DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Students for a Democratic Society, Herrnstein lecture, February-June, 1972 | 1972-02-22 Daily Iowan Article: 'SDS plans picket of author's talk'

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Students for a Democratic Society, Herrnstein lecture, February-June, 1972

1972-02-22 Daily Iowan Article: 'SDS plans picket of author's talk'

DI
2/22/72
Charge speaker is racist SDS plans picket of author's talk
By DAVID SWAN
Daily Iowan Staff Writer
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) plan to picket a lecture here Friday by Richard J. Herrnstein, professor of psychology at Harvard.
SDS members from the midwest will confront Herrnstein during his lecture and demand that he "debate and answer questions about his theories and their political and social consequences," according to Elaine Johnson, 24, Meadowbrook Court, a local SDS representative.
The picketing action is the focus of a two day conference this weekend sponsored by the national SDS. National secretary Martie Riefe is already in Iowa City, according to Ms. Johnson.
SDS had attacked an article written by Herrnstein, which Ms. Johnson says portrays a "racist ideology."
Ms. Johnson said more than 100 students will meet on the Pentacrest Friday at 3:15 p.m. for a rally and then attend Herrnstein's lecture at 4:30 p.m. 
Ms.Johnson said that Herrnstein believes that blacks and other minorities are intellectually inferior. 
"I think that there's a conscious attempt to teach racism in this country," she said.
"By no means is it just Herrnstein. There are many other people saying the same thing," she added.
Dr. Rudolph W. Schulz, chairman of the Department of Psychology, host for Herrnstein during his stay, had no comment when asked if he thought any of the ideas in Herrnstein's article were racist. 
He said that Herrnstein would not even be speaking on such a subject but that his topic would be in the "experimental area of operant conditioning."
Herrnstein's article, "IQ," appeared in the last September's Atlantic. He cited evidence to show that the average intelligence quotient (IQ) of blacks and other minorities is lower than that of whites. 
The IQ is a standard score on one of several nationally used tests which is designed to measure what psychologists call 
intelligence."
In his article, Herrnstein said that intelligence was an inherited characteristic. 
He said it was a possibility that blacks and other minorities were genetically inferior, but added that the question was "not settled yet given our present stage of knowledge."

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DI 2/22/72 Charge speaker is racist SDS plans picket of author's talk By DAVID SWAN Daily Iowan Staff Writer Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) plan to picket a lecture here Friday by Richard J. Herrnstein, professor of psychology at Harvard. SDS members from the midwest will confront Herrnstein during his lecture and demand that he "debate and answer questions about his theories and their political and social consequences," according to Elaine Johnson, 24, Meadowbrook Court, a local SDS representative. The picketing action is the focus of a two day conference this weekend sponsored by the national SDS. National secretary Martie Riefe is already in Iowa City, according to Ms. Johnson. SDS had attacked an article written by Herrnstein, which Ms. Johnson says portrays a "racist ideology." Ms. Johnson said more than 100 students will meet on the Pentacrest Friday at 3:15 p.m. for a rally and then attend Herrnstein's lecture at 4:30 p.m. Ms.Johnson said that Herrnstein believes that blacks and other minorities are intellectually inferior. "I think that there's a conscious attempt to teach racism in this country," she said. "By no means is it just Herrnstein. There are many other people saying the same thing," she added. Dr. Rudolph W. Schulz, chairman of the Department of Psychology, host for Herrnstein during his stay, had no comment when asked if he thought any of the ideas in Herrnstein's article were racist. He said that Herrnstein would not even be speaking on such a subject but that his topic would be in the "experimental area of operant conditioning." Herrnstein's article, "IQ," appeared in the last September's Atlantic. He cited evidence to show that the average intelligence quotient (IQ) of blacks and other minorities is lower than that of whites. The IQ is a standard score on one of several nationally used tests which is designed to measure what psychologists call intelligence." In his article, Herrnstein said that intelligence was an inherited characteristic. He said it was a possibility that blacks and other minorities were genetically inferior, but added that the question was "not settled yet given our present stage of knowledge."