Vol. 85, No, 48
INSIDE DT
California State College, Fullerton
A History of Protests Former professor of communications Wayne Overbeck once wrote that “perhaps the most decisive and enduring victory won by the students of that era was greater First Amendment freedom for college and university students. Even now, in a time when the courts are narrowing the scope of student freedom rather than expanding it further, students enjoy far greater freedom on campus than they did before the late 1960s.”
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
By Maureen Fox Staff Writer The trouble began on Feb. 9, 1970, when Gov. Ronald Reagan visited California State College, Fullerton to address the campus about the need to charge tuition. Two students, David MacKowiak and Bruce Church made several gestures of contempt and shouted obscenities at Reagan during his speech. Their resulting arrests threw the campus into an uproar. Because many students saw the arrests as an infringement on their freedom of speech, they began holding demonstrations in support of MacKowiak and Church. As the demonstrations progressed, the number of participants grew. On Feb. 25, 1970, a tactical squad of 20 Fullerton police members came to campus to break up a crowd of over 300 protesters. The resulting scuffles and arrests sparked 12 weeks of turbulence.
“(What I remember most is) how absolutely terrified I felt,” Sutphen said. “There were people who were quite capable of hitting me on the head and knocking me unconscious.” Up to that point, the protests had been completely peaceful; they were simply standing up for their rights as students and as individuals. They were trying to make their opposition toward the war known, Sutphen said. “It added to a sense of solidarity on the campus,” Sutphen said. “It was the campus versus the external community.” But on that day, police arrested 19 demonstrators. That number could have been higher, however, if one professor had not found a way to end the chaos peacefully. Hans Leder, a professor of humanities, stood up in front of the library and called everyone to attention. He announced that this was now Anthropology 069 and asked the protesters to sit down and have a discussion. By sitting down, the protesters in the Quad were then attending class. Since it was illegal to forcibly obstruct anyone from attending school, the protesters could not be moved. Gerritz remembers that the Anthropology 069 class lasted for many days. “Twenty-four hours a day there would be people sitting in the Quad,” Gerritz Photo Daily Titan Archive said. “The police just had to Two demonstrators flank the door to President William B. Langsorf ’s office during stand around and watch”. the Wednesday sit-in to protest the arrest of two CSF students earlier this month. The Rather than participate demonstrator at left later tried to take a newsman’s camera. This caption ran on Feb. in the protests, Gerritz, a 26, 1970. biology major, volunteered The Vietnam War protests of 1970 are the largest scale with several local doctors and USC medidemonstrations in Cal State Fullerton’s history. CSUF cal students at a first aid station set up in was reflecting the chaos of a nation in the midst of war. the Quad to respond to injuries as they Fifty eight people – consisting of 42 students, two pro- happened. fessors and eight others – were arrested during that spring Gerritz attributes the protest’s peaceful semester and following summer. ending to Leder’s Students defaced and vandalactions. “He had WORLD WIDE WEB ized buildings, held a sit-in of the the forethought president’s office, blocked hallto end the entire To listen to firsthand accounts ways to prevent students from demonstration,” attending class and led a march of the 1970s protests, go to Gerritz said. from CSUF to Fullerton Junior DailyTitan.com/VietnamProtest However, LedCollege to protest Reagan’s goverer’s effort only nance and the Vietnam War. Stuended one demondents set fire to bungalow T1100, which caused $30,000 stration. The protests continued. in damage and destroyed student records. Several stuOn April 15, students held an dents were expelled and many more were arrested. And anti-Vietnam rally in the Quad. They one professor was fired for failing to hold class because burned draft cards, two dolls and one he was protesting. flower in napalm. In the April 16, 1970 One of the largest demonstrations sparked by MacK- issue of the Daily Titan, ex-Vietnam serowiak and Church’s arrests began on Mar. 3, 1970. viceman Dave Mallard was quoted as As the Student Faculty Board held a hearing for the having said, “This is nothing compared two men inside the Humanities Building, protesters to the smoke and smell from real human gathered outside in the Quad. bodies.” On May 4, members of the NaFormer professor of communications and Daily Titan tional Guard opened fire on students at adviser Wayne Overbeck stood on the second floor bal- Kent State University in Ohio who were cony of the Humanities Building with several student protesting the Vietnam War. Four stuphotographers. They captured the scene as the local dents were killed and nine more were inSWAT team attempted to control the crowd. jured. In an attempt to prevent violence in California, Reagan closed down all the public universities from May 4 – 11. He said he hoped the closure would “allow time for rational reflection away from the emotional turmoil and encourage all to disavow violence and mob action.” Students returned to class on May 12, the beginning of finals week. Although some unrest was still evident, the most intense demonstrations had passed. however, Photo Courtesy Wayne Overbeck They,
Photo DAILY TITAN ARCHIVE CSF students once marched from CSF to Fullerton Junior College to protest Ronald Reagan’s governance and the Vietnam War.
Photo DAILY TITAN ARCHIVE March 3, 1970: During one of the most violent protests ever to take place on the CSF campus, 19 demonstrators were arrested before the crowd was turned into a giant class session that reportedly lasted for days.
left a lineage. “The protests really defined a generation,” Overbeck said. “They made real changes in the system – eventually. Obama’s election is a long-term result of the social changes that began in the 1960s.” The Vietnam War finally ended in the spring of 1975. But the memories of the protest era have not been forgotten. Overbeck once wrote that “perhaps the most decisive and enduring victory won by the students of that era was greater First Amendment freedom for college and university students. Even now, in a time when the courts are narrowing the scope of student freedom rather than expanding it further, students enjoy far greater freedom on campus than they did before the late 1960s.” When the protests ended in the fall of 1970, the nation was still at war, both sides were exhausted and demonstrations across the country had brought violence to universities. But the protesters had made their sentiments heard and expanded their rights to protest for future CSUF students.
Law enforcement was constantly present at California State Colleges in 1970 to keep the thousands of restless protesters from turning too violent. Here, they monitor McCarthy Hall’s breezeway in 1970.
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Sophomore Paul Gerritz stood in the Quad and watched the Fullerton police officers and SWAT repeatedly push back protesting students who became too rowdy. “They would run forward and arrest people and hit them with clubs and everything else and then drag them back to be arrested,” Gerritz said. Professor Sandra Sutphen, who participated in the protests, faced the police as they advanced toward her and other faculty members.
Photo Courtesy CSUF Protesters gathered outside the Humanities Building during the disciplinary hearings of David MacKowiak and Bruce Church, the hecklers who were arrested during Gov. Reagan’s speech.