Reaction to Abbie precipitates crisis at Rice

---

by Jack Murray

---

The following article appeared in the April 16, 1970, issue of The Rice Thresher . It appears in its original grammatical form.

The Abbie Hoffman crisis erupted in fireworks Sunday night as a group of non-students and students from TSU and the University of Houston attempted to storm the Allen Center business building.

The building had been occupied by Rice students who were protesting the decision by the Board of Trustees to prevent Chicago Conspiracy 7 defendant Abbie Hoffman and his attorney Leonard Weinglass, from speaking on the Rice campus.

The attack on the Allen Center was repelled after a few tense minutes by students, faculty, and university security personnel. Some of the attackers carried clubs, chains and razors. Apparently no students were hurt, although Dr. Paul Pfeiffer, professor of electrical engineering, was thrown down and kicked during the scuffle.

Three of the invaders were recognized as Bill Katzenberg, a former Rice student who was involved in the November CIA sit-in in front of the Placement Center in the Rice Memorial Center; Doug Bernhart, a former student at U of H who was ordered off the Houston campus after a ROTC recruiting dispute last October, and who participated in a counter-ROTC demonstration at Rice this semester; and Bartee Haile, a former SDS organizer at the University of Houston.

According to Space Center!, a radical Houston bi-weekly, Bernhart was picked up by police last week for questioning in connection with a robbery.

Peaceful Entry

The group of dissident students had peacefully entered Allen Center at 2 pm Saturday following an informal meeting to discuss tactics and a course of action in the light of the Senate's decision early Saturday to withdraw the invitation to Hoffman and Weinglass.

They stayed in the Center, renamed the Abbie Hoffman Free Speech Center, with the permission of the administration until they were ordered to leave at 11 pm Sunday by the Dean of Students, Frederick Wierum. A glass door to the accounting office had been broken about three hours before, and Wierum said this violated the conditions under which they had been permitted to remain.

Security Chief Harold Rhodes, various campus security personnel, arson investigators on campus to work on the fire in the offices of the Dean of Students last week, Wierum, and Malcolm Lovett, chairman of the Rice Board of Trustees all surveyed the damage shortly after it was discovered. Lovett was reportedly incensed that the building occupation had been permitted.

Deadline Established

The melee started when the security officer in charge of the Allen Center entrance opened the door to some students who because of Wierum's edict chose not to stay past the 11:30 deadline which the Dean had established. Wierum said anyone still in the building at 11:30 pm would face disciplinary probation "or worse."

When the door opened, a group congregated in front of the building attempted to push their way past the entrance and into the Allen Center. After a shoving match which those on the outside lost, the guard managed to close the double-doors and locked the building.

The scuffle continued outside, but was controlled by Rice students and members of Tom McGarity's student security force. McGarity had been authorized to organize the force of 150 students to comply with the administration's security needs in anticipation of Hoffman's Rice appearance.

Several carloads of people who said they were from the University of Houston arrived later "to help their brothers inside the building" but most of the action was over by the time they got there.

No Separation

At about midnight the occupants of Allen Center filed out, saying they could not separate themselves from their supporters outside and those who wanted to join them.

"Since they can't come in," said Dan Rosenberg, a graduate student in Behavioral Sciences, we have decided to come out and join them."

By this time a number of individuals armed with weapons, cameras, and walkie-talkies had arrived at the scene. They were later identified variously as arson investigators, plain-clothesmen, and FBI agents, although none of them would divulge their identities.

At about 12:30 am, an hour after the disturbance started, Wierum told the large group which was still gathered around the Center to break up and "return to your colleges and residences." He said this would simplify identification of the non-Rice elements still on campus.

Later McGarity told the crowd over a police loudspeaker that he had just been in consultation with H. Malcolm Lovett, chairman of the Rice Board of Trustees, and was convinced that Lovett would call in the police if the group didn't disperse.

"To those of you who want to express your sentiments," McGarity said, "I recommend that you do it in a completely peaceful way: those from Rice should go back to their dorms and all others should leave campus."

