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Columbia College Today Spring 1968

Page 76

The Independent Faculty Group) at 3:00. About 90 teachers, including a dozen tenure professors, showed up. They decided to support the student strike and continue to battle for amnesty. Said astronomer Lloyd Motz: "The striking students deserve amnesty because they did what they did from the highest motives." An hour later, at 4:00, the combined senior faculty that met on Sunday, met again in St. Paul's Chapel. A resolution that was largely the work of Professor Richal"d Hofstadter was submitted for discussion, but it was regarded as too vague. A substitute motion, drafted principally by Professor Maurice Rosenberg of the Law School, was then offered to the faculty and passed by a large majority of the 550 professors present. The complete resolution read: In Oill niversity's hour of anguish, wc members of its faculties must assume responsibility to help return this University to a community of reason. In this spirit we adopt the following resolutions: 1. That the University set aside Wednesday for reflection so that without classes, students and faculty may meet and reason together about their niversity. 2. That there be an executive committee with power to caJl the faculty together and to take other needed steps to return the University to its educational task at the earliest possible moment and that the committee be composed of the foJlowing: Daniel Bell vValter P. Metzger William Leuchtenberg Alexander DaJlin Eli Ginzberg Polykarp Kusch Ernest agel Michael Sovern Lionel Trilling Alan Westin In addition, the Committee will co-opt two members of the junior faculty to sit as voting members. 3. That the recently appointed tripartite committee consisting of representatives of the faculty, student body and administration immediately begin functioning to assure due process and equitable treahnent to students facing charges. 4. That each member of the Columbia community act in a mannlir showing respect for his coJleagues and assuring the return to life and health of this great University. Outside the Chapel about 200 leftist demonstl"ators had gathered. The~' sat on the brick walk in front of the doors and held a participatory democ-

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racv session in full view of 400 onlookers. While a few leftist students wanted to block the faculty's exit from the building with their bodies, the majority- decided to form a narrow aisle of seated students that the departing professors would have to file through. Said the leader, in a jaunty-, sardonic manner, "Don't yell obscenities at the faculty. Some of them don't understand our rage and might get up tight about it." At 6:20 it began to rain. All day long the skies had been blue-gray- with tall, ominous clouds shifting about, as if Nature were aware of the grief, tumult, and bitterness on Morningside Heights. But with evening there came a wet stillness. The aftermath of the police action on campus brought three things: new spasms of violence, countless meetings and speeches, and the formation of new committees for reform and renewal. The most serious clash occurred on the next day, Wednesday May- 1, in the early afternoon. About 400 Negroes, including man~1 teenagers, had congregated at Columbia's Amsterdam Avenuc gate around 1:00 p.m. The~' were addressed by militant Charles 37X Kenvatta and aided by Hamilton Hall black students Cicero Wilson '70, Ray- Brown '69, and graduate student William Sales. There were charges that "Columbia is Harlem's biggest slumlord" and that "Columbia is expanding into Harlem." (In actual fact, Columbia University does not own a single house or lot inside Harlem, and has no intention of doing so.) The black demonstrators were joined with an equal number of white radicals, many from City- College and the East Village. At the same time SDS was holding a rally- on the Sundial. About 100 uniformed police on foot, and 10 police on horseback were stationed at the gate to prevent outsiders from pouring onto the campus. Shortlv before 2:00 the mob outside the gates surged against the police, but the mounted police nudged the demonstrators back. Several more rushes on the police were also unsuccessful. The surge-and-hold action brought the 300 SDS members, strike sympathizers, and cop haters awav from the Sundial, down College Walk to the Amsterdam gate, directlybehind the police contingent. These

students shouted obscenities, pressed in on the police with anns locked, and threw newspapers, books, cigarette packs, and a wastebasket at the police. The police, in fear of being sandwiched from front and back, asked all the Columbia students on College Walk to clear the walk. "Please, please, back away," shouted a police lieutenant. "Why should we?" asked one student, "It's our campus. You clear out!" The police then began pushing students back calmly and gentl~'. Several students pushed back, though, and a few spat upon the police. About 40 police then rushed the 300 students to break up the radical student mob and clear College Walk behind them. As they did so, they hit several students with rubber blackjacks and shoved dozens of students very forcefully. The students fought back, some of them punching and kicking policemen. One student jumped from a second-story ledge of Hamilton onto the back of a police officer, Patrolman Frank Gucciardi, who was injured so badl~' he may- never walk again. 'rVhen the melee ended 20 minutes later, six students and four policemen were treated for minor injuries; and one policeman was hospitalized indefinitely at St. Luke's Hospital. One student was arrested. The other incident occurred the next night, Thursday, at a meeting of 200 of the Concerned Parents and Alumni in Riverside Church. Just after the meeting began at 8:00 p.m. Gandolph Vilardi, father of Majority Coalition leader Paul Vilardi '68, took the stage and named himself chairman of the meeting. He spoke, somewhat abusively-, to the largel~' leftwing audience. Then Rabbi Bruce Goldman, Columbia's COlUlselor to Jevvish students and a strike svmpathizer, tried, with several others, to grab the microphone awa~' from him. "Are vou trving to take this microphone awav from me b~' force, Rabbi?" Vilardi asked. The College parent was wrestled away, while Vilardi fought back. The parents and alumni then called the police to restore order. Vilardi poin ted out that his son, other Majority Coalition leaders, and members of Beta Theta Pi house had all received several threats to their life from leftist students. (President Kirk and several Trustees also received numerous threats and bomb scares by COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY

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