Ohio University - Athena Yearbook (Athens, OH)

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• ' ft ' ■ ' . ; 7 ' n were later dropped. Estimates of the crowd varied between 500 and 1 000 people and the disturbance was similar to the one in 1976. After that incident, the fledgling Student Senate issued a scathing report which criticized and primarily blamed the police. This year there were no reports; nei- ther side publicly accused the other of starting the confrontation. Typical feelings were best expressed by Vice-President and Dean of Students Carol Harter who called the disturbance ' •totally without rea- son or cause and beyond excuse. Officials are puzzled as how to avoid future occurrences. They have dis- cussed ways giving students an alter- native to uptown bars on potential trouble weekends. Whether such efforts will result in avoiding similar confrontations remains to be seen. ' This is Chief Jones of the Athens police department. I believe this crowd constitutes a riot situation. You have 10 minutes to disperse onto the cam- pus One of several arrests made when the evening ' s activities became more turbulent. Spring disturbance 23

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Special Report Spring I Disturbance By James Ambrosio Photos by Bill Wade In what is becoming an annual, though unfortunate, event, uptown Athens erupted into another student-police confrontation on June 5, 1977. This Is the ninth time in the last 10 years that authorities had to forcibly clear the streets of rowdy students. Most students flocked to the bars that night to celebrate the end of spring quarter, and for seniors, the end of their college careers. Students, as has been their custom, overtook Court St. after the taverns closed, blocked uptown traffic and continued their party in the streets. Athens city police, Ohio University Security and Athens County sheriff ' s deputies, augmented by six Washing- ton County deputies, attempted to keep a low profile for the first hour of the street party, but by 3 a.m., the city officials decided to clear the streets. A 28-man police line formed in front of the Athens County Court House and Police Chief Ted Jones stopped his cruiser behind the line of officers. This is Chief Jones of the Athens police department, he announced. I believe this crowd constitutes a not situation. You have 10 minutes to dis- perse onto the campus. The assembled students responded with taunts and |eers. A bottle flew from the crowd landing a few feet in front of police. The police then moved down Court St. towards College Green. With billy clubs drawn, police fired wooden ••knee-knocker pellets into the crowd. Students reacted by tossing more bottles, but by 5 a.m. the disturbance had been quelled. Ten people were arrested, mostly on minor charges. Among the first to be arrested was Sam Crowl, English pro- fessor and chairman of the Faculty Senateduring 1977-78. Crowl was in front of the crowd, try- ing to calm the students when he was arrested. The charges against him 22 Spring disturbance

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May Days Inspire Good Times Green Weekends Add Color to Campus Life By John Micklos Do you enjoy a steak cookout? Do you like listening to live bands under a starry spring sky? Have you ever had an irresistible urge to chase a greased pig? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then chances are you would enjoy Green Weekends, held each May on the East, West and South Greens at Ohio University. These special weekends are spon- sored primarily for the dormitory resi- dents on the various greens, but other people often wander in to share the good times. In 1977 all three greens offered live bands, which played music ranging from bluegrass to hard rock. On the East G reen, dormitory radio station WLHD also played music and gave away prizes. Other special events on the various greens included such activities as tug- of-war, go-cart and shopping cart races, and an outdoor movie. The South Green even offered students a chance to chase a greased pig for fun and prizes. The special weekend on all three greens provided a time for stu- dents to forget about scholastic pres- sures, relax, and just enjoy them selves. Mark Gabrenya Besides having cookouts and live bands South Green residents had the opportunity to catch a greased pig. 24 Green weekends