Barnard Bulletin May 1968, Newspaper

Peterson Becomes President

On Monday afternoon, Martha Peterson was inaugurated as President of Barnard College before 1,500 college presidents and delegates, faculty members, alumnae, and students. Despite earlier fears that the ceremony would be marred by picketing or by demonstrations inside Riverside Church, the ceremony was peaceful and untroubled. In order to prevent possible disorder, Grayson Kirk did not appear in the program to represent Columbia University; instead, Barnard Trustee Wallace Jones took Kirk’s place in the ceremony.

President Peterson’s speech commented upon the recent recommendations of the New York Board of Regents in a report on the State’s responsibility to private education. While approving the report in general, she added that a private college has the additional obligation to “what is it, who It is, and where it is.” She emphasized the advantages and disadvantages of being a women’s college in university and in New York City.[An image of Riverside Church with the caption “Riverside Church, as Martha Peterson accepts the office of President from Wallace Jones. A crowd of guests and delegates in variegated academic robes look on. Photo by D. Lapson]

Barnard Students Arrested

By Ellen Shulman

On Tuesday morning, Barnard representatives rushed to the 14th Precinct police station where all females arrested in Columbia buildings were taken. They announced that about 107 girls arrested in the scuffle yesterday were Barnard students.

Professors Ulanov and Novak, Miss Meyers, Director of Housing, and Miss Lawton, Director of 616, watched as the names of the prisoners were posted at the police station and checked them against a roster of registered Barnard students.

President Peterson announced that no student would be held for bail or held overnight. When asked if the college planned to take any disciplinary action against the girls, who were arraigned on charges of trespassing, she said that the matter had not been considered yet and would not be considered until the immediate excitement and hysteria has abated. She added that although a count of Barnard students had been made for the purpose of information, she had not requested a list of the names of the persons involved and was not seeking to pinpoint the individuals.

Open Letter

Students to Vote on All-College Gov’t

Next week, a proposal for the establishment of a new college government will be submitted to you for a vote. The recommendation is presented by a committee consisting of President George Woodbridge, Mrs. Marion Philips, Miss Christine Royer, Mrs. Susan Fischer, ’68, and Miss Estelle Freedman ’69, and Miss Mina Wasserman ’69. The committee was appointed last December as a result of discussion at joint meetings of the Faculty Committee on Student Activities and the Undergraduate Association Executive Board to investigate the possibilities for the establishment of tripartite bodies to determine college policies.

After several months of study, the committee has proposed the establishment of “college” committees in all areas of concern to the entire Barnard community. To committees, the Honor Board and the Judicial Council, already exist and have been merely incorporated into the new structure. The Student Projects and Special Events Committees expand the duties of the already existing Summer Grants and Thursday Noon Committee, and the Housing Committee replaces the previously separate student and faculty housing committees. The orientation Committee was previously a student group, while the Library Committee, previously consisted of only faculty members. The Curriculum and Financial Aid Committees will be concerned with general policy in their respective areas but will not replace the Faculty Committee on Instruction or the Faculty Financial Aid Committee, who concern themselves with specific cases.

Let us stress that you are voting on the principle of establishing the committees and not on the individual committees, which are necessarily, over a period time, subject to change and development. A copy of the committee’s report with its statement of purpose will be distributed throughout the college. We urge you to read I carefully. The faculty will vote at a faculty meeting on 6 May. Students will place their votes in the ballot boxes on Jake and in the library during the week of 6-10 May. At least one third of the student body must vote to validate this decision.

MARTHA PETERSON, President of the College

MINA WASSERMAN, President, Undergraduate Association.

Greek Games Cancelled

The 1968 Greek Games were voted out of existence on Saturday afternoon, barely an hour before the traditional Barnard ceremony was scheduled to take place, due to the strike that paralyzed the University. The vote included all 40 student participants in the Games; no faculty members were allowed to take part in the 45 minutes of discussion and balloting. When the 25-15 decision to cancel the event was announced, many of the students who had worked all semester to plan, prepare ad rehearse the Games appeared visibly shaken.

The girls gave various reasons to explain their decision. Some believed that the Games should be cancelled in sympathy with the demands of the striking Columbia students. Others were discouraged by the last-minute refusal of the musicians. Columbia students who sympathized with the strike, to play for the Games; some girls felt that the Games would be so marred that it was not worth going on.

They denied that the presence of picketers on the steps of Barnard Hall affected their decision. The picketers, Barnard girls carrying signs that urged amnesty for all student demonstrators and a half in the construction of the gym, had asked that the Greek Games still be held, but that a discussion period to consider the strike objectives should also be held before or after the Games.

It is still uncertain whether the Games will be held later in the semester or completely abandoned for the year. Mrs. Roosevelt of the physical Education Dept. commented that the event might be held in an abbreviated form within the next week, but the decision rests with the participating students.

Students Demand Kirk’s Resignation

A mass of students crying “Kirk must go” and “Strike” surrounded South Field yesterday morning to clear University buildings of demonstrators. Representatives of the Strike Coordinating Committee and CUSC demanded the resignations of President Kirk, Vice President Truman and those Trustees who supported the order to send police onto the campus; they proposed that a strike by faculty and students be organized to achieve these demands.

Several students who had witnessed the police action described the unnecessary brutality they had seen. Many who addressed the group declared that they had taken no “sides” and had tended to criticize both the demonstrators and the administration decision and were now in full support of a University wide strike. Speakers pleaded with the press to “tell it like it is,” to report the truth about student feeling at Columbia and correct the distorted picture they may have conveyed in the past.

Cheers erupted as students were told that employers of Butler Library had voted to go on strike in support of the student action. South Field Jewish Chaplain, Rabbi Goldman, one of those injured on Tuesday morning, concluded the discussion by explaining the “consistency” of his position. Before the violence on campus he had favored “no amnesty” for the demonstrators. Now he supported “no amnesty for Kirk and Truman.”[Image of a gate with a padlock on Barnard Campus, captioned “The iron gates erected on College Walk last winter were locked for much of the week against outside agitators.”]

History Major Requirements

Professor Woodbridge, Chairman of the Barnard History Dept., has announced that the requirements for a major of history have been changed in order to liberalize the history major and adapt to the four course system.

The former requirements of two courses of European or American history and two courses of ancient or medieval history have been dropped. Instead, a major must take:

1. One course of Junior Readings

2. Two courses of Senior Seminar

3. At least four courses in an area of concentration.