courts had been decided; that if the President disagreed with any of the Joint Commission's appellate decisions, a distinguished Columbia alumnus be called in to arbitrate; and that all students who failed to appear before their deans would be suspended from the University. It was with these recommendations in hand that the letters were sent out. The letters precipitated anguished discussion within the Strike Co-ordinating Committee. Should the striking students visit their deans or not? If they did, it would mean abandoning the demand for amnesty, recognizing the "legitimacy" of what they regarded as a totally discredited administration, and damaging the force of "the movement." If they did not visit the deans, it would mean suspension, defiance of a new, powerful disciplinary committee with strong student participation, and probably loss of support among numerous student sympathizers. A vote was taken, and a large majority decided to visit the deans, as the Joint DiSciplinary Commission recommended. However, Rudd, senior Juan Gonzalez, and a few others dissented from the decision, accusing the others of be-
ing "chicken" and not sufficiently dedicat(d to a social revolution. Rudd and the other SDS leaders simply decided not to abide by the majority decision. "It's ridiculous to see the deans," said Rudd. "Anyway they'll throw us out of th3 College whether we go or not." Rudd and the other SDS leaders told Associate Dean for Student Affairs Alexander Platt in person that they would not appear, then had their lawyers send a telegram to that effect on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 21, a few hours before the 5:00 p.m. deadline. Rudd had become more Leninist by May 21. The "democratic" aspect of the revolution had nearly disappeared. On Monday, May 20, he and several of his colleagues were forcibly evicted from the Brooklyn College campus by moderate students when they tried to aid a tiny group of 38 leftists who had seized the Registrar's Office there. At Columbia his active support was falling away too (though student sympathy for the rebels was still widespread). He was forced to impose a strong minority control to revive the dying flames of the Columbia revolution. One thing gave him hope: the French student
rioting, which had begun on Saturday, May 11. Perhaps the nationwide French student strike, which several SDS leaders claim was inspired in part by the Columbia up:-ising, would be emulated in America if dedicated leadership could be kept assembled. That Tuesday, 28 of the 30 seniors who were sent letters appeared in Dean Platt's office in Hamilton Hall. Thirteen of them admitted their part in the demonstration, were put on disciplinary probation for the remaining two weeks of the semester, and received their diplomas at graduation. Most of the 14 others refused to answer Dean Platt's inquiries; others denied any part in the rebellion. Their cases were referred to the Joint DiSCiplinary Commission. The two seniors who did not appear were Juan Gonzalez and another stalwart. Of course, the four other SDS leaders did not appear either. (Senior Ted Gold apparently never received his letter from the dean.) SDS held a Sundial rally at 4:00 p.m. on that Tuesday, May 21. Dean Platt ran out to the Sundial to try to meet with the four student rebels on South Field to avoid the automatic suspension that would have to be invoked in less than an hour. They refused to meet with him. Their lawyers instead came to Dean Platt's office around 5:00 p.m., but Dean Platt said that the meeting was not a trial but rather an in-house College inquiry and hearing which required appearances by the students themselves. At 5:30 or so, it was announced that the four leaders, because they refused to acknowledge the authority of the College's officers or the University's disciplinary commission, were suspended. Said one College official, "Any person who refuses to abide by the accepted and properly devised rules of a community and prefers instead to do only what he himself feels is right, can no longer remain a member of that community." A member of the Majority Coalition agreed. "Who does Rudd think he is, some kind of Roman god, above all mortal rules?" At the Sundial, SDS orators did not ] tell anyone about their being outvoted ~ in their own ranks on the matter of >- seeing the deans. They only told the .3 crowd of some 200 listeners and 300 Acting Dean Coleman told the SDS-led strikers, after they seized Hamilton Hall again spectators that Kirk was out to "cut on Tuesday, May 21, to leave the bUilding right away 01' be subject to suspension. the head off the movement" by arbi-
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COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
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