By 1 am most of the group had dispersed; many had reconvened around the statue of William Marsh Rice in the quadrangle, where they stayed until breaking up two hours later.

Invitation Withdrawn

The weekend's events were touched off by the Senate's withdrawal of the Hoffman invitation Saturday morning, and by the actions of the Board of Trustees in denying the campus for Hoffman's use Sunday.

The Student Center Board originally approached Dean Wierum March 30 for permission to host the two radical speakers on campus April 12.

Development Office director Lee Estes released a statement April 1 saying that Wierum had refused the original SCB proposal.

SCB chairman Jer Mardis and SA President Bob Parks met with Wierum the next day to discuss with the Dean the reasons for his refusal and to learn which conditions had to be satisfied before Hoffman's appearance could be scheduled.

Wierum outlined several conditions which had to be met: sole sponsorship by a recognized Student Association organization (the event was originally to be co-sponsored by the SCB and Space City!); no rock concert; no solicitation of funds by "collection," and moderation by a faculty member.

New Proposal

A new proposal was submitted through the Development office April 3. At an informal meeting called that afternoon to discuss university problems, specifically the tenure cases, the students present were given the impression that the conditions outlined by Wierum could be met and that the event would take place.

Dr. Alan Grob of the English Department said he and a group of interested professors had conferred with Wierum earlier in the morning and had been told that things could be worked out.

The Welfare Committee met Sunday night at the direction of the SA Senate to arbitrate the controversy. The committee, composed of nine faculty members, had been empowered by Rice president Kenneth Pitzer in 1965 to settle disputes on speakers between student organization and the administration.

Restriction Recommended

The Committee affirmed the right of the SCB to have Hoffman speak at Rice, but recommended the event be closed to all but Rice students and faculty, because of the bomb threats to the welfare of the University.

The SCB met again Monday night, April 6, and were informed by the Welfare Committee that there had been serious threats. The committee also said Acting President Vandiver had indicated he would veto the Hoffman speech.

Later Monday evening the SCB accepted a proposal by Miss Mardis to withdraw the invitation because of the threats to university security.

"This was the most responsible decision which could have been made at the time," Miss Mardis said.

The decision was announced at a press conference at 10 am Tuesday.

SA Sponsorship

At an all-school convocation Tuesday afternoon, SA president Bob Parks announced that the Senate had voted to sponsor Hoffman after all, in order to guarantee freedom of speech on the Rice campus.

Acting President Vandiver told the convocation a few minutes later that he could not approve the Senate's action and would not permit Hoffman to speak at Rice because of the phoned threats of violence from extremist groups combined with an "undercurrent of vigilantism," both on the outside and on the Rice campus.

At 2 pm Thursday, Wierum called the Senate together into special session and informed them he had changed his mind and would let Hoffman come to campus, provided that stringent security procedures would be followed, and provided that only members of the Rice community be permitted to attend.

Vandiver Resigns

Wierum also conveyed Acting President Vandiver's concurrence in the decision. Vandiver said in a letter which Wierum read to the Senate and to the student body over KTRU Rice radio that he felt compelled to resign out of a "sense of honor" because he had made a decision which he had publicly stated he would not make.

Another special session of the Senate was called at 6 pm Thursday, Wierum read a letter from the Board of Trustees which expressed the Board's regret that the administration had approved the Senate invitation to Hoffman and Weinglass, and which stated that "the proposed invitation is not to be extended and neither is our campus nor the facilities of our University available for their use to hold the proposed meeting."

With this statement the Trustees overturned the rulings announced earlier last Thursday which approved the Senate's proposal to host the two radical speakers.

Trustees Revoke Permit

The Trustees said, "We are taking this action in order to provide a basis for maintaining an orderly administrative atmosphere on our campus for those who wish to obtain an education and for those who wish to carry out their teaching and research activities."

They said they had confidence in the students and faculty of Rice and "believe they will accept this decision on our part and will observe good order on our campus."

