MEMO IN PLACE OF A PROLOGUE:
“To All students in English 1.8 B2 and 1.8 C4”

[Spring 1970]

Because the remainder of the semester is a question mark at this point, I am sending this sheet to all students by mail. Please note the following:

1. Whatever happens with regard to the national student strike, and whatever effect this has on classes at the College, I consider myself responsible to all my students until the end of the semester. This means that although we may not meet in the classroom I am available for consultation by telephone and for individual conferences, which may or may not be held on the campus, depending on the situation at any given time.

2. Every student in English 1.8 can and should finish the semester by completing the three assignments below and getting them to me by mail before May 29. If a final in-class essay is also possible, you will be notified of the time and place of that essay, which will take the place of a final exam.

3. You should feel free to call me at home (749-4596) and I hope anyone who has no telephone where I can reach him or her will make a definite point of calling me. (The best time to reach me is between 6 and 11 p.m. If I’m not at home and you get one of my sons please ask him to write down the message and I’ll call you back.)

4. Whether or not your classes are meeting as usual, don’t stay away from the campus! There is plenty of political and human education going on there. This is part of what it means to be a college student in our time and is probably one of the most valuable parts of your education even though you don’t get academic credits for it. Come to the campus, talk to people, see what is happening, argue, act. The national student strike is not simply about Cambodia and Kent State, it concerns all political oppression, and the lives of all who live under the U. S. government, here and abroad.

The following assignments are required in order to complete English 1.8. You should also check as to whether you still owe me back papers or revisions, and mail them to me when completed.

Assignment for the week of May 11:

Write two pages or more in support or in opposition to the following paragraph:

“Even if you feel that the government is committing unjust or immoral acts, it is better to remain silent than to express your opinion. No ordinary citizen knows enough to criticize the men who are in positions of highest leadership, since they have access to inside information which the citizen cannot possess. Moreover, a government threatened by criticism and protest may respond with acts even more unjust and immoral than those which are being protested.”

Assignment for week of May 18:

In 2 or more pages, relate this statement to your own experience. (Maybe your own experience has been different. Either way, be concrete!)

Assignment for week of May 25:

Do one of the following things: Go to see a film and write about it, or about anything it suggests to you. Go to a museum and look at a picture or sculpture or other object and write a description of it. Write a description of a course you would like to take which is not as yet taught at this college.

Any of these assignments may be done in any week. Try to keep them coming, though, one each week.