Ohio University - Athena Yearbook (Athens, OH)

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its members graduated and were not replaced by undergraduates. CBS was one of several black groups on campus working for an end to campus racial discrimination. The group was extremely vocal during the latter part of the 1974 school year, demanding the resignation of University President Claude Sowle. Sowle claimed he was cursed and shoved at a meeting with CBS members, a charge that was denied. Also in ' 74, the SWU, a group working for a student union, came very near to closing the University. The student workers, protesting low pay and unsafe working conditions, held a four- day work stoppage in early April. However, members of Local 1699 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who at first honored the SWU picket lines later crossed them, crippling the student strike. An unsuccessful attempt was made to stop food trucks from making deliveries to the cafeterias, and the strike ended after the University agreed to allow students to vote on whether they wanted to unionize. In the elections, less than the needed two-thirds of student workers voted for a union. The following year, many of the student worker grievances were redressed by the University, and no further attempts at unionization were made. Student unrest caused by the aforementioned groups was considered a major cause of the campus riots in late April, and Sowle ' s decision to resign as University president. During the low-key administration of interim president Harry Crewson the following year, student activism focused on the controversial freshman residential program (FRP) and the plight of California farm workers. A sit-in in Boyd Hall protested the FRP, which provided for housing of freshmen in dorms separate from upperclassmen and special hours for the freshman dorms, resulted in referrals to the University Judiciaries for 23 students during Fall 1974. Referred students were given light penalties. At the end of the school year, a faculty -student-administration committee set up to review the FRP recommended only slight changes in the program. The Athens Citizens for the United Farm Workers (ACUFW) urged students to boycott non- union lettuce and Gallo wines, and during spring quarter, urged the University to stop buying non- union lettuce for the campus cafeteria. ACUFW members conducted a sit-in previous to the voting, and three members were arrested. ACUFW member Richard Swirsky was suspended from the University for one quarter. Also during Spring ' 75, the Student Governing Board, an ineffectual group, disbanded, citing lack of input in University affairs. By the beginning of the winter segment of the ' 75- ' 76 school year, nearly all student groups had also disbanded. No major Black groups were active on campus. The ACUFW picketed Cutler Hall in October, then faded in inactivity as California Gov. Edmund T. Brown signed legislation providing for elections to allow unionization among his state ' s farm workers. A group working for establishment of a Public Interest Research Group in Athens folded when little interest among students was generated. A University committee was examining the possibility of re- establishing student government on campus, but most committee members were pessimistic about the chances for a strong organization.

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A year without conflict BY DAN SEWELL As the nation entered its Bicentennial year, the revolutionary spirit was dying at what was once one of the most vocal of the nation ' s campuses. In the late 60 ' s, O.U. gained a nationwide reputation as a hotbed of student activism. Increased United States involvement in Indochina spurred a strong anti- war movement on campus, culminating in a 1970 student take-over of Lindley Hall, which housed the campus ROTC, Riots later in the year, following the Kent State incident, in which four student protesters were killed by National Guardsmen, and the U.S. invasion of Cambodia, forced the University to close for the year in early May. After the 1970 peak, student activism cooled considerably. In 1972 O.U. government professor Robert Whealey opposed conservative Republican Congressman Clarence Miller for the 10th District House seat. However, Whealey, running on a liberal, anti-war platform, was unable to marshall any substantial student support and received only 26 percent of the vote in the general election. With the end of U.S. involvement in Indochina in 1973, student activists directed their efforts inward. In 1974, Those Concerned for Quality Education (TCQE), Concerned Black Students (CBS) and the Student Workers ' Union (SWU) all were formed by University students. TCQE, consisting of about 20 seniors, worked against academic budget cuts, particularly in the areas of study in which the group ' s members were enrolled. However, the group exerted little influence during formation of the University budget and it lasted less than a year, mainly because

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A ff spectrum of a university In talking with the students of O.U. many things were discovered. There were a variety of responses and therefore, it would be difficult to describe the campus in one word. The only word that could be considered sufficient is spectrum. As the word connotes a range or variety of colors, so do these responses connote diversified opinions and feelings among students. When asked about President Ping ' s new image for O.U., a feeling of apathy was conveyed. Some of the students were aware of his ideas, but the majority did not seem to care about being up on current events. Students are accepting things and not questioning issues. There were a variety of areas chosen for thinking and solitude, but everyone appeared to at least have some place special to them for pondering over thoughts. A large number of the answers were either the library or their rooms. It is difficult to come to any conclusions from the interesting graffiti questions. There seems to be a trend towards more spiritual and intellectual writings. The most interesting are heard to be found in Ellis Hall. All of the students seem to be here for basically the same reason — education. Certain departments were mentioned as well as the location. Getting out of school seemed to be important to many of those interviewed. Important things in their lives were very materialistic. Along with academics, students of O.U. appear to be learning how to drink and party. The majority of responses dealt with getting along with people and social aspects. When asked what they would wish for if offered one wish, many responded in abstract ways. Most of the wishes were for themselves and with self- satisfaction. RIGHT: David Miller — To be alone and to think I go to the bathroom because I have a 2-year-old daughter. 18