Collection on Student Unrest

Colorado State University, like many college campuses, saw a rise in student protests in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Protests covered civil liberties and civil rights, women's rights, control of student resources by students, and government war policies and actions.

One of the first protests of the 1968-1969 academic year at CSU was to liberate the student center. In October 1968, members of the Student Center Board felt they had little to no input on the policies of the student center as the Director of the Student Center was not obligated to take into account the board's wishes in his decision making. The students wanted to be given "policy and program control over the student center." Approximately 3,000 students participated in a liberation of the student center, a peaceful protest to try to change the "philosophy of student center operations." One proposal put forward was a resolution to sell 3.2 beer in the student center. This action was supported by the joint faculty-student body, the Student Life Committee, but was rejected by the State Board of Agriculture. In protest, students held a "beer-in" which over 100 students attended, with approximately 30 drinking 3.2 beer on campus, a violation of campus regulations and city ordinance. Those caught drinking beer on campus were disciplined but the protest did bring about change when President William Morgan did assign policy decisions to the Student Center Board. In 1969 the State Board of Agriculture did allow for consumption of 3.2 beer on the CSU campus.

On November 14, 1968, a group of 15 students and non-students barricaded themselves in the upper floor of the Agriculture Building to protest the recruiting on campus by Dow Chemical Co., a company which the protestors associated with supporting and funding the Vietnam War. The protesters were forcibly removed from the building and prosecuted.

The Black Student Alliance (BSA) formed in the autumn of 1968 to oppose racial segregation and advance civil rights; the Mexican-American Committee for Equality (MACE) formed concurrently. (MACE later became the Union of Mexican-American Students). The BSA and MACE established joint demands and presented them to CSU administration on April 7, 1968. On April 8, a delegation of members went before the Board of Agriculture reiterating their demands and asking for swift action. On April 9, members occupied the Administration Building to show resolve in their demands and moved their non-violent protest to the lawn of President Morgan's home when they were told staying after business hours would be illegal trespass. Non-CSU students began to attend the gathering including Lauren Watson, a leader of the Denver Black Panthers. The following day the protesters returned to the Administration Building. The demands of the BSA and MACE resulted in the formation of a task force which recommended adding 400 "new Chicano, Black, and Indian students of academic potential for the academic year 1969-1970." After the task force recommendation a meeting was held with the Governor and Joint Budget Committee to ask for increased funds to recruit these 400 students; the General Assembly rejected the special request and the CSU student body did not support a 50-cent student fee increase to be dedicated to minority student recruitment.

The January 1970 CSU-Brigham Young University (BYU) basketball game was marked by a protest against the Mormon Church's racial policies. An approved, non-violent protest was held at the start of the game, but during half time a group of students ran onto the court while giving the black power salute. Calls from the Dean of Students to disperse were ignored and as riot police arrived, fighting between protestors and police broke out. Items were thrown into the crowd and one newsman was knocked unconscious. Racial tensions remained high on campus for the rest of the academic year.

Historical information was taken from the collection and Democracy's College in the Centennial State: A History of Colorado State University by James E. Hansen II, pp 449-473.