B.U. Exposure

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The bu exposure was a student newspaper at Boston University during the 1970s and 1980s that received national press coverage for exposing the moral, fiscal and managerial irregularities that characterized the administration of the university under President John Silber.

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The 1970s

The bu exposure was an alternative student newspaper at Boston University in the 1970s and 1980s. John Silber was appointed president of B.U. in 1971 and immediately began to attempt to quash the dissent that made the campus known as "Berkeley East" by implementing an authoritarian management style alien to most American universities and colleges. One of the areas he targeted was the student press. [1] [2]

The bu exposure-- highly critical of Silber -- was denied any support. [3] Any allocations made with student funds by student organizations to the bu exposure were vetoed by the college deans after the paper's advisor, Howard Zinn, said he would not engage in prior review. Student organizations were prevented from buying advertising in the bu exposure according to the paper's staff. The paper's staff held fundraisers, sold ads, sought grants and operated out of a basement in Allston.

In October 1977, the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (CLUM), in a letter to John Silber, threatened to take legal action for withholding bu exposure funds in response to the paper's criticism of his administration. Stephen M. Kohn of the Friends of the exposure cited CLUM's letter as "probably the most significant factor in student rights in years." [4] CLUM followed through, filing a lawsuit in January 1978. The student-run bu exposure collective also filed a lawsuit against Silber, the B.U. Board of Trustees, and Dean of Students Johan A. Madson, charging that their First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of the press had been abridged. [5]

bu exposure October 1978 BU exposure oct 78.jpg
bu exposure October 1978

The newspaper staff was told by its Massachusetts Civil Liberties Union lawyer that Harvard University Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz advised Silber to cut all funding for student newspapers. Through this strategy, BU could prevent university money from going to its critics while hedging on the issue of the students' First Amendment rights. The "Publications policy" is still in effect at BU: "All student journals of opinion must operate independently of the University and without University financial support," according to the BU dean of students page. [6]

Admissions extortion Admissions extortion.jpg
Admissions extortion

The bu exposure revealed in March 1978 that B.U. had taken "advanced payments from Law and Medical School applicants as a precondition of admission". The revelation came from a transcript of a 1973 meeting of the Select Committee on University Needs. Silber denied the bu exposure's allegations that it was selling seats at its law and medical schools, but the authenticity of the transcript was confirmed by the university on March 16. This led to national media exposure of the Silber administration. [7]

On February 14, 1979, there was a teach-in on the Silber administration at B.U.'s Morse Auditorium. Page text. [8] The teach-in, which featured Professor Howard Zinn, was filmed by 60 Minutes . Zinn and other speakers issued a statement: "We declare our lack of confidence in the central administration and call for its replacement." The campus was being roiled by a strike of professors seeking labor union recognition for the American Association of University Professors and a strike by clerical and technical employees represented by District 65, UAW. District 65 beat the union busting firm of Modern Management Methods>.

When the professors' strike was ended but the strike by the other employees went on, five professors, including Zinn, refused to cross the picket lines. They were targeted by Silber for termination and became known as the "B.U. Five".

The 1980s

Early in January, the much-anticipated 60 Minutes episode aired. The episode, headlined by Mike Wallace, shocked the dissenters at B.U. by being pro-Silber. The piece featured an interview with bu exposure staffers, whom were denounced as "shorts-pants communists" by Silber during his on-camera interview with Wallace. Wallace portrayed Silber as a tough man, in a tough job. [9]

During the 1980s, the bu exposure continued to question the Silber administration, particularly its real estate acquisitions. Silber was depositioned in 1982 [10] [11] as part of the bu exposure Collective v. John Silber, et al suit filed by CLUM on the paper's behalf. After a court dismissed a request for a preliminary injunction against the school, the case was dropped in 1984. Silber managed to survive a vote of no-confidence by the faculty Senate when the Board of Trustees, marshaled by Board Chairman Arthur Metcalfe, rallied to Silber. The lack of funding and the dawn of Reaganism eventually doomed the bu exposure, which folded during the 1980s before being resurrected later in the decade.

Alumni

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References

  1. "Academic Gore", Nora Ephron, Esquire , September 1977.
  2. "Conflict is Common for Boston U. Head", Gene I. Maeroff, The New York Times , March 17, 1978.
  3. You Can't be Neutral on A Moving Train, Howard Zinn, Beacon Bress, 1994
  4. The Daily Free Press , November 1, 1977.
  5. Boston Evening Globe , January 30, 1978.
  6. Publication policy, BU Dean of Students
  7. "Boston University Head Denies Admissions Are Sold, Michael Knight, The New York Times, March 15, 1979.
  8. "Bad Man on Campus," 60 Minutes, 1980.
  9. "Lion in Winter", John Sedgewick, Boston , May 15, 2006.
  10. "American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts Records | bu exposure Records, 1967-1983". Massachusetts Historical Society (Records pertaining to civil rights controversies at Boston University, most notably those relating to a First Amendment suit brought by the bu exposure against Boston University President John Silber, 1977-1984.). Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  11. "Guide to the Howard Zinn Papers TAM.542". Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive. October 22, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.

Sources