B. Earle Roberts papers

May 4 Collection - Box 134

Finding Aid

Prepared by Katy L. Watts, December 19, 2005; Revised June 2017

Inclusive Dates: 1968-1983
Bulk Dates: 1968-1973
Extent: 1.0 cubic foot (1 record storage box)
Physical Location: 12th floor; oversized materials are shelved in map case

Biographical Note: B. Earle Roberts was born on July 25, 1930. He earned a B.S. and M.A. from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, and served for two years as Police Chief in Battle Creek, Michigan. Roberts began teaching at Kent State University in the Department of Political Science in 1965. In 1970, he became Chairman of the newly formed Department of Criminal Justice Studies.

Roberts served on a number of committees following the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970. He was a trustee for the Kent Students Medical Fund, participated in the Kent Community for Non-Violent Change, and was a member of the Committee for Non-Violence, which established the peace marshals on campus at Kent State. Roberts’ most prominent role was as the chair of the Campus Security Advisory Committee, an organization he helped to establish that aimed to provide direction for improving the University’s security and police department. Later in his career, Roberts became chair of the Presidential Commission on Ethics and Values in the Curriculum, creating ethics guidelines to ease the tension between religious and professional group on campus.

Roberts retired from full-time teaching at Kent State in 1985, and became an Emeritus Professor of Criminal Justice Studies in 1986.

Scope and Content: This collection mainly documents Roberts’ role as a faculty member involved in many committees and commissions related to campus security following the Kent State shootings. Roberts held positions on the following committees: Campus Security Advisory Committee (CSAC), Commission on Campus Security (CCS), Committee for Non-Violence (CNV), Kent Community for Non-Violent Change (KCNC), Kent Students Medical Fund (KSMF), and the Presidential Commission on Ethics and Values in the Curriculum (PCEVC). The papers also include materials related to the Black United Students (BUS) Walkout in 1968, the Kent State shootings and their aftermath, the 1978 Commemoration of May 4, and two student research papers related to campus security and law enforcement at Kent State University.

Arrangement: This collection is organized into the following series. Materials within each series are arranged alphabetically by format.

• Series 1: Black United Students (BUS) Walkout
• Series 2: Kent State Shootings and Aftermath
• Series 3: Committees and Commissions
• Series 4: 1978 May 4 Commemoration
• Series 5: Student Research Papers

Restrictions on Access: Some information included in this collection is restricted due to the presence of information protected by privacy laws. This information has been redacted where present on documents in the collection. Un-redacted originals, in all cases, have been retained by Special Collections and Archives.

Sponsor: Digitization of this collection was funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Digitization of the audio materials in this collection was supported by a Recordings at Risk grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  

May 4 Collection - Box 134
Folder -- Contents

Series 1: Black United Students (BUS) Walkout
Scope and Content: Includes materials related to the mass Black student walkout of November 1968, led by members of Black United Students (BUS), to demonstrate against the presence of recruiters for the police force in Oakland, California on campus at Kent State University. This event is often referred to as the “BUS Walkout.”

1. BUS Walkout: Clippings: November 1968
2. BUS Walkout: Correspondence: October-November 1968
   Scope and Content: Correspondence from students, faculty, and administrators regarding the Black Student Walkout. Includes a letter to B. Earle Roberts from James M. Newman, Personnel Director of the Office of Civil Service Board in Oakland, California, confirming the arrangement for the City of Oakland Patrolman recruitment trip to Kent State in November 1968.
3. BUS Walkout: Flyers, Leaflets, Statements: November 1968
   Scope and Content: Flyers, leaflets, and statements related to BUS/SDS Oakland Police Protest and the Black Student Walkout.
4. BUS Walkout: “Statement of Resistance,” by Chuck Noell: March 4, 1969

Series 2: Kent State Shootings and Aftermath
Scope and Content: This series contains materials generated immediately following the Kent State shootings, including correspondence, leaflets, a program and statement for a memorial service, and news clippings.

