Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1972 [PAGE 69]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1970]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

59

written without knowledge of the contents of the other. The file does not disclose that Mr. Cronin has ever received a copy of Chancellor Parker's April 30 communication. A further relevant document is Mr. Costello's November 18, 1969, memorandum to you on the subject of "Group Legal Services Plan for University of Illinois Students," a copy of which is attached, 1 distributed by you on December 3, 1969, for the information of General Officers and Chancellors. Upon review of these documents, we cannot escape the conclusion that the use of mandatory fees for the functions and legal services identified in the March 3, 1970, statement concerning the Legal Rights Commission would be both illegal and unwise on policy grounds, for the reasons stated in Chancellor Parker's April 30 communication to Dr. Greenwald, and in Mr. Costello's November 18, 1969, memorandum to you. We, therefore, recommend that the Chancellor's action of disapproval be confirmed by you. Having identified what we feel the University cannot do in the specifics of the proposal at hand, we recommend that a closer examination be made of what might be done to provide some of the assistance desired. Mr. Costello suggests that there may be some areas in which counseling (as opposed to representation) on legal matters might be provided and is willing to explore with the Chicago and Illinois Bar Associations, the Legal Aid Society, and the federally-supported legal aid programs appropriate ways in which such legal counseling services may be made convenient and available to students. W e recommend that he be authorized to do so. W e are also making inquiries concerning practices at other institutions. Finally, we note that the principal impediment to the Chicago Circle proposal is the fact that student participation would be involuntary because the financing would come from a mandatory fee assessed and collected by the University from all students. As Item B in Mr. Costello's November 18, 1969, memorandum observes, it appears that students might voluntarily associate in groups or clubs and raise funds, through dues or otherwise, to provide certain legal, investigative, or referral services on matters germane to their common interests as students.

ELDON L. J O H N S O N

Vice

President Assistant Counsel to the President

GEORGE H . BARGH

Executive University

J A M E S J. COSTELLO

PLAN FOR STUDENT-BOARD OF TRUSTEES COMMUNICATIONS, 1 9 7 0 - 7 1 (4) The Committee on General Policy has approved and recommends the following plan for communications between students and the Board of Trustees for the year 1970-71. 1. Those students most competent to comment upon specific issues will be called by the Secretary of the Board to participate as resource people during considerations of student-related items by the General Policy Committee or the Board of Trustees' Committee on Student Welfare and Activities. Thus, students with a variety of interests and experience will be available for consultation and interaction. 2. The practice will be continued whereby the Chancellors and the President make special arrangements for student representation before the Board or its committees whenever the administration makes recommendations contrary to those received from student groups. 3. Several days before the Board meeting copies of the agenda topics will be made available for distribution by the Chancellors to the University community. 4. Student-initiated issues will be channeled through the Chancellors' and the President's offices to the Board of Trustees' Committee on Student Welfare and Activities and then to the Board. Where appropriate, the President of the Board may direct subjects to another appropriate committee of the Board. 5. T h e established arrangement for formally addressing the Board of Trustees or its committees after proper introduction will remain open to all members of the University community.

1

This document is filed with the Secretary of the Board for record.