March 31, 1973
Miss Jacqueline Coleman
Vice President
Student Government Association
Elliott Hall
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Dear Miss Coleman:
On Tuesday, March 27, 1973, Mr. Leon Chestnut, Co-ordinator
of the Neo-Black Society at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, addressed to me a protest against the decision of the Student
Senate on the night of March 26-27 to reclassify the Neo-Black Society
as an organization from Type II to Type I, thus subjecting it to withdrawal of financial support from student activity funds and to cancellation
of use of facilities assigned by the Student Government Association. Mr.
Chestnut appealed the decision to the Chancellor's Office asserting that
the Senate in acting on the charges against the Neo-Black Society had
followed improper and unfair procedures and also that the decision on
the substantive charges was based on insufficient and nonfactual evidence.
I responded to this appeal by naming a faculty committee that was
asked to review the Senate action of March 26-27, 1973, with respect to
the charges against the Neo-Black Society, giving special attention to the
questions raised in the appeal and subsequently to advise nne as to what
action should be taken by the Chancellor's Office in this matter.
The Committee, composed of Dr. Kendon Smith (Chairman),
Mr. Ernest Griffin, Dr. Harriet Kupferer, Dr. Doris McKinney, and
Dr. Franklin Parker, initiated its inquiry Tuesday afternoon, March 27,
and concluded its work by presenting its official report to me this morning,
March 31. A copy of that document is enclosed.
To summarize the statement, the Committee advised that the
reclassification of the Neo-Black Society by the Student Senate was not
[Letter from Chancellor Ferguson to UNCG Student Government invalidating its decision on recognition of the Neo-Black Society]
Date
1973-03-31
Creator
Ferguson, James Sharbrough
Subject headings
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Topics
UNCG Neo-Black Society
Place
Greensboro (N.C.)
Description
This letter, dated March 31, 1973, from University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Chancellor James Sharbrough Ferguson to UNCG Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President Jacqueline Coleman, outlines Ferguson's rationale for invalidating SGA's decision to reclassify (remove recognition and funding from) the Neo-Black Society. Ferguson states that a faculty committee found the reclassification invalid due to improprieties in the process and insufficient, nonfactual evidence. The chancellor's decision resulted in an eventual legal case leading to the Neo-Black Society's reinstatement as a recognized and funded organization.
Type
text
Original format
correspondence
Original dimensions
8.5" x 11"
Original publisher
[Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified]
Language
en
Contributing institution
Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries
Source collection
UA2.8 Chancellor James Sharbrough Ferguson Records
NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES. This item has been determined to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. The user is responsible for determining actual copyright status for any reuse of the material.
Object ID
UA002.008.0403
Digital publisher
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5305 -- http://library.uncg.edu/
March 31, 1973
Miss Jacqueline Coleman
Vice President
Student Government Association
Elliott Hall
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Dear Miss Coleman:
On Tuesday, March 27, 1973, Mr. Leon Chestnut, Co-ordinator
of the Neo-Black Society at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, addressed to me a protest against the decision of the Student
Senate on the night of March 26-27 to reclassify the Neo-Black Society
as an organization from Type II to Type I, thus subjecting it to withdrawal of financial support from student activity funds and to cancellation
of use of facilities assigned by the Student Government Association. Mr.
Chestnut appealed the decision to the Chancellor's Office asserting that
the Senate in acting on the charges against the Neo-Black Society had
followed improper and unfair procedures and also that the decision on
the substantive charges was based on insufficient and nonfactual evidence.
I responded to this appeal by naming a faculty committee that was
asked to review the Senate action of March 26-27, 1973, with respect to
the charges against the Neo-Black Society, giving special attention to the
questions raised in the appeal and subsequently to advise nne as to what
action should be taken by the Chancellor's Office in this matter.
The Committee, composed of Dr. Kendon Smith (Chairman),
Mr. Ernest Griffin, Dr. Harriet Kupferer, Dr. Doris McKinney, and
Dr. Franklin Parker, initiated its inquiry Tuesday afternoon, March 27,
and concluded its work by presenting its official report to me this morning,
March 31. A copy of that document is enclosed.
To summarize the statement, the Committee advised that the
reclassification of the Neo-Black Society by the Student Senate was not
