New Radical Paper
Alleges Editorship
By College Staff
Publication Expressing Program
of Communist Party Mailed
To All Teachers
TO BE ISSUED MONTHLY
Association of Instructors, Tutors,
Fellows, Disclaims Knowl-
edge of Paper
The first issue of a four
page monthly publication called Brooklyn Collage Staff, a
political paper expressing the program of the Communist party, was
received by all members of the faculty and instructional staffs of the
College through Monday's mail. The Staff claims to be published
regularly by a group of the Brooklyn College staff who comprise the
Brooklyn College unit of the Communist party of America.
A front page
message to the readers states that the purpose of the paper is to
acquaint Brooklyn College with the Communist position on major
questions of today.
At a meeting on
Wednesday, The Association of Instructors, Fellows and Tutors of
Brooklyn College passed a resolution rejecting the validity of the
publication as follows:
"Whereas, there appeared under date of
May. I, 1935, a sheet known as Brooklyn College Staff, the
authorship or editorship of which is nowhere revealed, purporting to be
published by a group of Communists among the Brooklyn College teaching
staff, and
"Whereas, by the
very use of the name "Brooklyn College Staff," and by featuring, news
concerning the affairs of our association, the aforesaid sheet seeks to
convey the impression that it expresses the views of Brooklyn College
teachers, and more particularly of the members of our association, and
"Whereas, it always
has been and now is established policy of our organization to concern
itself with professional matters only, and to avoid affiliation or
identification with any political organization or party, therefore,
" Be it resolved,
that we, the members of the Association of Instructors, Tutors and
Fellows of Brooklyn College, hereby repudiate the aforesaid
publication. and diclaim any connection therewith or any sympathy with
its views and policies."
President Boylan,
according to the New York Times, "insisted that no faculty
members were connected with the publication."
lna response to the
questioning of a Spotlight reporter, Dean Adele Bildersee
stated, "The document certainly does not show .correct knowledge of
what has been going on in Brooklyn College. I cannot think that it is
written by anyone associated with the College. There are
misinterpretations and misstatements throughout. Anyone familiar with
what has been happening in Brooklyn College can realize that."
Dean Mario
Cosenza's secretary told a Spotlight reporter that "The Dean
does not wish to discuss that publication."
Professor Americo
Camera, secretary of the faculty and chairman of the department of
Romance Languages said he did not believe the Staff
representative of faculty opinion and that he does not think that the
faculty or even the teachers are Communists, although he was not well
acquainted with the younger members of the instructional staff.
Professor Camera said further "I have no idea who may be responsible
for this publication. but whoever they are, they ought to come out in
the open and tell where they got the authority to put forth the paper."
The editorial of
the initial issue is entitled Why Communists and in it the
editors explain the causes and justifications of their political
philosophy. They declare that they had joined the Communist ranks over
their employment in the College and that they are Americans whose love
of country had caused them to seek the overthrow of industrial barons
and financial dictators. They name themselves the "true heirs of the
American Revolution of 1776." Believing that capitalism is doomed, they
look to Communism to "lead the country out of its misery and into a
better social order."
In another part of
the paper is a box containing a donation of Abraham Lincoln on the
revolutionary right of the people
Return to Spotlight
Page || Home Page
May 20, 2004
|