Black Studies v Academic Affairs 1972

Despite the highly organized start to the Black Studies department, problems between the department and administration soon arose. Communication and good will quickly eroded between Milton White, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Dean of Academic Affairs. 

A second point of tension between White, Lane, and Gaines was White’s teaching responsibilities during that first semester. As stated in his contract, White was expected to teach and chair the department; this was normal practice for all department chairs and directors. However, the courses offered in the Fall semester were created by Wade, whose field was Communications. White, who was a political scientist, had not taken on any offered courses that were so far outside his area of expertise. This administrative oversight was brought to Dean Gaines’ attention when a student reporter from the Gateway phoned Gaines and asked him why an instructor was being paid a full salary if he wasn’t teaching. [2] Gaines arranged for a meeting between White and Lane to discuss the issue after this phone call. [3]

This overlooked detail was an example of the chaotic atmosphere on campus. No administrators had checked in on course offerings and if White had assigned himself any to teach. Given the semester had begun and all available courses had already been paired with their respective instructors, there were no classes for White to instruct. Orville Menard from the Political Science department, who had chaired the Black Studies Advisory Committee, offered to co-teach with White. After some resistance, White agreed to work with Menard.  

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Johnson interview: Gaines (partial)

Curriculum proved to be the final straw for White, Lane, and Gaines as conflict over courses White submitted to the Review Committee became a catalyst for an explosive situtation. White had followed the normal procedure and submitted two courses, International Relations of Black America and the Politics of Black Liberation in America, to the university registrar and the Curriculum Review Committee. After they had been approved, the courses were sent to Lane and then Gaines for final approval.

After a meeting between Gaines, Lane, and White ended with allegations of racism, paternalism, and according to White, threats against his job security, communication broken down completely. White, who had communicated with UNO’s Chancellor Blackwell about the impending crisis, wrote to NU system President Varner in January 1972. [6] Varner responded sympathetically but referred all of White’s concerns back to Blackwell, offering that all the difficulties could be sorted out through in-person conversation. [7]

Gaines and Lane decided to retrack their offer to Locke and not bring their proposal to the Board of Regents as the tension on campus proved too strong. However, news of the plan and offer to Locke had been leaked, and students, faculty, and community members voiced their anger at what appeared to be a coup to remove White without consent or proper legal procedure. The student group BLAC began organizing a protest and Senator Ernie Chambers wrote to President Varner to voice his dissatisfaction. [9] 

Black Studies v Academic Affairs 1972