History of Students Secretly Recording Lectures Goes Back to 1960s

To the Editor:

The history of students recording their professors’ lectures for political reasons actually goes back more than 50 years (“A Brief History of Students Secretly Recording Their Professors,” The Chronicle, December 21). During the early 1960s, some of the lectures of Jack Carney, a liberal political scientist at California’s El Camino College, were recorded by a conservative student using one of the portable devices of the day. The case was brought to the attention of the California Teachers Association, and with their support, Section 78907 of the California Education Code was adopted by the Legislature. It says:

“The use by any person, including a student, of any electronic listening or recording device in any classroom without the prior consent of the instructor is prohibited, except as necessary to provide reasonable auxiliary aids and academic adjustments to disabled students.

Any person, other than a student, who willfully violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Any student violating this section shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.”

Joseph Georges
Department of Political Science

El Camino College
Torrance, Calif.