Memphis State University - DeSoto Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

Page 31 text:

The bright spring sun beat down on the group of 500 MSU students who had gathered in the mall May 5 at I I a.m. Four students of Kent State Uni- versity in Kent Ohio, had been killed the day be- fore during violent demonstrations at that campus. Reverberations of that incident were spreading throughout the country and were now being felt at Memphis State. The first of 10 students took the platform, ex- pressing his views of the Kent State incident. As the temperature soared, the speeches became more emotional, changing from reverence for the dead students to anti-Viet Nam Cambodia. Emotions reached a fever pitch with a proposal from the last speaker to lower the U. S. flag to half staff. The crowd moved the 100 yards from the free-speech platform to the flagpole across from the Administration Building. Some students with clenched fists and arms raised urged on those who were lowering the flag. Their goal accomplished, the protestors moved on to Jones Hall which houses AFROTC classes. During the time of the move, non-sympathetic stu- dents in the group raised the flag back up to its dignified summit. The dissenting students now at Jones Hall, angri- ly returned to the flagpole to again lower the flag. They were welcomed there with a chorus of the National Anthem sung by those students who had raised the flag. Sides were chosen. Lines were taken. Chants of down, down, down came from the protestors. Chants of up, up, up were shouted by the un- sympathetic students. Before tempers reached the breaking point, Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys, MSU president, moved into the crowd attempting to quell the demonstration. Representatives from both sides met in Dr. Humphreys ' office to discuss the problem. Desiring an immediate answer to the question, the students seemed unwilling to compromise. It was either up or down — today. However, a compromise was reached. For the time being, the flag would stay up. But the next day at noon, the flag would be lowered to half staff in a memorial service. That compromise is graphic testimony to the ra- tionality and maturity of the students at Memphis State. The Downs realized that the true purpose of their gathering that morning had been lost in the heat of the day and in the heat of passion. The Ups conducted themselves with as much re- straint as was humanly possible in avoiding a situa- tion which could have exploded. The fistfights which did occur were nothing more than scuffles due to the rationality of all those students con- cerned. The events of the day pointed up perfectly just what we were trying to do in Viet Nam — reach an honorable compromise without loss of principle to either side. All students who were present in the Mall May 5 learned a lesson in human experience that could never have been taught in a classroom. Those students who chose to go to class cheated themselves; those students who attended the dem- onstration but did not actively participate at least showed their concern for their fellow students and Memphis State, and those students who joined in voicing their opinions graduated from the class of the silent majority, 1970. :