Retro Report: Looking Back on Ohio U’s Student Protests

Retro Report: Looking Back on Ohio

U’s Student Protests university’s support of free speech and its

By Henry Jost history of its students using their voices. Staff Writer “College Green has served as a forum for the voices of Ohio University’s

One might think of political students throughout its history. Whether polarization, racial tensions and supporting civil rights, advocating for students sent home early as a description the abolishment of women’s curfews of Ohio University’s 2020 academic year. or in protest, students have and will Think again — this is a description of continue to play a vital role in shaping Ohio U in 1970. Ohio University,” the plaque reads.

On May 4, 1970, the state of Ohio After the Kent State Massacre, antibecame the epicenter of the anti-Vietnam war protests at Ohio University and War movement. At Kent State University, around the country began to grow. the Ohio National Guard gunned down Students burned their draft cards, set off and killed four students who were fire alarms and created dumpster fires. peacefully protesting the expansion of the Students blocking off traffic to protest the Vietnam War. Nine others were wounded. war was almost an everyday occurrence,

The massacre energized the anti-war as stated in Ohio University’s College of movement throughout the nation as all Arts & Sciences Forum. eyes focused on Ohio. Protests on Ohio The tension of the protests ultimately U’s College Green became a common led to the arrival of the National Guard. occurrence. Then-university President Claude Sowle

“If you flunked out of school you could announced on May 15 that students be drafted,” Alan Wagner, an Ohio U class would be sent home for the remainder of of 1973 graduate, said. “Everyone was just the semester, according to OHIO News. exhausted about the war, and the war was Another element that contributed a big deal. People were protesting the war, to student protests were racial tensions and there was a lot of anti-war sentiment during the fight for civil rights, throughout the country, but especially on particularly following the assassination the college campuses.” of Martin Luther King Jr.

In a time where students could be “In its own way, it was the Black drafted but were unable to vote, protests Lives Matter. There was so much racial ranged from rallying against the Vietnam tension even in the backdrop to the War, to lowering the voting age from 21 Vietnam War. You have all these young to 18 and to announcement that Ohio men serving who are African American; U was raising the tuition for its students, they are over there fighting in Vietnam according to Ohio Today. and they aren’t treated well in their own

Looking back, this time period raised country,” Wagner said. Ohio U’s reputation as a campus whose The debate on collective good and student body welcomed free speech. In individual freedoms currently polarizing 2005, a plaque was dedicated by the class our culture and politics is reminiscent of of 2005 on College Green recognizing the the late ’60s and early ’70s.

Flashback to 1970

(Pictured above) The front page of The Post on April 18, 1967 showing ongoing protests against the Vietnam War. (Pictured above) A copy of The Post the day after the Kent State shootings.

(Shown left) Ohio National Guard on Court Street in 1970. Photo by Beverly Wagner, Ohio U class of 1971. (Shown above) Ohio National Guard on Union Street in 1970. Photo by Beverly Wagner, Ohio U class of 1971.

(Shown above) Nelson Commons after being firebombed on the front page of The Post on May 13, 1970. Photo by Lew Stamp.

Images without credits are from the Ohio University Libraries Digital Archival Collections

Spread designed by Izzy Keller and Brenna Nye

(Pictured above) Front page of Ohio U’s Afro-American Affairs on Nov. 3, 1970 with mention of the Kent State shooting.