UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ
CHANCELLOR'S MEMO
A NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS
Volume 6, Number 3 July, 1968
REFLECTION ON VIOLENCE
Adapted from remarks by Chancellor McHenry at Commencement, June 9, 1968
Congratulations! Today marks the end of one phase in the lives of those graduating
and the beginning of another. This should be a joyous occasion, yet the flavor is
bittersweet. Our flag is at half mast—for today is a National Day of Mourning over
the tragic death of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
I tried to make notes for this event yesterday, but I was drawn back again and again
to the television coverage of the services at St, Patrick's Cathedral and Arlington
National Cemetery. Through tear-blurred eyes I saw the few words I had written on
the pad:
Violence in the world.
Violence in the cities.
Violence on the campuses.
How long—Oh, Lord—how long must America be blinded by hatred and blighted by
violence?
The world problem and the cities problem are too complex to deal with here and now.
UCSC can and must contribute to international and intercultural understanding. Hopeful signs of our young campus' progress in this direction include: (1) Merrill
College and its programs of service abroad and field work at home; (2) the offering
of a major field in "Community Studies," to be launched next fall; and (3) a cooperative program between UCSC and institutions in Mexico, for which funding is now being
sought.
In a pluralistic society, power is widely diffused. Some elements may claim, quite
properly, a greater voice in decision-making. But those who advocate "student power"
—as I did as a student politician some decades ago--should not forget that they are
still apprentices, not journeymen or masters, that their tenure is short, their
experience limited, their stake is less than the faculty's or the administration's.
The alternative to violence on campus is a willingness to co-exist, to be tolerant
of others, to recognize the context in which society offers opportunities for study
and employment--while one works by peaceful and lawful means to change when change
is needed.
So far a major confrontation has been avoided at Santa Cruz, due principally to the
existence of our collegiate system and the good work of the leadership of the colleges. But the time may come, next fall, next year, or the next decade when reason
is shunted aside and violence flares—as it has on campuses throughout the nation
and the world. At Santa Cruz it will be met firmly, in the first hour.
University of California, Santa Cruz. McHenry Library, Special Collections. 1156 High Street. Santa Cruz, CA, 95064. (831) 459-2547. speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
University of California, Santa Cruz. McHenry Library, Special Collections. 1156 High Street. Santa Cruz, CA, 95064. (831) 459-2547. speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ
CHANCELLOR'S MEMO
A NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS
Volume 6, Number 3 July, 1968
REFLECTION ON VIOLENCE
Adapted from remarks by Chancellor McHenry at Commencement, June 9, 1968
Congratulations! Today marks the end of one phase in the lives of those graduating
and the beginning of another. This should be a joyous occasion, yet the flavor is
bittersweet. Our flag is at half mast—for today is a National Day of Mourning over
the tragic death of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
I tried to make notes for this event yesterday, but I was drawn back again and again
to the television coverage of the services at St, Patrick's Cathedral and Arlington
National Cemetery. Through tear-blurred eyes I saw the few words I had written on
the pad:
Violence in the world.
Violence in the cities.
Violence on the campuses.
How long—Oh, Lord—how long must America be blinded by hatred and blighted by
violence?
The world problem and the cities problem are too complex to deal with here and now.
UCSC can and must contribute to international and intercultural understanding. Hopeful signs of our young campus' progress in this direction include: (1) Merrill
College and its programs of service abroad and field work at home; (2) the offering
of a major field in "Community Studies," to be launched next fall; and (3) a cooperative program between UCSC and institutions in Mexico, for which funding is now being
sought.
In a pluralistic society, power is widely diffused. Some elements may claim, quite
properly, a greater voice in decision-making. But those who advocate "student power"
—as I did as a student politician some decades ago--should not forget that they are
still apprentices, not journeymen or masters, that their tenure is short, their
experience limited, their stake is less than the faculty's or the administration's.
The alternative to violence on campus is a willingness to co-exist, to be tolerant
of others, to recognize the context in which society offers opportunities for study
and employment--while one works by peaceful and lawful means to change when change
is needed.
So far a major confrontation has been avoided at Santa Cruz, due principally to the
existence of our collegiate system and the good work of the leadership of the colleges. But the time may come, next fall, next year, or the next decade when reason
is shunted aside and violence flares—as it has on campuses throughout the nation
and the world. At Santa Cruz it will be met firmly, in the first hour.
