KSU Protest Mood Recalls 1970

FROM LEFT, Kent Statue University President Glenn A. Olds and Trustee Chairman George Janik answered questions from students, who came to Rockwell Hall, where trustees were having a special meeting Wednesday. Locked out of the corridor leading to the trustees' conference room, about 300 students staged an eight hour unplanned sit-in, demanding to present their views. Olds went out into the hot, crowded hallway to talk to the students after hinges were removed from one of the locked doors. Olds stayed with the students most of the eight hours, leaving at 1 a.m. when the sit-in broke up. Janik talked to the group at 6 p.m. for about 20 minutes after the trustees adjourned. (R-C Photo by Ernie Mastroianni)

KSU protest mood recalls 1960 By CHRIS VASCO And KAREN L. SCRIVO                 The chants of the 300 demonstrators were "Stop the Gym" instead of "Stop the War." But the mood at Kent State University Wednesday was the same as it had been in the early May seven years ago - a mood of protest.

The 300 were opposing what they felt was "desecration" of the site of the May 4, 1970 student killings, by a proposed new physical education building.                

And, armed with the pledge of fasting by black activist Dick Gregory, until the project is halted and a pledge by activist attorney William Kunstler to return to defend any jailed for trying to stop construction, the 300 occupied for eight hours portions of the administration building, Rockwell Hall.                

The sit-in started in a second floor hallway at Rockwell Hall at 5 p.m. Wednesday following the May 4 rally and speeches in Memorial Gymnasium, and a march by about 1,500 KSU students, Vietnam veterans, and Kent State graduates through Kent.                

It ended at 1 a.m. today with Dean Kahler, one of the nine students wounded in the 1970 shootings, reading from his wheelchair a list of eight demands the group had for the KSU administration. No arrests were made.

The group demanded that the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Building not be built on the proposed site near the scene of the shootings.

The Demonstrators contented the building site, jutting from Memorial Gymnasium into the hill of the practice football field about 300 feet "desecrated" the area of the killings.                

University officials contend the site is not near the shooting site in the Prentice Hall parking lot. They plan to make aerial photos of the site available for student scrutiny.

Among other demands were future canceling of May 4th classes, "amnesty" for those who missed classes May 4, maintaining the KSU Center for Peaceful Change (CPC), which has recently been threatened with budget cuts, and official naming of four KSU buildings for the four slain students and "justice" for the 1970 shootings.

The group planned a rally tonight, at 9 at an as-yet-undecided location in the Student Center, to discuss the demands further .A rally is also planned for May 12, the date of the next meeting of the Kent State Board of Trustees.

The Promise of the consideration of the demands by KSU officials, a meeting between several of the demonstrators and trustee Chairman Georg Janik, scheduled for Friday and a public show of strength for the group and its demands were the occupation's tangible results.

The group, consisting of students representing various political groups, KSU graduates, and Vietnam Veterans splintered from the main march group to confront the Board of Trustees, holding a special meeting in Rockwell.                 The group, shouting "Stop the Gym," entered Rockwell, and tried to find the trustees, meeting in executive session. When the trustees couldn't be located, the demonstrators demanded one meet them.

At 5:45 p.m. President Glenn A. Olds appeared before the students in the second floor hallway which they occupied initially.

The group complained of the building site, and lack of student input in the process.

Olds tried to explain that students were involved in the site selection process, and that the site wasn't near the shooting site. Olds also attempted to answer questions about the proposed CPC cut, saying no final decision had been made.

Olds, who came to KSU following the 1970 shootings with the charge of helping KSU recover, found himself in the familiar setting of a verbal confrontation with students.                 Olds left and brought Janik to the group. Janik told the demonstrators that the site had already been voted upon, but the construction bids were yet to be awarded. Janik said he would welcome student input at the May 12 meeting.

While the group became loud at times, and some jeers were directed toward the president, the confrontation was orderly.

The 300 demonstrators decided to move to expanded quarters in the first floor advising and orientation center and managed to work open the locked door at 7:45 p.m.

Most doors of Rockwell were locked to avoid the spread of the crowd into administrative offices. KSU police officers had been brought to the scene in the eventuality of a disturbance.                

Some members of the group prepared for a long siege by bringing some natural food, fruit juice and water.                

When the group moved to the first floor, and dispatched people to advise the media of the incident, Dr. Dennis P. Carey assistant director of the CPC, attempted to move the demonstration to the Student Center, where scheduled May 4th workshops were taking place.                

Carey told the group that he felt a sit-in at Rockwell was a "wrong power move" because it could invite negative publicity, as a "break-in" and would be more effective at the time of the HPER building excavation.

While Carey said he had experience with demonstration strategy, he was shouted down by various demonstrators, who began talk of an all-night protest.

The demonstrators continually argued among themselves whether to maintain the sin-in until morning.

The group's morale, suffering from the heat was bolstered twice during the incident- once when rumors of a national television mention of the incident filtered to the group, and when Stokely Carmichael, following his 8 p.m. speech, came to Rockwell to address the demonstrators.                

"You've got to struggle, struggle, struggle, struggle, against injustice. Keep the home fires burning," he said, pounding his fist, as the demonstrators leaped to their feet in applause.                

Dean Kahler, Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, also confined to a wheelchair, Bill Arthrell, Alan Canfora and Chic Canfora, all arrested during the 1970 campus disturbances, and Student Caucus members Nancy Grim, Criag Glassner and Scott Marburger were prominent speakers during the eight hours.

Olds, present throughout the occupation, told the group that, as long as the demonstration remained peaceful, the group would be allowed to stay until morning, when classes would resume. He did say the students would be evicted by police in the morning.

Olds ordered KSU police to guard the two main entrances on each side of the building, where about 100 spectators milled about, sang and chanted. No one was to be admitted, or readmitted if they left. The Kent City Police, and the Portage County Sheriff's Office were on alert.

When discussion finally created the list of demands, and the group was confident its cause had been heard, decided to march out of Rockwell, read the demands and a statement, and disperse. No arrests were made.              

"Walk out here, swagger out of here with your chin up high. Reflect upon this heavy, heavy day. Be jovial, be excited," Kovic said as the group was leaving. "For seven years we've been intimidated, and frightened, but we've been reborn," he said as the group Cheered.

Kahler said, "It was a great emotional victory. We've shown that the students at KSU don't have to be shot to achieve our goals and purpose. The truth demands justice, and we urge all to support our demands."

And as the door of Rockwell Hall were set to close behind demonstrators eight hours after they had opened to them, President Olds, leaving KSU in September said; "I'm tired. But it seems fitting that I'm leaving the way I came in."