratic Society, Herrnstein lecture, February-June, 1972 | 1972-06-08 Des Moines Register Article: 'Suspended In Lecture Row'

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

1972-06-08 Des Moines Register Article: 'Suspended In Lecture Row'

By Larry Eckholt
(Register Staff Writer)
IOWA CITY, IA. - A University of Iowa sophomore from Illinois and the local chapter of students for a Democratic Society (SDS) have been suspended by the university for their activities leading up to a canceled lecture by a controversial Harvard University professor last winter.
U of I President Willard Boyd has notified Simon Piller, a liberal arts student from Highland Park, Ill., that Piller is suspended from the U of I for one year "as a result of his part in using campus facilities to advance SDS activities last winter while the (SDS) chapter was under a previous suspension," U of I officials announced Wednesday.

3-Year Revocation

Boyd also put SDS under three-year revocation of campus recognition - necessary for student organizations to use such facilities as locker space and mimeograph machines in the Iowa Memorial Union.
The suspensions by Boyd concur with findings and recommendations of former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Theodore Garfield - The U of I's hearing officer - after hearings last spring.
The charges against SDS and Piller grew out of the use of campus facilities by a group called the Worker-Student Alliance (WSA) - which U of I officials had determined was a front group for SDS, suspended in spring of 1971 for sponsoring a disruptive sit-in at the U of I Placement Office the previous December.
WSA sponsored a Feb. 25 protest against controversial Harvard psychology Prof. Richard Herrnstein who had scheduled a lecture on the U of I campus concerning his research on pigeon behavior.
Leaders of the local protest - including several self-proclaimed national SDS leaders who came to Iowa City - instead insisted that Herrnstein debate with them over a controversial article he has written concerning a theory of intelligence based on genetics which some consider to be racist.

Packed Hall

Anti-Herrnstein forces packed the U of I lecture hall where the Harvard professor was to have appeared, shouting and chanting. Herrnstein refused to speak before the crowd and cancelled his lecture.
A furor resulted in some academic circles here because many believed Herrnstein's rights to free speech and academic freedom had been denied.
U of I officials have pointed out that the charges under which Piller and SDS have been suspended are not directly related to the lecture incident because Herrnstein himself chose not to address the crowd.
Piller and SDS can appeal the suspensions to the State Board of Regents if they so choose.

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By Larry Eckholt (Register Staff Writer) IOWA CITY, IA. - A University of Iowa sophomore from Illinois and the local chapter of students for a Democratic Society (SDS) have been suspended by the university for their activities leading up to a canceled lecture by a controversial Harvard University professor last winter. U of I President Willard Boyd has notified Simon Piller, a liberal arts student from Highland Park, Ill., that Piller is suspended from the U of I for one year "as a result of his part in using campus facilities to advance SDS activities last winter while the (SDS) chapter was under a previous suspension," U of I officials announced Wednesday. 3-Year Revocation Boyd also put SDS under three-year revocation of campus recognition - necessary for student organizations to use such facilities as locker space and mimeograph machines in the Iowa Memorial Union. The suspensions by Boyd concur with findings and recommendations of former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Theodore Garfield - The U of I's hearing officer - after hearings last spring. The charges against SDS and Piller grew out of the use of campus facilities by a group called the Worker-Student Alliance (WSA) - which U of I officials had determined was a front group for SDS, suspended in spring of 1971 for sponsoring a disruptive sit-in at the U of I Placement Office the previous December. WSA sponsored a Feb. 25 protest against controversial Harvard psychology Prof. Richard Herrnstein who had scheduled a lecture on the U of I campus concerning his research on pigeon behavior. Leaders of the local protest - including several self-proclaimed national SDS leaders who came to Iowa City - instead insisted that Herrnstein debate with them over a controversial article he has written concerning a theory of intelligence based on genetics which some consider to be racist. Packed Hall Anti-Herrnstein forces packed the U of I lecture hall where the Harvard professor was to have appeared, shouting and chanting. Herrnstein refused to speak before the crowd and cancelled his lecture. A furor resulted in some academic circles here because many believed Herrnstein's rights to free speech and academic freedom had been denied. U of I officials have pointed out that the charges under which Piller and SDS have been suspended are not directly related to the lecture incident because Herrnstein himself chose not to address the crowd. Piller and SDS can appeal the suspensions to the State Board of Regents if they so choose.