5. Kent State Shootings: Correspondence: Interdepartmental: 1970
6. Kent State Shootings: Correspondence: Robert White to parents: October 20, 1970
7. Kent State Shootings: Correspondence: Robert White to University Community: March 29, 1971
8. Kent State Shootings: Leaflet: To “Concerned Kent State Students”: 1970
9. Kent State Shootings: Leaflets: Joe Hill Collective: circa 1970
10. Kent State Shootings: List: Organizations Created to Maintain Campus Order: 1970
11. Kent State Shootings: Memorial Service Program: May 8, 1970
    Scope and Content: Program for a memorial service for slain Kent State University students at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.
12. Kent State Shootings: Memorial Service Statement: May 1970
    Scope and Content: Statement possibly written by the parents of the slain Kent State University students and read at a memorial service at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C. on May 8, 1970.
13. Kent State Shootings: News Clipping: "The Kent State Affair," The Plain Dealer: May 28, 1970
    Physical Location: This item is oversized and is filed in the map case.
14. Kent State Shootings: Newsletter: Kent State University in Exile: circa 1970

Series 3: Committees and Commissions
Scope and Content: Contains materials created by committees and commissions on which B. Earle Roberts served, including correspondence, clippings, meeting minutes, notes, press releases, proposals, reports, and statements.

Campus Security Advisory Committee (CSAC)

15. CSAC: Correspondence: November 1971-August 1972
16. CSAC: Correspondence: September 1972-January 1973
17. CSAC: KSU Police Hierarchical Grid: June 1972
18. CSAC: Leaflet: October 19, 1972
    Scope and Content: Leaflet for a panel discussion on campus security, sponsored by Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
19. CSAC: Letter to the Editor, by B. Earle Roberts: December 6, 1972
20. CSAC: Member Lists: 1972
21. CSAC: Memo: February 4, 1972
    Scope and Content: Memorandum to State University Presidents from Eric R. Gilbertson, Assistant Attorney General, regarding “mutual jurisdiction and authority of police agencies and general authority of university police on university property.”
22. CSAC: Minutes: March-November 1972
23. CSAC: News Clippings: 1971
24. CSAC: News Clippings: March-April 1972
25. CSAC: News Clippings: May-December 1972
26. CSAC: News Clippings: 1973
27. CSAC: Notes by B. Earle Roberts: 1972
28. CSAC: Press Releases: 1972
29. CSAC: Proposed and Official Policies: 1971-1973
    Scope and Content: Proposed and official policy statements regarding surveillance at Kent State University.
30. CSAC: Questionnaire: Spring 1972
    Scope and Content: Proposals, drafts, and documents related to a questionnaire used by the Campus Security Advisory Committee to conduct a study of the campus police.
31. CSAC: Report: “Campus Police - An Experimental Course”: undated
    Scope and Content: Report submitted by CSAC member Bob Peabody.
32. CSAC: Report: “The Campus Police at Kent State: A Survey of Opinion”: August 1972
    Scope and Content: Report submitted by CSAC member D. James Dooling.
    Physical Description: Includes typescript drafts with handwritten annotations.
33. CSAC: Report: “Campus Security Policies and Operations”: November 17, 1972
    Scope and Content: Report submitted by CSAC members Thomas Anderson, Tobie Fixler, Allan Morris, and Michael White.
34. CSAC: Report: Operations Subcommittee: undated
35. CSAC: Report: “Preliminary Draft of a Report to the Select Committee to Investigate Campus Disturbances”: January 21, 1971
    Scope and Content: Partial copy of a report submitted by Kent State University President Robert I. White to the U.S. Senate.
36. CSAC: Report: “Report of the Campus Security Advisory Committee Subcommittee on Ideal Models for Campus Security”: undated
    Scope and Content: Report submitted by CSAC member Allen Rawitch.
37. CSAC: Report: “Ron Mohr Incident”: undated
    Related Materials: See also the Kent State University Police records, Litigation Series for detailed information on the Reinhold Mohr case.
38. CSAC: Report with Recommendations: June 1972
    Scope and Content: Report submitted to Kent State University President Glenn A. Olds.
39. CSAC: Reports: Sub-Committees: 1972
40. CSAC: Reported Offenses to Campus Police: January-May 1972
41. CSAC: Statement by Michael White: undated
    Scope and Content: Remarks made by CSAC member Mike White explaining his reasons for not participating in a panel at a Conference on Campus Security.
42. CSAC: Cassette Tapes: Meetings: 1972
    Scope and Content: Includes 9 audio cassette tape recordings of CSAC meetings.
    Restrictions on Use: Researchers should be directed to use the digital copies of these recordings as originals are not playable due to format and preservation concerns.
    Alternative Form Available: Box 134 contains CD copies of the recordings for reference use.

