The Wasp’s Nest E XC E R PTE D F R O M A N A RT I C LE BY F RE D N O RGA A RD ' 7 1
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ust days into the fall 1968 semester, stacks of a five page, letter size, stapled, crudely typed and mimeographed document titled The Wasp’s Nest were left at both DCD and Kent.
“Today’s society is a great PHOENIX which is consuming itself, smouldering, burning, falling to ashes. Already, however, a new structure of values, a new morality, and a new ethic, is evolving. It is the purpose of the WASP’S NEST to expose the narrow exclusive society which is the environment of the DCD student to some of the trends of this development.” - The Wasp’s Nest Issue 1 There were two poems, one entitled “Prague West,” about the police beatings at the 1968 Chicago convention. There For the full version was an invitation to “ADB” to write an article. of this article, visit There was a contact address listed as S.W.I.N.E KentDenver.org/ (Students Wildly Indignant About Nearly Perspective Everything), General Delivery, Littleton Post Office. The paper was confiscated. “Last summer at the conclave of headmasters, I learned that unless a school had an underground newspaper it was simply not “in”. Well, we’re in. See the enclosed, which appeared here today and was also distributed at Kent. (There is some evidence that Kent girls were involved in the production of the sheet, but I prefer to operate on the assumption that it is a DCD show.) I believe it would be a mistake to create a loud administrative flap over this matter.” - Andy Black, DCD Head of School (1953–1972) Soon, however, a second edition of The Wasp’s Nest came out under the headline “Entire First Issue Confiscated.” It included “An Open Letter to the Trustees” laying out student requests: “All DCD students know what the trustees are. They are misty
demi-gods, who, from their seats in faraway Valhalla, dictate, in some vague way, the workings of the school. The average trustee has about as obscure an impression of the average seventh grader as the average student has of the trustee. Why not not do something about this obscurity? The editors of The Wasp’s Nest would be very happy to meet with any trustee who would like to meet with us. And we have it on good authority that the Student Council would likewise be so willing.” The paper was confiscated again. The third edition of The Wasp’s Nest started with the headline “The Underground Surfaces.” After the paper’s second confiscation, it reported, a “treaty” was struck with Mr. Black. “In return for disclosing our names, we have at our disposal all the printing facilities provided by DCD and Associated Schools, our paper was returned and we were granted privileges. We won.” This edition of the paper was the first to have a masthead. There were four DCD editors, three seniors, one junior, and seven staff members, including two Kent girls. The DCD Board of Trustees also decided to accept the invitation by The Wasp’s Nest editors to meet with students, who presented suggestions for the improvement of the School. “The Student Council requested that the Trustees give highest priority to improving the faculty salary scale, saying that to do so would be an investment in the School’s long range excellence… The scholarship program, particularly aid for economically and culturally deprived inner-city boys, should be increased…” - DCD Board of Trustees meeting minutes, December 8, 1968