By Erasmus Baxter
It turns out 1968 was a pretty busy year. Lots happened. There were reports of sit-ins and protests at universities across the country. Instead of hopping around from year to year, let’s dive into 1968 for the second week in a row!
MLK and White Liberals
When the news of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination broke, 2,000 students (around one third of the student body) gathered in Red Square for a silent vigil. Even the construction crew working on the art building had to fall silent. After a rousing rendition of “We Shall Overcome” they dispersed at 11:15 am. Classes were canceled for the day.
Western’s Black Student Union sent a letter to the Western Front in response that is as relevant today as it was then:
“Editor: Friday the white liberals paid respect to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They stood in silence — typical of the liberals.
After the assassination of Malcolm X, Birmingham church bombing, and now the outrageous murder of Dr. King. . . silence. We, the Black population, do not want any more “silence.” You, the white population, are as guilty as the bigots who fired the shots and threw the bomb. Silence insinuates approval.
You, with your silence, have signed the Declaration of war. You, with your silence, will sit by and witness the conviction of a bigot for conspiracy and nod in approval.
We want you to know that we will not stand in silence. We do not approve. We understand your approval and shall act accordingly. We understand that “Where there is no justice, there shall be no peace.”
Your proverb, “It’s not whether you win or lose that counts, but how you play the game,” is no good. Dr. King deplored violence. You gave him the Nobel Peace Prize and then rewarded his endeavors with violent murder.
The white liberal is a man caught up in the political bootstraps of this insane society. To achieve power is his whole bag.
If you are digging the liberal scene, you might as well drop your load down the road, because it’s getting hotter on our side. And from now on it’s ‘The end justifies the means.’”
New President
The new pick for university president, Charles Flora, was a strapping, 39 year old biologist from Western. In an interview with the Front he fondly recalled dissecting a 900-pound sea lion in the faculty parking lot. He also paid for his college education in part by stunt jumping from airplanes and claimed that he had “one of the first post-war beards at Western,” something that he was mocked for at the time. It’s hard to be a trendsetter.
Weed News
The case of the students arrested for smoking several “marijuana cigarettes” in their dorms was resolved with them receiving suspended 6 month sentences from judge. However, one student had already dropped out of Western following his arrest. When asked by the judge, one of the students told him that they had acquired the weed in Seattle, but “had heard it was available in Bellingham, too.”
In response, Moonlite Movies hosted a showing of “MaryJane” featuring “the shocking facts behind the marijuana controversy.”
Politics
Did you know the Associated Students used to host a nominating convention for AS offices? Candidates for AS President or Vice President had to be nominated and approved at the convention attended by 371 students delegates.
A bill submitted to the student legislature would replace any Western Front coverage of the student legislature with a report written by a “neutral political science major student” that would be re-printed verbatim. This classic poly-sci major power grab was soundly rejected by the legislators who pointed out that neutrality isn’t real and asked “Does anybody know what’s going on up here?”
Another bill that was introduced attempted to make the committee overseeing the Western Front completely student-run.
In more serious political news, Graduate students saw their draft deferment removed as the war in Vietnam heated up. Fortunately, they didn’t have far to go to reach Canada.
Expansion Plans
As Western planned to expand into what we now know as South Campus, important considerations were made. Classes with lots of people were put on lower floors to minimize stair climbing (excellent!), and programs that were expected to have limited enrollment, like technology classes, were further away from Red Square.