The Recall and Chancellor Avery's Reaction
According to the minutes from the Board of Regents meeting on June 11, 1912, Chancellor Avery “reported orally upon the public criticism of objectionable illustrations appearing in the student publication known as ‘The Cornhusker.’” The Chancellor felt that The Cornhusker did not portray the University in a flattering light, and asked that all books be recalled in order to have the offending pages removed and the books rebound at the cost of the University.
At the same meeting, the academic fates of Dana VanDusen, Sam Buck, and Edo Anderson were decided. According to the minutes, the only reason they would eventually receive their diplomas and certificates would be because of “legal right only.” It was decided that VanDusen, Buck, and Anderson would be brought before the Board of Regents, lectured on the “gravity of their offense” and given their diplomas and certificates in order to expedite their leave of campus.
At the Board of Regents meeting on June 11, 1912, it was decided that because of the objectionable content found in the 1912 Cornhusker, the Student Publication Board would report to the chancellor:
Be it further resolved, that the student publications board of the university of Nebraska shall hereafter be directly responsible to the chancellor and that he is empowered through such board to exercise the necessary supervision over and censorship of all student publications (Board of Regents minutes, page 556).