Letter from Richard Robinson to James Allen regarding the legality of student organizations retaining private legal counsel

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This June 18, 1973 letter from Richard Robinson, Assistant to the President of the University of North Carolina to James H. Allen, Dean of Students at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) originally accompanied an opinion letter from the North Carolina Attorney General regarding the legality of student organizations retaining private legal counsel. According to Robinson, the state's position generally is that the Attorney General was considered the legal representative of all state agencies, including university student organizations. Individual students were free to hire counsel, but at their own expense. This relates to a legal challenge based on the status of the Neo-Black Society, a student organization at UNCG. On March 26, 1973, the UNCG Student Government Association (SGA) had voted to reclassify (removed funding and recognition from) the Neo-Black Society. The SGA decision was overturned by university administration on the basis of faulty evidence and improper procedure by SGA, resulting in an eventual legal case that led to the Neo-Black Society's reinstatement as a recognized and funded organization.