http://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/upimage/VF_I18C_026.pdf

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Part of Response to the statements received from the Black Student Union, April 27, 1972

Text

1.
Response to the statements received from the Black Student Union:

Yesterday, after a meeting with black students,
I was presented with three documents.

I shall focus

this statement primarily on the document

which presents

five "Demands from the Black Populace at U.B."

I do

this because it seems to be the latest document

and

also because the problems raised in these five points
tend to subsume most, though not all, of the problems
raised in the other documents.

At the conclusion of this

statement I will indicate how I think

those other ques­

tions might most constructively be approached.
Before turning to specific questions, a preliminary
comment is in order.

The documents given

to me call

attention to a variety of problems and concerns.

Many of

these are very real and we should do whatever is possible
to come to grips with them.
If the history of the past several years has
taught us anything, however, it is that we do little to
solve problems when, even for the best of motives, they
are stated in the form of demands.

I can understand the

circumstances and the factors that lead to the use of

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this form.

But I think we have all seen that even when

genuine problems are stated in this fashion, a constructive solution may be impeded, rather than accelerated.
There are more fruitful ways of approaching these matters,
a point which I would like to discuss later in my remarks.
Turning now to the five-item document, let me
take up the points in the order in which they have been
raised.
1.

Black Studies
Acting Provost Hollander of the Faculty of Social

Sciences and Administration informs me that, over the
past several weeks, there have been discussions looking
to the redesignation of the Black Studies Program as a
Department.

A formal proposal for such redesignation

was made by him today to the Policy Committee of that
Faculty.

I am happy to inform you that the Policy Committee

has unanimously voted to set into motion the procedures
required for the Program to achieve full departmental
status.

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2.

Tenure and Review Procedures
Tenure and related faculty personnel recommendations

are made at three levels -- departmental, Faculty, and
all-University.

I think you know that I have already

established the practice of having minority representation
on all University-wide search committees.

I am requesting

all departments and all Faculties to modify,

if necessary,

their personnel procedures so as to ensure minority
representation on all committees which make such recommen­
dations.

I will also take whatever steps are necessary to

ensure that the all-university recommending authority will
have minority representation as of the academic year 1972-73.

3.

Professors Banks and Gayle
It is essential that the facts in these cases be

fully understood.
Professor Banks is already assured of a three-year
reappo intment at the University.

What is at issue is not

his continuation at the University but his request that he
be promoted to Tenured Associate Professor.
in such matters is as follows:

The procedure

first, a departmental

recommendation; second, a Faculty

in this case the

Faculty of Social Sciences and Administration -- recommendation.
The Department of Anthropology has recommended promotion;

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the Faculty Personnel Committee, however, has recommended
that consideration of promotion be delayed fo.r another year,
since Professor Banks is only now completing his third year
at this University.
Under these circumstances, the matter now goes before
the all-University faculty personnel agency, the President's
Review Board.

The Board is scheduled to consider Professor

Banks' case tomorrow.

It would be improper and, in fact,

possibly prejudicial to Professor Banks, for me to make any
statement on this issue until I have the Board's recommen­
dation before me.

I expect to receive this recommendation

tomorrow.
Now the case of Professor Gayle.

Professor Gayle is

in the second year of a three-year appointment which runs
until June 1973.

The Department of Music has overwhelmingly

voted not to renew that appointment.
of the Faculty of Arts and Letters is

The Personnel Committee

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currently reviewing the case.

The objection has been

raised that there has been no minority representation
on the two Faculty entities which have dealt with
this case.

Given this situation, I plan to appoint a

special committee, on which there will be minority
representation, to study this matter in careful depth
and to make an appropriate recommendation to me.
4.

Dialogue with Minority Professional and Graduate Students
Over the past two years, I have met a number of times

with minority students from the School of Law and from several
of the Schools in the Health Sciences.

Others in the Pres­

ident's Office also have had meetings with students from
these areas.

I would be happy to continue these meetings,

either on a periodic basis or as specific issues require.
Other graduate student groups could also be included in
these discussions.
5.

Regular Dialogue Between President's Office and Minority
Students and Faculty
As you know, I have regularly reserved Tuesday morn­

ings for meetings with students, faculty and staff.

A

number of members of the minority community at the Univer­
sity have taken advantage of these opportunities.

In

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addition, I meet, from time to time, with the various
advisory groups and committees that have been constituted
to recommend courses of action on particular issues.

Here

again, a substantial number of minority individuals are
included in these sessions.

At their request, more or less

regularly scheduled meetings have been held with officers of
many of the organized groups on campus.

I would be happy

to explore whatever arrangements might be necessary or desir­
able to improve or regularize these already existing modes of
communication.
I believe that the discussions which would occur in
these dialogues offer the most fruitful and constructive
means of tackling and resolving some of the other problems
identified in the documents given to me.

This administration

shares your desire that these problems be resolved in manners
which will provide optimal benefit for our minority students
and for the entire University community.

I am prepared to

begin these discussions with your representatives at the
earliest possible occasion.
I should stress, though, that three conditions are
necessary if these discussions are to be as productive as
we all want them to be.

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First, they will have to be approached by all parties with a sincere desire to arrive at a constructive
solution.

I can assure you of such an approach on the

part of this administration.

I look forward to your

collaboration.
Second, as indicated earlier, the concerns you have
raised must be approached as common problems, whose solution
is in the common interest.

We must be willing to examine

alternative solutions in terms of their possible merits.
Finally, I fully agree that the resolution of these
matters will require on-going discussions.

At the same

time, I am sure you will agree, the student participants in
these discussions must be representative of, and be recognized
by, their student constituents.

I ask, therefore, that you

proceed to designate the individuals who are to meet with
us in these discussions.
It may be that, in the officials you have already
elected, you have the representatives you wish; it may be
that you wish to hold other elections for this purpose;
I ask simply that, by whatever mechanisms you wish to
employ, that you identify and· authorize those individuals
who are to serve as your representatives.

I hope you

will proceed to this authorization as soon as possible.

April 27, 1972