Letter from BGSU President William T. Jerome to Guy A. Smart

June 24, 1970

Mr. Guy A. Smart
P. O. Box 534
Massillon, Ohio 44646

Dear Mr. Smart:

This will acknowledge receipt of your letter of June 18. I appreciate your taking the time to write although your form letter has little applicability to Bowling Green at the present time. The taxpayers' property has been well protected this past spring. Also there has been no violence so no faculty member or student has had to be censored.

Your statement that it is my duty "to eliminate faculty members who advocate or teach matters foreign or contrary to the American system" is far too simplistic. If our American system is so enfeebled that it cannot stand the competition of foreign ideas, then indeed things have come to a sorry pass in this country. In other words, I believe our young people are wise enough to distinguish between good ideas and phony ones if given a fair chance. My major concern as an educator is to see that the youth of the country have this type of exposure. At the moment I am not overly pleased at the way we are presenting the best in our own system so to this extent I appreciate your worries.

Again, thank you for writing.

Cordially,

Wm. Travers Jerome III
President

WTJ:da