Oregon daily emerald., April 06, 1978, Section A, Image 1

Vol. 79, No. 127
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Thursday, April 6, 1978
Photos by Adrienne Salinger
Wednesday's demonstration at Johnson Hall failed to get
charges dropped against 23 protestors arrested Jan. 25
for trespassing during a protest at the chancellor’s office.
Pres. Boyd said those charged “were warned to leave, "
but demonstrators claimed Boyd acted in a strictly legal
sense, and that he ignored what was "just and unjust"
about the Jan. 25 protest.
Boyd:charges stand
By BECKY YOUNG
Of the Emerald
About 25 persons marched to Johnson Hall Wednes
day and met with University Pres. William Boyd to demand
dropping trespass charges against 23 protestors arrested
at a Jan. 25 sit-in protest at the chancellor's office.
Members of the South African Liberation Support
Committee also presented Boyd with a Municipal Court
subpoena requiring he appear as a witness at the first of the
trespassing trials which begins Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Boyd refused to drop the charges, saying he does not
feel it is appropriate to do so.
"The consequence of being arrested is to be tried,” he
said. ‘ And you were warned to leave repeatedly.'
Ismet Guchan, one of those arrested, said Boyd had
other choices than to authorize the arrests.
“You didn't have to make us leave.” he said.
To which Boyd replied, "If I had thought that leaving
you there for the rest of the academic year would have
ended apartheid in Southern Africa, I would galdly have
done it, and the chancellor would have cheerfully moved
somewhere else to do his work.”
“But leaving you there made no sense.
Another alleged trespasser, Cameron Kelly, who will
be tried Tuesday, told Boyd justice demands that he drop
the charges.
"What is legal and illegal is not the same as what is just
and unjust,” she said, " It was illegal for us to be in the
chancellor's office, but it was just. Why do you not drop the
charges because that is the just thing to do?”
Boyd reiterated his earlier statement that he didn’t feel
dropping the charges would be appropriate, and that those
who were arrested must face the consequences of their
actions.
“■I’m reminded of a quote from the President of Denver
University during the "60s about student protestors. They
want to be martyrs but they want to be thrown to toothless
lions’.”
Boyd was also asked why the state board stock hold
ings in South Africa couldn’t be divested immediately.
He answered that once a question was raised by a
state system official about the legality of divestment, it was
appropriate for the attorney general to take the time neces
sary to answer that question.
"We are surely close to the time when an answer will
be given.”
Boyd said he will consult with his lawyer about the
subpoena and if he must appear to take responsibility for
pressing the trespass charges, he will.
Before the SALSC members marched to Boyd's office,
they staged a rally on the EMU terrace, with skits and
speeches on divestment and the trespassing charges.
Assembly kills ROTC, election issues
By MELODY WARD
Of the Emerald
Motions concerning faculty
elections and ROTC were killed at
Wednesday’s University Assem
bly meeting.
Andy Thompson, University
Counseling Center, proposed in
separate motions that the lan
guage of present legislation con
cerning the appointment of ROTC
instructors and the standing
ROTC committee be altered so
that it would no longer be out
dated or sexist.
The motions would also have
made the department heads of
ROTC non-voting members of the
ROTC committee, and would
have increased the number of
civilian and student members of
the committee.
“I am known to most of you as a
staunch and insistent opponent of
ROTC on campus,’’ Thompson
told the Assembly, explaining it
made no sense “for the advisees
to be their own advisors’’ since the
ROTC committee had been estab
lished so that the University fa
culty members and students could
advise the military science de
partment.
Thompson said the motions at
tempted to “tip the balance" be
tween the civilian and military fac
tions on the committee and "es
tablish more equilibrium.”
But University Pres. William
Boyd delivered a colorful argu
ment against approval of the mo
tions.
“Some of the arguments for this
motion seem to be misplaced,"
Boyd remarked. “Conflict of in
terest is suggested because mili
tary personnel vote on issues con
cerning their department. Would
anyone question the right of a his
torian to vote in matters concern
ing his department?”
Boyd termed the motions an at
tempt to pick ROTC apart slowly,
by using procedural methods
since previous attempts to simply
throw it off campus had failed.
“If there were educational
reasons for dropping ROTC,
surely the faculty would have
done so,” he said. “ROTC instruc
tors do not need to have special
restraints as if they were less sen
sitive or honorable than other fa
culty members.”
Boyd added, “ROTC is here at
our request, and not because of
pressure from the defense de
partment.”
Although an amendment to the
motion made by acting ROTC
head William Loy carried, the As
sembly approved a motion to table
the issue altogether. According to
the established procedure, a de
cision to table means the motion is
effectively killed and no longer a
subject for debate.
The second motion, which cal
led for increased civilian, faculty
and student membership on the
ROTC committee and which
would have made the ROTC de
partment heads ex officio mem
bers, was also defeated.
A motion that an ad hoc commit
tee be appointed and charged
with examining alternatives to the
current method of conducting
campus-wide faculty committee
elections failed.
The proposal stemmed from
dissatisfaction with the present
balloting procedure. Voters must
vote for eight candidates, even
though they may not know all
eight, or the computer will throw
out the entire ballot.
Three announcements were
made to the assembly.
The physical education de
partment announced that a fitness
program for the faculty has been
reinstituted and will meet in West
Gym of Esslinger Hall on Thurs
day afternoons.
George Struble, Computer Sci
ence, reported the Academic
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