Record Details
Tenure and Free Speech in Academia at Oregon State University 1967-1970
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Tenure and Free Speech in Academia at Oregon State University 1967-1970 |
| Names |
Simpson, Andrea
(creator) Mutschler, Ben (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2015-05-09 (iso8601) |
| Note | Bachelor of Arts (BA) |
| Abstract | The question of free speech in academia is one that has been explored in many different aspects. Although tenure serves many purposes, one of them is the protection of professors ability to publish and express opinions that may not be popular. At Oregon State, there has been literature about the connection between employment and free speech regarding the case of Ralph Spitzer. Spitzer was fired after he supported the scientific thesis of a Communist member. But there are other cases in the history of OSU that follow a similar pattern. Beginning in the late 60’s, three professors were denied tenure and their contracts were not renewed after incidents of being politically outspoken. They organized protests, anti-war demonstrations, and draft counseling. My paper discusses the connection between these events and the idea of academic freedom without tenure. Specifically my research looked at student newspaper articles, court documents, records of the Office of the President, and first hand accounts. I argue that Oregon State has a history of getting rid of politically radical professors and limiting the speech of these professors. In conclusion, this paper sheds light on the little acknowledged history of freedom of speech during the late 1960s at Oregon State University. |
| Genre | Presentation |
| Topic | Tenure |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/56037 |
