CARR CLASH Student unrest in the spring of 1963 dominated the headlines of the Oberlin Review, as students challenged the administration on a number of issues, including what they saw as restrictive social rules and policies they feared would rob Oberlin of its uniqueness. More than 500 students, most clad in business attire, surrounded Finney Chapel during the spring assembly speech of President Robert Carr to “dramatize dissatisfaction with recent campus trends in a quiet and orderly manner,” according to its organizers. Student protesters objected to the construction of “large and standardized” dormitories and the lack of student voice in the decision-making process. They carried signs saying “End Creeping Ivyism,” “Participation, Not Paternalism,” and, as seen above, “Preserve the Best of Oberlin.”
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P H OTO BY D O U G L A S K I R K PAT R I C K ’ 6 5 (CO U R T E S Y O F T H E O B E R L I N CO L L EG E O F F I C E O F CO M M U N I C AT I O N S )
Class Notes