Commission on Campus Security (CCS)

43. CCS: “Report of the Commission on Campus Security”: June 19, 1970
    Scope and Content: Report submitted by Chairman of the Commission on Campus Security Arvin I. Lubetkin.

Committee for Non-Violence (CNV)

44. CNV: “A Proposed Faculty Marshalls Program”: circa 1970
45. CNV: “Committee for Non-Violence (Marshalls)” by B. Earle Roberts: circa 1970
46. CNV: Correspondence to Faculty: July 1, 1970
47. CNV: Handbook: “Marshals: What do they do? How do you train them?”: undated
    Scope and Content: Published by Friends Peace Committee.
48. CNV: Member Contact List: circa 1970
49. CNV: Minutes: June 3, 1970
50. CNV: Notes: circa 1970
51. CNV: Objectives and Chronology: 1970
52. CNV: Proposals: circa 1970
53. CNV: Training Committee Report: July 21, 1970
54. CNV: “Training for Demonstrations” and “The Marshal: New Problems, New Approaches,” by Charles C. Walker: circa 1970

Kent Community for Non-Violent Change (KCNC)

55. KCNC: Correspondence: 1970
56. KCNC: Curriculum Sub-Committee Report: undated
57. KCNC: Sub-Committee Lists: undated

Kent Students Medical Fund (KSMF)

58. KSMF: Articles of Incorporation: May 26, 1970
59. KSMF: Committee Member Lists: 1970
60. KSMF: Correspondence: 1970
61. KSMF: Information Bulletin: 1970
62. KSMF: Minutes: May 1970
63. KSMF: Report: Development of Committee: May-June 1970

Presidential Commission on Ethics and Values in the Curriculum (PCEVC)

64. PCEVC: Correspondence: to Michael Schwartz from B. Earle Roberts: September 7, 1983
65. PCEVC: Report with Recommendations: 1983?

Series 4: 1978 May 4 Commemoration
Scope and Content: Includes materials related to the 1978 Commemoration of May 4, 1970, which involved disagreements among members of the Kent State community on how the commemoration should be planned.

66. 1978 Commemoration: Correspondence: March-May 1978
67. 1978 Commemoration: Drafts and Notes Concerning Faculty Action: 1978
68. 1978 Commemoration: Meeting Attendance Sheets: 1978
69. 1978 Commemoration: Remarks by B. Earle Roberts: October 5, 1978
    Scope and Content: Approximate transcription of remarks made by Roberts regarding the 1978 Commemoration of May 4, 1970.

Series 5: Student Research Papers
Scope and Content: This series contains a student research paper and a project proposal, both on the topic of campus security at Kent State University.

70. Student Paper: A Comparison of Attitudes Towards the Campus Police: Spring 1970 - Fall 1971, by Charles G. McCoy: fall 1971
71. Student Paper Proposal: The Re-Institution of Law Enforcement Recruitment at Kent State University, by Jim Levine: December 1, 1972