Pratt Institute - Prattonia Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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The New Gym

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The New Gym When looking back over the past four years at Pratt, the most significant period may be one that many of us don't even recall. The “Last Great Student Strike” of 1972 was a turning point for the institute and the students as well. It ended the era of student activism, administrative secrecy, and organized protest; it began the era of the invisible student body, a more open administration, and a thing called “Apathy” Fifteen hundred students and one hundred faculty were part of the protest that May afternoon. We were all dissatisfied with the administration of President Henry Saltzman. Saltzman made his appearance and announced, I will leave Pratt when the Board of Trustees ask me or when I feel I can no longer do my job. It was obvious our opinions didn’t matter. Henry Saltz- man then preceded to compare Pratt to a supermarket. The administration was the management, the faculty were em- ployees, and the students were his customers. If they didn't like the service, the students, could take their business some- where else. We were offended. Momentum picked up in the afternoon as the crowd grew angrier. The Department of Industrial Engineering had been threatened with extinction. The architects were dissatisfied with their dean. And talk of withholding tuition checks began. The Black Student Union had taken over the Dean of Students office two days earlier. The stage was set. Everything began to break loose sometime around two-o'clock. Some of us took over DeKalb Hall and another group took the switchboard. The Black Student Union took over all of what was then The Student Center (now the Information Science Building). By late afternoon, the South Hall kitchens had fallen under student domain. The entire campus community had become involved. Faculty and Student Body united. Food and donations came pouring into South Hall. Collections were taken in the dormi- tory and more volunteers came to help us man the buildings and cook in South Hall. The matter of negotiations was a daily concern. First, the accusations flew back and forth. Then the tables were set up for the students, faculty, administration and Board of Trustees to begin arbitration. The news media was there to cover the story. Even the Daily News gave a fair presentation of both sides. The negotiations were hard and unpleasant; as both parties had several grievances to be ironed out. Ultimately, we found Henry Saltzman unacceptable as president. We held the campus buildings for ten days and left upon reaching an agreement with the Board of Trustees. Board mem- ber Richardson Pratt came to DeKalb Hall and signed a docu- ment stating that no disciplinary action would be taken against students involved in the strike. Almost a hundred of us left DeKalb Hall that day with a feeling of hope. President Saltzman did not attend graduation. In the end, President Saltzman, Vice Presidents Seymour Gang and Donald Mathis resigned, and most students left Pratt with ‘passing’ grades, not knowing whether the Institute would still be here in the fall. As a result of the strike the following things came to pass: Students began to shy away from activism and the incredible amounts of energy it required to get anything accomplished. The next president was much more open to suggestion and criticism than his predecessor. Students and faculty received positions on all Board of Trustees Committees and on the full board. The Faculty Union became a strong bargaining force. The Architecture School finally got itself together and began to improve. Student participation was solicited for many impor- tant committees and decision-making bodies. And last, but not least, Student Government lost its credibility as a way of deal- ing with significant student problems.