Crisis at Columbia

([New York :  Columbia Spectator,  1968])

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  Apr 30:Page 4  



Page Four     ___________________________________________ COLUMBĨA DAĩLY SPBCTATOR      _______________________________________April 30, 1968
 

50  Charse   Maiority   Coalition   Lineĩft  of Kirk  Stotement  o^^æ lk

                    Ĩ5             J          J                                         Statemont by  Dr. Grayson Kirk,   lumbia's  aetion tomght thus is not
 

  Fist fights broke ottt yesterday

when a  group of approjdroately

fifty students oharged into the stu-

dents forming the Majority Coali-

tion lines stationed ĩn front of the

west side of Low Library.

  Although the  charging  group

tailed  to get past  the  Majority

Coalition line, members of boíh

groups were cutandbruiseddurĩng

the scuffling  which lasted about

three or four minutes.

  The Majority' Coai.ition had es-

tahlished the lines in an attempt

to enforce a rulĩng made at an ad

hoe facultv meeting I'acultymem-

bers had also formed a line next

to Loiv.

  Although the charging group,

ivhioh trireiv ammo.iia at the coali-

ĩion lĩne, chanted "food," the stu-

dents apparently  carried no food.

  The cha rging group had formed

 in front of Low where groups o£

seven or eight linked arms. Ap-

proxĩmafely sevenlinesof studerits

 then marehed  around Low tivice.

 On îts  third  círcuit  the group

 charged into the coalition lipe.

  Students milling about the path-

 way betwcen  Loiv and Earl Hall

 quickly moved asido to aiĩow the

 demonstrators to pass. The group

 passed about two-thirds oftheMa-

 jority Coalition line, thensuddenly

 veered into the hedge andMajority

 Coalîtion  line, which  was  about

 thrie people deep.

   FLtnchîng,   shoving,  kĩcking;

 shouting and cursing followed. M-

 ter about foijr minutes of scuffiing

 the demonstrators withdrew.

   After the demon. tration scvernl

 jnembers  of  the  coalitĩon ex-

 pressed anger at thc use of am-

 monia.  One  meĩnbei- stated, "ĩt

 ivon't be,funny if one ofusisblind-

 ed by thal stuff."

   AtJpi-oviijiiiLely half ah hciu'.-after

 the demonstration,  Mark  ĩtndd,

 chairman of Students for a Demo-

 cratio  Society, appeared in order

 to confer with a faoulty member.

 Rudd told the faculty member that

 no further attempts to get'fpod  to

 the demoiistrators would be made,

 "at least not for several hou:

   Itudd was  told to  control

 demoi.strators,  and prevent any

 future  outbreaks of violence, Ile

 replied that he could not oontrol

 everyone in all parts of the cam-
 

  About f_ui--thirtyspectatorswho

sympathĩzed with the  students in

Loiv began to throw food andpacks

of eigarettes over the  lines of the

Majority Coalĩtion and faculty to



  Cans of  sardines, packages of

salami, loaves  of  bread, candy

bars, and oranges and  grapefruits

were tossed to students  standing

on the second floor ledge of Eow.

Cheers from most of  the specta-

tors greetedeachsuccessfulcatch,

and  cheers from the Ma.orĩty Co-
 

loived  each  errant throw which

boûnced off  Low and fell to the

ground.

  Several time. many spectators

 shouted at the facuity line "pass it

 up," referring to the missed food.

 Usually  the  call  was unheeded.

  Around five' orclock Peter Van

 Winkle, a student  in the Craduate

 School of Business, announced toi

 the  crowd,' whích  then numb'ered

about two thousand, that he intended

 to file a legal suĩt today against

the  demo-istrators. He  said  that

 he  was  claiming  damages  of

§500,000 a day. The annoiincement

evoked laughter and somc student.

began  throwing pennies  at  Van



  Shortly afterward the  Majority

Coalition began tossing  biankets
 

in the air in unsuecessfulattempts

to interoept food, The  coalition

then started to throwfruitandeggs-

intermittently at the people on the



  A  line  of abôut 35 policeme'n

ivas  established in front of the

Majority Coalition   and the hedge

to ĩncrease the space between the

spectators  and the Coalition line,

It could not be determined at jvhose

order the police were.moved
 

    ident of Columbia University:

  With the utmost regret and after

nearly a week of efforts at con-

ciliation, I reaehed the conclusion

last evening that I must ask  the
 

poi!..
 

