Oppression and Resistance

       Though the concept of academic freedom has existed for long, it seemed to be neither widespread or highlighted in our university. This part of the story is about the winding rise of academic freedom at the U of M.

Loyalty Solution

      The earliest file found in Academic Freedom Folder 1 is a 1917 loyalty resolution of the board of regents¹. They voted that:

      1. No disloyal person shall be established

      2. No citizen of enemy countries be appointed staff

      This is connected with a “present crisis” which would assumably be WWI. It showed that academic freedom, though established as an important concept, has not yet raised any concern in such social context.

How were the professors doing?

     In 1923, The Goose-step introduced us to a couple of professors at the U and described their torments. One of them was Professor John Henry Gray, one of the most distinguished economists in the United States².

     Professor Gray spent fifteen years at the University of Minnesota. While working for the government, he helped people in his home state "rob the government" and advocated municipal ownership².

      He was removed from the leadership of his department and was subjected to "every humiliation". He resigned being told that he never would get a pension. A subordinate official from Washington took his place and got paid $1500 a year more².

       Such strange experience was shared by lots of instructors at that time, including professor Schaper, whose case we will discuss later.

Problems Addressed

      Following up was a student magazine called Foolscap. A published essay in December 1919, questioning the administration regarding academic freedom³.

       As addressed in the essay, the president spoke of academic freedom with an "engaging boldness", the students use "a fine ironic scorn", and faculty members "dare not utter their true opinion". Some instructors were dismissed for holding opinions that displeased his institution.

      This incident was reviewed in detail by The Nation in 1921⁴. It revealed how the essay was criticized by an A.A.U.P. committee, which dissatisfied the faculty.

      According to The Nation, a new committee was assembled to represent the general faculty. They found four factors of the problem:

      1. Intolerance and fear in the community

          (Faculty)

      2. Procedure against accused faculty members

          (Administration)

      3. Espionage by other than academic organizations

          (External forces)

      4. Misconception of  university teaching

          (Citizens)

      Easily seen was that the administration is not undermining academic freedom alone. In fact, the administration itself is among the first that fought back.

Schaper Case - The Turning Point

       In 1917, Professor William Schaper, head of the U of M political science department, signed a telegram to President Wilson in opposition to America's engagement in WWI. The Board of Regents doubted his loyalty to the country and had the pacifist dismissed⁵.

       Twenty years later, the regents offered its first-ever resolution concerning academic freedom. It formally addressed false procedure used against Professor Schaper. Also included was restoring Schaper’s rank and making up his loss of salary⁶.

      More importantly, the following statements were listed in the 1938 commitment:

      1. No limitation to teaching and publications.

      2. Controversial but irrelevant topics not be explored in classrooms.

      3. Freedom to choose research projects.

      4. Freedom to speak or write beyond one’s field

      5. U of M take no responsibility for members’ views

      6. Faculty not be dismissed unreasonably

      It was also voted that the President of the Board could appoint a committee to consider tenure and other matters relating to the administrative and academic staffs of the University. The Tenure Code of the U started right here⁷.

      The Schaper case became celebrated not only because it advanced academic freedom at the U of M. It was vital in the formation of such concept in the United States over the following decade. In the words of a historian of academic freedom, "Schaper weighed on Minnesota's conscience."⁵