Instructor Claims Rutgers Gags Him

Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, is in the peculiar situation of being a hybrid university. It is private in most respects, but it has financial dependence on the state. This makes Rutgers University more uneasy about its actions than some private schools, but not so fearful of direct interference as most state universities.

William M. Leonard is a case in point Leonard is chairman of the economics department at the Rutgers night school. During the war he served as transportation officer of the War Production Board and in 1945-46 was assistant co-ordinator of planning for Trans-World Airlines.

In January, 1948, Leonard wrote a letter to a local newspaper criticizing the gross receipts tax and urging instead a state income tax. He spoke purely as a private citizen, but he was called in by a Rutgers official and told that since his letter reflected a viewpoint, that viewpoint should conform more closely to that of the college administration.

In September, 1948, Leonard testified it opposition to transportation fare increases. Subsequently, he reported the university comptroller criticized his stand.

Last month, Leonard was asked by the Rutgers public relations department to take part in a radio debate. He was to take the affirmative side of the topic." "Are Corporation Profits Too High?" This he did. The debate came off without great excitement. But soon afterwards Leonard said, the dean advised him on a friendly basis that taking the affirmative side in such a debate was not the age it get ahead at Rutgers.

On another occasion last year the public Relations office scheduled an information broadcast, where an economics instructor was to speak for several minutes on the Taft-Hartley Act. It was reported that the Public Relations office asked the instructor to change his script because it was not objective enough. The speaker refused and so the speech was cancelled.

The economics department of the Rutgers day school protested this action.

(However, an impartial observer has stated. "I have concluded that as far as the public relations department is concerned, it did not cencor faculty members by blue pencil, veiled threats, or any other means.")

Leonard once read of the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors, tried to settle these grievances, but nothing was accomplished. So he spilled his story to the newspaper and then resigned his post.