On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Kent State shootings and the closing of Ohio University, I was pleasantly surprised to see Gabe Weinstein's Cliff's Notes version of that tumultuous era in OU's history in Monday's Post. The events of the spring of 1970 were extraordinary and should be common knowledge for all OU students.
The issues that ignited those protests are recurring in Athens today: an unpopular war, tuition hikes and an unbalanced budget, and conflict between students and administrators, making the events 40 years ago relevant to the discussion on campus now. A few of the sordid details that Gabe's column left out - such as the arson at Peden Stadium, the occupation of Chubb and Cutler Halls by discontented students, the violent protests that clouded Court Street with tear gas and the military occupation of campus - will be discussed at this week's Undergraduate History Conference.
Plenary speakers from the history department and the Mann Archives will discuss and reflect upon the chaotic, military-enforced closing of the university. For the full story, stop by the 1804 Lounge Wednesday at 7 p.m. and discover how that chaotic spring shaped our OU.
Sarah Beeler is a senior studying history.
4 Opinion
Letter to the Editor
