Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-02-23
AoNDAY EVENING, FEB, %. 1890.
The INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

Some of the members of>the uni
1 ~yersity faculty who were quizzcd by
the three members of the a OF
[ administration or Saturday were
1 asked if they approved of the lnau-
a rural address delivered by President
! Kane nearly two years ago. The
facts in connection with that address
I need to be borne clearly in mind.
Shortly before commencement day..
1918, five young mon students had
struggled liquor onto the campus
and some or all of them had become
intoxicated. This. of course, was ~
grave violation OF the proprieties of
the university regulations. and Of the
laws Of the state. The incident was
brought to the attention of a dis
culinary committee OF which DIR. j.
M. Gillette, professor of social sell
ence, was a member. 1t has been
reported that DIR. Gillette was the
most active OF the committee mem
hers, in urging summary punishment.
The Herald is not informed as to
this report. but it is Il a { that DIR.
Il Gillette recommended n approved
the action taken, and thus became
responsible for 1t.
The action taken presents some
interesting features. There was NJ
hearing at which the accused were
given an opportunity to admit or deny
their guilt or to explain or defend
their conduct. Without such hear
ing it was decreed that the five stu
dents should be expelled. Further, it
being ascertained that the five were
members of a college fraternity which
had been represented at the univer-
sity for some time, it was decreed
that the charter of the fraternity
should be cancelled. Not only was
it proposed to administer the extreme
penalty to the five offenders without
giving them an opportunity to be
heard, but the society with which
they happened to be connected and
j whose other members, who had been
graduated from the university, were
in no way connected with the Of
Tense. nor informed concerning it. was
to be dhgraoed and these innocent
members Inundated. also without
hearing. ~
These facts being a~scertained by
President Kane, he disapproved Of
the findings and sent the case back.
He held that the students against
whnm charges had been preferred
shouh bo heard 4efore the passing
,of sentunce- And he held, too, that
it%w1a unjust to punish an entire So
{tctety for tho personal acts of five Of
its mem6emL 1t later developed that
the injustice Of the proposed action
was aEuysked in this particular Case
by tho fact that at tho very time
when this drastic action was recon-
\ meuded by DR.. Gillette some 100
members of tho society were in the
active service OF the government in
the a The thing looked like scant
courtesy to a lot Of absent soldiers.
In his inaugural address, which
followed this incA1cnt quite close
~. President Kane SET forth. at
some length his conception of the
things for which a university should
stand. One of these things was So
ciAl justice. To illustrate his point
he referred to this incident, not in
detail, but in terms so clear that ia
Guilty members understood the refer
ence perfectly. His conclusion was
that the university should not only
preach social Justice, but practice it..
It might be well. while Messry.
Totem. ct al, are getting the senti-
ments Of the faculty as to what DIR.
Kane said. i 0 have them go on record
as we'll with reference to what DR..
Gillette did Il ahe faculty members
approve Of the summary expulsion o.
students WITHOUT hearing. they will
approve; as q matter OF conrse, in the
action taken by these board members
long 6 in deciding on The dismissal
OF the head of the university without
hearing.
This may be the modern way OF
doing it. 1t issone conception of JUS
tice. Il has not always been 80. Mr..
Totten may recall that it was not sc
in his case Tho people Of his church
did not disn1iss him summary. They
investigated his case and heard his
statement They even placed him or
probation n rave him a chance tc
right himself before taking final &C.
ton and depriving him of his minis.
aterfal ONCE.