Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Subscribe to The wGamecock Butter up a faster tan with Coppertone Tanning Butter Coppertone Tanning Butter has extra coconut oil and cocoa butter for an incredibly fast deep tan. That's why more people butter up with Coppertone Tanning Butter than any other. Coppertone Tanning Butter. One of 11 great tanning products by Coppertone. A produrt of Plough, Inc. 4.. Months 4 (4 'onllinied from page 2) meeting for another location. The unknown factor was the mood of the protesting students. After a period of consultation and deliberation, Dr. Jones decided to make the an nouncement at the Sheraton. lie was driven to the hotel, went directly to the meeting room, passed through the tightly packed group of protesters without in cident. walked to the rostrum with applause from the students, an nounced the decision of the Board and left the room immediately without incident. With that the assembled students dispersed. There were no injuries and there was no damage to property. Wednesday, May 6 In the morning, signs an nouncing the planned stirke began appearing on campus. The Gamecock reported plans on the part of some students to take over Russell House. In the afternoon there were meetings of the AAUP. the Student Senate. academic deans and the tacult y. The AAUP discussed the public statements it had censured on April :io. The voluntary student strike plans were neither con demned nor supported. The Pxecutive Committee of the AAUP was instructed to keep in contact with students. The Student Senate adopted a strike resolution as amended from t he Iloor. The amendment in effect established the strike as a voluntary one (See Appendix B). The faculty limited action to the adoption of a resolution which said "The Faculty vigorously allirms the right of students peacefully to assemble for redress of grievances by proper democratic processes--and at the same time reaffirms its resolution adopted in the Spring of 1969 regarding orderly expressing of opinion within the University." That evening, the strike com mittee again met off campus and the meeting was again chaired by the suspended student (See May 5). Those in attendance included representatives of student Government and the faculty. A member of the faculty stressed the consequences of taking over a U niversity building and urged that events planned for the next several days be non-violent. A mimeographed statement prepared by the strike committee incorrectly stated that the faculty supported the planned strike. Student Government in volvement was based on assurances it thought it had that the planned actions would be wit hin t he bounds of existing rules, regulations and laws. In addition, St udent Government officers felt the involvement would be a factor tor moderation. t)uring the night, the ad ministration, to prevent a possible controntation, postponed the Governor's Review of ROTC units, scheduled for May 7. Thursday, May 7 The scheduled strike began. Since the strike was voluntary and was not of ficially sanctioned by the Uiniversity, normal classroom procedures and schedules were in ettec t. A late-morning spot check of schools and den.aments nn Df May Intormation Services indicated classroom attendance was 95 per cent. a figure described as normal on any day of the school year. The campus was quiet. A group of students met with the Governor to discuss Russell House policies. This meeting had been scheduled a week earlier so it was coincidental with the events of the day. At noon a planned and ad vertised rally began at the flagpole on the Horseshoe. Attendance was estimated at 500 people. An officer of Student Government moderated the meeting. Two non-student speakers were cited for violation of University regulations concerning off-campus speakers. A third non-student speaker was cited after he had linished speaking. These actions had the tendency to polarize the crowd. Another period of tension came when a majority of the participating students voted the flag to be lowered to half mast as a memorial to the Kent State dead. A smaller grouD of students wanted the flag to remain where it was. A. tugtof war resulted and the situation was becoming tense. A dozen student marshals, recruited and controlled by Student Government, tried to maintain order but the rally appeared to be getting out of control. On orders of the President, University security people lowered the flag and stood guard at the flagpole. The President acted because it was an appropriate gesture of respect to the dead and within his prerogative to issue such an order and also because he felt the act would prevent a serious confrontation in an inappropriate place. ROTC flags also were lowered officially. Eight students protested the president's action to him per sonally following the incident. While the sirike was beginning and while the rally was forming, the President, in conversations with State officials was assured there was an adequate law en forcement contingent available in case of an e-aergency tan ob servant newspaperman noted the heavy toncentration of highway patrol cars at a highway depart ment garage on his way to work earlier that morning and thoughtfully assigned a photographer to record the parked cars and the riot equipped pa trolmen)1. Student Government had reserved the Horseshoe for the rally and University Union of ficials had formally "reserved all available space" in Russell House for May 7 and 8 -- day and night if needed. Motion pictures and live music were contracted for by student officials. These moves by Union officials pre-empted the need for a "take-over" of Russell House. A confrontation was totally unnecessary. Tlhe rally on the Horseshoe broke up at approximately 2 p.m. and a large group of students moved directly to Russell House. Ap proximately 400 students and others moved into the buidding in what was described as a "holiday mood." A meeting was convened in Russell House among the par ticipating students to determine the next course of action. A vote on whether or not to take over Russell House ,was inconclusive. In the words of one observer, reaction to the vote call was "muddy."