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Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.

The Miscast Martyr for Student Rights

Record #:
8448
Author(s):
Abstract:
East Carolina University's visitation policy on when men and women could visit each other in their dorm rooms sparked a ten-week campus protest in the spring of 1971. Students wanted the rules loosened. When the administration moved too slowly, student protests began. Police made arrests. Robert Thonen, editor of the student newspaper was expelled for permitting a letter to be published which used a well-known four-letter word directed toward the university president. Thonen's legal case resulted in a landmark court ruling on free speech in student newspapers. The protest was finally resolved. Tuttle includes a “Where are they now?” section about some of the student protestors. Several are lawyers, one is a preacher, and one was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Thonen had a long career with the Defense Department.
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