Boyd stresses necessity of neutrality
By MELODY WARD
Of the Emerald
‘‘Universities are agnostic, not
just about the gods, but about ev
erything,” says University Pres.
William Boyd. “Nothing is so sac
red that it cannot be examined.”
Boyd addressed a gathering of
campus ministry rabbis, pastors,
and associates Tuesday at a con
ference concerning moral issues
and gave his perspective of those
particularly relevant to campuses.
He defined morality as “a kind
of human activism,” saying
apathy was almost a vogue word
for this decade Boyd suggested
that activism is not a thing of the
past.
“Some activism does remain,”
he said. “But there is an enormous
qualitative difference in the ac
tivism that’s going on.
“Not many incidents occur that
attract any nu nbers of people out
of moral concern. Ideological con
siderations would seem to be
cominant in those things that pass
for activism today.”
Boyd stressed the University
must remain neutral in the face of
moral issues.
“Academic freedom requires
above everything else that we not
be captured, not even for a good
cause,” he declared. But a Uni
versity should play a role in de
veloping moral behavior.”
Explaining that if universities
became political, they would ef
fectively become prisoners Boyd
said.
“I doubt seriously that you can
have a free society in which the
universities are held prisoner.”
Boyd said it’s natural people
want the universities to act on one
moral cause or another, but their
neutral position in the face of
Degree discussed today
The University Committee on
Curriculum will ask the University
Assembly today to consider a mo
tion to discuss management of a
tri-university doctor of education
degree at a 3:30 meeting in 150
Geology.
The committee will ask whether
University faculty have a right or
responsibility for considering such
an administrative plan on the offer
ing of an inter-institutional grad
uate degree involving Oregon
State University and Portland
State University.
The action will be introduced to
insure that faculty members can
propose action rather than react to
it, says English Prof. Joe Hynes,
curriculum committee chairer.
“We want to find out if there’s
any need to ask anyone for a
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Moral issues explained to ministry
“Academic freedom requires above everything else that we not be captured, not even for a good cause,”
said Pres. William Boyd in an attempt to explain why the University must remain neutral in moral issues.
Boyd addressed a gathering of campus ministry Tuesday.
moral action creates a dilemma.
“Our position makes us neutral,
and our neutrality makes us ap
pear hostile to morality,” he re
marked.
Because universities are basi
Boyd said he sees the role of
the campus ministry as one of
prophecy.
“I don’t mind being nailed
against the wall if my own position
is derived from a higher morak
families that produce socially
aware persons come from "liberal
education at its best. It’s up to the
university to create the kind of
learning environment that will
produce that freedom.”
Boyd added, “The number of
born-again Christians seems to
be increasing, if one can believe
the televsion and the White
House. But it seems to me that
universities would be the best
hope for producing sensitive
leaders.”
However, he said since the
humanities have taken a backseat
to the more professional and
technological disciplines, produc
ing those leaders may not be
easy.
“It’s the first order of business to
produce the kind of undergrad
uate environment where liberal
education can take place,” he
said.
“Undergraduates like to ask
great sloppy questions about the
state of humanity, questions so
broad that dealing with them is dif
ficult at best. And yet dealing with
those questions is an important
part of an undergraduate's educa
tion.”
Questioned about the possibil
ity of including gay rights in the
University code, Boyd replied,
“Someone commented recently
that there is in fundamentalist
Christianity a mean streak.
“To expose an issue like this to
an organized mean streak is po
tentially dangerous to the cause.”
Boyd explained that having gay
rights become a part of the Uni
versity rules requires public hear
ings and that he “fears the public
response.”
cally hostile to doctrine, ' The
basis tor moral values that many
people hold are challenged by
them," Boyd said.
"But on the other hand, the faith
of many of us rests on doctrine.
Doctrine itself is an attempt to
codify truth."
promise that faculty (opinion on
the matter) will be considered,’’
Hynes says.
Also on the assembly’s agenda
will be comments by University
Pres. William Boyd on salary im
provement plans for the current
biennium.
concern,” he explained.
‘‘The problem is apparent
neutrality in the face of someone
else’s moral concern,” Boyd said.
But once the University is drawn
into partisan action it will loose its
effectiveness.
‘‘It is characteristic that univer
sities are open to a wider range of
belief and behavior. Things that
would seem bizarre on the street
or in a congregation go unnoticed
at a university.”
Boyd recalled the heydey and
mecca for activism in the late 60’s.
“Berkeley activists generally
had a higher intellectual orienta
:ion than their classmates,” he
said, adding that they also tended
to come from politically liberal
families.
He speculated the kinds of
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