Columbia+University+Student+Demonstrations

Overview [[image:sit.jpg width="150" height="164" align="right" caption="A picture from one of the demonstrations." link="http://bwog.net/uploads/68smackdown.jpg"]]
In 1968 Columbia University saw backlash from its students. In the mist of the Civil Rights Movement, many students, not necessarily African American, fought for their rights as well as the rights of others. As the future of the country, these citizens were eager to set standards for our country. Many attending Columbia University had become unsatisfied with its standing policies. Recently, the University had been associated with the controversial Vietnam War. As if that wasn’t enough for protesters to be upset about, the university also had plans to build a segregated recreation facility. Black and white Americans came together, at the school, and voiced their opinions.

Critical Issue
On April 23, 1968 one, of many demonstrations took place at Columbia University. To get the administrations attention, the protesters decided to have a sit-in. This was a practice in which people would blockade themselves in an area until demands were met. At this particular demonstration, the students chose the Dean’s office. Three-hundred students, of several races, conveyed their message and stunned Hamilton Hall. Speakers criticized the racial Morningside Park gymnasium as well as the Institute for Defense Analysis’s aid in the current war. Organizations such as: the Harlem Committee for Self-Defense and the United Black Front came together to sit.

Conclusion/Historical Significance
The protest against the gymnasium extended at one time to the building site, where students tore down a section of the fence before being driven off by 30 policemen,” reported the New York Times in regards to the Morningside Park recreation facility. The Columbian protests extended over a substantial period of time. March 13, 1968 saw, or rather didn’t see, 3,500 students and 100 employees boycott class. Students again spent there free time listening to speeches justifying their defiance. Their reasoning again pertained to the Vietnam War and the drafting procedure. Because of the turmoil throughout the school, classes were inevitably canceled. Ultimately, these demonstrations aroused current social issues, and provided a front for opposition and human rights.