Pennsylvania State University Department of Public Information, “Woodside Commission Hearings” (June 22, 1970)

by | Jun 22, 1970 | Antiwar, Race and Social Justice

View Full Text: The Pennsylvania State University Department of Public Information, “Woodside Commission Hearings” (June 22, 1970)

About This Artifact

In 1970, protesting on Old Main Lawn or in general was no new trend to Penn State students. Many protests focused on an array of different reasons, materialized on campuses across the country. In fact, 26,000 students nationally were arrested for engaging in violent protests throughout the 1960s.1 Penn State students felt dissatisfied by the responses to their activism efforts.  By 1970, students were restless and tensions were high. On April 15th of that year, a flood of students staged a sit-in at Old Main and refused to leave until their demands were met.2 The university became livid and an injunction to stop the sit-in was filed. This led to students not only being arrested but also to them facing harsh disciplinary action from the university’s Woodside Commission, a board made for the sole purpose of suggesting repercussions against these students.

The rhetoric of this artifact shines through in the Woodside Commission’s statements. The ethos of the commission is questionable. First, the board itself was created for the sole purpose of providing sanctions for the students who engaged in the protest. Their decisions regarding the students’ sanctions were also only recommendations to President Walker. According to the report, the commission did “not look upon itself as an investigatory body.” Because of this, they did not call any witnesses throughout the duration of the hearing. Furthermore, the demands of the unheard students were reasonable and the sit-in was non-violent until the police began making arrests. It was not certain if the violence was even perpetuated by the students who started the sit-in or others who wanted to stir up problems.3 The shaky ethos of the board speaks volumes about the past. It raises the question of whether the sanctions and hearing itself were ethical and justifiable

The result of the hearing left seven students expelled, five suspended, and nineteen placed on probation. Those who protested on that day put everything they had on the line to speak up for what they believe in. The students knew the risks associated with their causes. They helped pave the way for forms of activism to come and can be a source of inspiration for people today.

 

References

  1. Kenneth J. Heineman, “Campus Unrest in the 1960s: The Penn State Experience.” Pennsylvania Legacies 18, no. 2 (2018): 6-13. ↩
  2. “A Violent Campus: How President Eric Walker Was Driven From His Home In 1970.” Onward State. October 17, 2014. Accessed March 10, 2019. ↩
  3. Press Release, 1970. PSUA 1391, Box 2, Folder 7. Student Activism Records. Special Collections Library, State College, PA: Pennsylvania State University. ↩