Senate Reaffirms Stand

The Senate met in closed quarters for three hours after the Board statement was released and issued a statement which reaffirmed its intention to sponsor Hoffman and Weinglass, and which voiced "its deep concern" over the situation.

"The students, faculty, and administration have always shared a sincere devotion to the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech on the Rice campus," the Senate said. "Therefore we, the Student Senate, call upon the Board of Trustees to defend the integrity of Rice University, to reaffirm our cherished traditions, and to contemplate the grave implications which their decision implies."

All seven Rice residential Colleges had meetings at 10 pm Thursday night following the Senate meeting, and all voted to express support of the Senate position and strongly disapprove of the Board's action.

Faculty Meet

The faculty convened Friday morning at 11 am to discuss the situation. A small group of students who wanted to be in on the proceedings were ejected by the presiding officer, Chancellor Carey Croneis, before the meeting began.

Before the faculty could finish its deliberations they were interrupted by a bomb threat which cleared Fondren Library. This was the first of the many threats which have plagued the campus since.

The faculty decisions, which included support of the Hoffman invitation and a censure of the Board of Trustees, were announced later Friday.

"There was a very strong sense of support for the student position," said Dr. Paul Pfeiffer after the faculty convocation.

The Faculty also delegated two representatives chosen by the elected members of the Faculty Council to attempt to approach the Board of Trustees to present the Board with the resolutions passed by the entire faculty body.

Faculty Rejected

But the Board refused to meet as a group with the faculty representatives, Dr. Zevi Salsburg of the Chemistry Department, and Dr. G. King Walters of the Physics Department, even though the Board had a regularly scheduled meeting Friday afternoon.

Instead, the Board indicated the representatives would have to go through a Board subcommittee which deals with faculty and student affairs, and that Salsburg and Walters would be received not as representatives of the faculty, but only as interested individuals.

The Senate and Tom Nichols, president of the Graduate Student Association, had written letters which were to be conveyed to the Board before their afternoon meeting, but letters were never delivered.

According to Pfeiffer, they were read at the faculty convocation and were well-received.

Deliberation

Friday night the SA Senate deliberated for nine hours behind closed doors and finally delivered the decision to withdraw the Hoffman invitation. The Senate statement, announced at 4 pm Saturday, included two parts:

"By a 10-1 vote, the Rice Student Association Senate passed the following motion: We hereby withdraw our invitation to Messrs. Hoffman and Weinglass to appear and speak on the Rice campus on April 12.

"The following statement was approved by a 10-0 vote with one abstention:

"We have not succeeded in our attempts to bring Hoffman and Weinglass to campus, yet the real issue has been defined. The Board of Trustees by imposing its decision against the judgment of the other segments of this university has acted to destroy this university. It has eliminated all but one alternative open to us. We call upon the united efforts of the faculty, students, and administration to legally contest and prevent the recurrence of this outrage."

Parks said after the Senate's marathon conference that they had been left no alternative but to withdraw the invitation after the Board's action. He said later the Senate had learned confidentially earlier that night that the campus would be closed over the weekend, eliminating any possibility that Hoffman could legally appear at Rice.

Parks said Hoffman's agents had indicated the speakers could not afford to appear if there were any possibility of their being arrest for trespassing or violation of a court order.

"Our only change of position was the decision to withdraw the invitation," Parks said. "We have defined the issue. The Board of Trustees can no longer have the arbitrary powers which they now have."

He said the Board had laid the groundwork for the destruction of the University by overruling their administrators, Vandiver and Wierum; by refusing to meet with the authorized faculty representatives, Salsburg and Walters; and by interfering in a matter which has traditionally been the province of students, faculty, and administration.

"The only course of action which we can see at this point is some sort of legal action on behalf of students and faculty," Parks said.

The Senate was to meet this week or next week with lawyers to discuss possible legal avenues.

This item appeared in the Anniversary section of the March 29, 1996 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.