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Campus Unrest
UA.1005
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections Research Center
Title: Campus Unrest
Identifier/Call Number: UA.1005
Physical Description:
2.5 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1965-1979
Abstract: University materials collected over time on the unrest and dissension common on many college campuses throughout the U.S.
in the late 1960s through the 1970s. Documents activism on campus and the university administration's responses as well as
what was happening at other universities in California, nationally and internationally.
The collection is open for research.
In the 1960s, a time characterized by anti-war protests and the Civil Rights Movement, college campuses around the world began
to take part in widespread political and social activism. In 1968, Fresno State College (now California State University,
Fresno), became another player in this political struggle as its campus was transformed from a traditional, primarily agricultural
and teacher's college, into one in which conservative and liberal factions openly and publicly fought, both through the administrative
structure of the university and through campus-wide protests, which often turned violent.
Campus unrest at Fresno State began in 1968 when Frederic Ness, the president of the university, chose not to retain English
faculty member Robert Mezey in spite of a fervent recommendation from both the English Department and Dale Burtner, the dean
of the School of Arts and Sciences. Mezey had become a source of controversy on the campus and in the larger community when,
in November of 1967, he was invited to speak at the "Panel on Pot," a debate and discussion about marijuana. During the presentation,
Mezey commented that marijuana had not been proven harmful and that the laws against its consumption were unjust. After these
statements were made public, and often misinterpreted as an endorsement for drug use, complaints about Mezey's liberal and
unlawful politics began to pour into Ness's office and the local newspaper,
The Fresno Bee.
After Ness terminated Mezey's employment, student and faculty protests began. They continued as Ness released a prominent
Black Muslim instructor, Marvin Jackman (Marvin X). His termination brought on more protests. The publicity and scandal
associated with these cases led to Ness's resignation in the fall of 1969.
On October 28, 1969, Karl Falk was appointed as acting president. After only five days, Falk announced a massive realignment
of the college structure. Dale Burtner, the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, was reassigned and replaced with Phillip
Walker. Harold Walker, the executive vice president, was reassigned and replaced with James Fikes. These reassignments once
again caused a rift in the campus community, resulting in even more protests. Falk also instigated layoffs and curtailing
of funds in the Experimental College, the Ethnic Studies Program and the Educational Opportunities Program.
These changes resulted in peaceful as well as violent student activism. Protests continued and began to be connected with
larger societal issues, including the Vietnam War.
With the campus in an uproar, the search began for a permanent administrator to relieve Falk of his duties. On July 14, 1970,
Norman Baxter was inaugurated as the president of Fresno State College. His presidency was marked by the cancellation of
the La Raza Studies program and campus unrest in response to his administrative policies. The Student Senate, in a vote of
nineteen to four, administered a vote of "no confidence" in Baxter's ability to run the school.
At three o'clock on Friday, December 4, 1970, the tension and distrust of the Baxter administration increased exponentially.
The dean of the School of Humanities, Ralph Rea, accompanied by campus policemen, marched into the English Department and
hand delivered letters of dismissal to Eugene Zumwalt, the department's chairman, and Roger Chittick, the assistant chairman.
The men and the department's secretaries were then forcibly removed from the office. Another police officer and a maintenance
man entered and began sealing the office and its contents, padlocking filing cabinets and barricading the entrance with metal
plates. Policemen also guarded the door.
Rea continued exerting control of the English Department as he was made the acting chairman, replacing Zumwalt. In an effort
to calm what the administration thought was an ideologically radical faculty, Rea altered faculty roles, fired instructors,
and changed programs within the department.
The Campus Unrest collection measures 1.75 linear feet and dates from 1965 to 1979 and undated. The collection is arranged
in five series: Administrations, Ethnic minorities, Faculty and student activism, Other universities, and Policies and reports.
It primarily covers unrest that took place on the campus of Fresno State College but also contains information about unrest
around the state, country, and world. This information was collected over time by the University Archives from various sources.
The
Administrations series (1967-1979 and undated) provides detailed information about the administrations that were in power during the period
of campus unrest on the Fresno State campus. This specifically includes records relating to presidents Frederic Ness, Karl
Falk, and Norman Baxter. The series is arranged in the order of their presidencies.
The
Frederic Ness subseries primarily covers personnel issues that his administration dealt with during his presidency, with specific details
about the dismissals of Marvin Jackman (Marvin X) and Robert Mezey. There are also records related to Ness's resignation.
The
Karl Falk material deals primarily with public opinion and personnel issues, including the demotion of Dale Burtner. There is also
significant information about the public opinion surrounding Falk's actions as president of the university as well as the
protests that ensued in response to his administrative policies.
The
Norman Baxter section includes information about how Baxter dealt with personnel issues, protests that took place on campus and in the
community, and public opinion concerning his administrative policies. The Baxter-Volpp faculty survey and Fresno Review Panel
folders give information about official audits that investigated the lawfulness of the administration's actions.
The
Ethnic minorities series (1968-1971, 1978-1979 and undated) details the actions of minority students on campus and the policies that affected
their education. There is specific information about African American and Chicano students as well as the Educational Opportunity
Program (E.O.P.) and the Ethnic Studies Program
The
Faculty and student activism series (1965-1971 and undated) contains information on political activism on the Fresno State campus. This consists of information
on Viet Nam War protests, a grape boycott with the United Farm Workers and Black Panthers' activity as well as issues specific
to the university, including publications from Students for a Democratic Society (S.D.S.), and activism related to academic
freedom.
The
Other universities series (1965-1971, 1978 and undated) provides information about campus unrest at other universities.
There is detailed information about unrest that took place at other
California universities. This primarily consists of information regarding activities that took place at other schools within the California
State College system, with a specific emphasis on the San Francisco campus, and those within the University of California
system. There is also information on Stanford University and the University of Southern California.
The information on universities in the
United States details campus unrest that took place on campuses across the country, primarily on the East Coast or in the Midwest.
The
International subseries contains information on unrest that took place on college campuses in Europe, including the Free University of
Berlin and the London School of Economics.
There are also
Editorials and speculation as to the cause of campus unrest, both in the United States and internationally. This includes diagnoses of the problem
as well as ideas for change.
The
Policies and reports series (1967-1973, 1979 and undated) includes information on the policies of Ronald Reagan, Governor of California, and Glenn
S. Dumke, Chancellor of the California State College system. There are also numerous reports on the unrest at Fresno State
College. These include an identification of the problem, description of campus activities, and proposals for dealing with
the unrest.
Frederic W. Ness Papers
Contains information on Ness's presidency, including the Marvin X and Robert Mezey incidents. There is also a report that
Ness wrote while on leave from Fresno State College titled Student Unrest in Great Britain (1969). See Box 2, Professional;
Fresno State presidency and Box 2, Professional; Reports.
University Archives
President Ness's address to the Board of Trustees presenting the master plan, June 26, 1968 (1/4" reel to reel)
Marvin X television statements, October 1969 (1/4" reel to reel)
W. Donald Albright collection.
Seib, Kenneth A. The Slow Death of Fresno State: A California Campus under Reagan and Brown. Palo Alto: Ramparts Press,
1970. (fac LD729.6.F7 S44 1979)