:<■ lll. .1
 

Classified
 

i::i.i:i;i:,\t]o\. Tonisht..
 

SHARE-n-APARTMENT.

      SJlCL'Kllĩ/J.'fl

     for Women
 

        VENICE

 3(dísiJL ØÍmMn.

      San Vĩo 628



         Room,

  Breakfast & Dinner

       f rom $7.00

(Reseiva.ions Reeommended}
 

             University to re-

sjime its operations.

  For nearly six days this insti-

tution has been paralyzedbythe II-

tegal acts of a minority of its sbi-

denĩs, aided and abetted by an un-



of our buildings had béen occupied

bi their  entírety and my own offices

and those of the Provost in Low

Library had been seized and held

and our  official files rifled.

  Despíté tireless efforts by hun-

dreds of faculty members and the

entire administration, these stu-

dents have declined to aeeept any

reasonable bases for settlement.

They appear to have regarded the

University's patienee as weakness,

although they have been assured

repeatedly  that we could not in-

Jefinitely tolerate a reckless bi-

diíference to the integrity  of the

University  and  to the  standards

of conduct on ivhich its life as  an

academie community depends.

  if Columbia had been prepare'd

îo aceede  to the students' demand

for amnesty from all disciplinary

action resulting from their illegal

conduct, we would  have dealt  a

near-fata) blow not only to this

institution  but  to the  whole  of

         higher education. Cp-
 

merely in the b

future bũt that of its sister in-

stitutions.

 -'As president of the University,

I must  take the necessary steps

in  order.to enable our students,

the  maiority of  whom are out-

raged by the aetions of this mi-.

nority, to resume their education,

I have, therefore, been obliged ío

request the police of the City of

new York to remove  all those ĩn

fllegal occupancy of our buildíngs.
 

ĩĩ i
 


 

ic ,ii"
 

dedicated efforts of faculty, stu-

dents,  and administrators to de-

Cend the University ĩn this crisis

now wĩll be turned with an eqjially

committed effort toward the re-

nowai of its  strcngtli and vitality.
 

The eyewitness reporĩs published

on pages  1 and 3 of today's pa-

pwer were prepared by the fol-

lowing Spectator  staff mombers:

Jeffrey Arsham,  Jerrry Avorn,

Kenneth Barry,  Mark  Blumier,

Dearing Carpenter, AndrewCrane,

Martin   Flumenbaum,    Robert

Fnedman, Robert Hardman, Peter

Haskell, Arthur Kokot, John Kout-

sos, Oren Root, David Rosen, Jim

Shaw, Charles Skoro, Paul Starr,

Mĩchael Stern, Robert  Stulberg,

amd Marli Weiss.
 

At
 

      COUNSELORS

m_ll Crnl't lii.Irci.toi.  basketl

_ccer, electionics/science,  rifl

ioneeiing, ails/crafls, (gencral sh.

-ramLcs,asst.swiitiming,(ARCin:
 

COLUMBIA SHAKESPEARE WORKSHOP





     MACBETH

           db.ct.dby

       Eli.-beth C_ughr_in  a'nd  P-ulip Wohlstette,

     MAY  3, 4, 5    -   8::00 P.M.

        "MAY 5   -    2:00 P.M.

   InMilbaiíltaiapel-OSMamHall.Teachet'sO-Uege
 

íi-!);:; S;
 

„i 11:,.I;
 

NOW
 


 


 


 

Ém

■ 8
 

  PLUS

"FREEDOM: WHO NEEDSITĨ"

     by Richard Rovere



SOftELS UNFAMILIAR

  QUOTATIONS

  A new feature cambínrng

  slightly distorted

  quotations with

  irreijerent drawings
 

                 Pay   YOUR  respects   to  the



   SON    OF   MIGHTY    SEMO!



          "Flame  thy   sword   and   lightenĩng"

                                with the famous



        C0LUMBIA  UNIVERSITY   GLEE  CLUB

       TOWN HALL              MAY 3id              8:30 P.M.

Festive Party Afterwards at  the  Columbia  University Club.t
  Apr 30:Page 4