Susquehanna University - 1960 to 1969

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  • Subject = Student movements
  • Location Covered = Selinsgrove – Snyder – Pennsylvania – United States

About This Collection

This collection contains the archive of documents, photographs, and brief publications and correspondence revolving around the evolution of Susquehanna University from 1960 through 1969.
Displaying 13 items
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Chapel Boycott
Susquehanna University, Chapels, Student movements
On April 14, 1966, 450 students held a rally in front of Seibert Hall to protest the "suppression of student dissent by the administration". The principal grievances were invasion of privacy, the construction of a chapel rather than a library and the failure of the administration to acknowledge the concerns of students. The students chose a boycott of mandatory chapel as the the chief way to force change within the University. The boycott lasted a week until the University's board of directors intervened in an effort to open a dialogue between students and administration.
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Chapel Protest
Susquehanna University, Chapels, Student movements
Mandatory daily chapel service came under fire by students who did not feel that the University had clearly defined the link between education and religion. A chapel protest ensued. Not all students objected to the chapel requirement, however, and these students chose to express their feelings on the value system that defined the University with a counter-protest held at the hockey field on April 19, 1966.
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Horton Dining Hall
Dress codes, Student movements, Cafeterias, Susquehanna University, Horton Dining Hall
Times were changing in the 1960s and SU students began questioning the purpose and value of "outdated" regulations. Dressing for dinner had been a long standing rule at Susquehanna, established at a time when dinner was an individually-served affair. With dinner now served cafeteria-style, students requested that a modified dress code be given a chance to succeed.
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Kennedy Club
Kennedy Club, Presidential elections, Kennedy, John F., Nixon, Richard M., Student organizations, Student movements, Susquehanna University.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon were locked in a race for the presidency. September of that year saw the creation of the Kennedy Club on campus. The club's purpose was to spark political interest in those students eligible to vote in the November election.
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Peace March
Student movements, Vietnam War, Demonstrations, Washington, D.C., Susquehanna University
In the fall of 1969, a number of Susquehanna University faculty and students participated in a march on Washington calling for an end to the war in Vietnam. This was one of many protests during the later years of the war.
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Permission Sign-Out Form
Forms (Documents), Student movements, Permission Sign-out forms
This 1969 image is an example of the sign out sheet female students were required to complete before leaving campus. Student Kathleen Moriarty led the charge to eliminate the sheet on the grounds that Susquehanna applied unfair rules and standards to its female students.
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Permission Sign-Out Form Protest
Permission Sign-out, Student movements, Moriarty, Kathllen, Dormitories, Women's rights, Susquehanna University
When a female student wanted to leave the campus before 7:00 am or after 7:30pm, a sign out sheet had to be completed. The student had to provide her destination and the time she intended to return. If the student found that she was going to be late, she was required to call the head resident. If she was more then 15 minutes late, the student would have to appear in front of the Women's Judiciary Board. These rules did not apply to the male students. In protest of the rules, student Kathleen Moriarty refused to sign either in or out. She also circulated a petition asking women students for their support in abolishing the sign-out procedures as she considered them to be a blatant double standard.
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Ping Pong Anyone?
Susquehanna University, Ping-Pong document., Student movements
Tension had been building between students and administration during the early 1960s and by 1966 had turned into an outright rebellion. In February 1966, an anonymous brochure entitled "Ping-Pong…Anyone…?" appeared questioning among other things, the right of the University to impose its own values and ideals on it students. The positions held in Ping-Pong...Anyone...? were echoed in The Crusader newspaper and by April 1966 cultural conflict had come to Susquehanna University.
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Student Demonstration
Student movements, Demonstrations, Selinsgrove Hall, Benjamin Apple Theater, Susquehanna University.
Led by student Dave Hesel, 361 students participated in a silent march on Selinsgrove Hall. Nearly all wore signs expressing the sentiment " I am concerned." The group met behind the Benjamin Apple Theater and peacefully made its way to Selinsgrove Hall. Once there, the students sang one verse and the chorus of the Alma Mater and walked back to Bogar Hall in an orderly manner. A letter sent to Dr. Weber prior to the march explained that the protest was meant to address only general attitudes and not specific problems at that time.
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Student Protest
Susquehanna University., Student movements
The 1960s saw "free thinking" make a foothold in American culture and most certainly campus life. Struggling to find their place in the world, students were choosing to be defined by their own generation's values and not by the standards of the previous generations. This 1966 flyer details student grievances with the administration and the desire to have the freedom to question.
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Student Protest
Student movements, Vietnam War, Susquehanna University
In the Spring of 1969, Sunbury held a "Loyalty Day" parade sponsored by the local VFW. Thirty to forty Susquehanna University students attended the parade with the intent of holding a sort of counter demonstration. The students felt that an individual's loyalty to their country should not blind them to what they see as the faults of their nation. Once there, students were greeted by police, fire engines with high pressure hoses directed at them , and onlookers yelling bitter profanity. The incident is described in this Crusader article.
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Students Express Campus Concern
Student Christian Association Leadership Agency, Student movements, Student organizations, Susquehanna University.
In the spring of 1968, the Student Christian Association Leadership Agency organized an informal student meeting on the campus hockey field. David Hesel, an economics major and member of the class of 1969, led the meeting. Nearly 100 students attended and listened to speakers advocate a "more action-less talk" philosophy.
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The Susquehanna Players
Viet Rock, Susquehanna Players, Schanke, Robert, Weber, Gustave, Susquehanna University., Student movements
In January of 1969, under the guidance of Professor Robert Schanke, "The Susquehanna Players", performed the protest play "Viet Rock" in the Benjamin Apple Theater in Bogar Hall. The bold language and sexual references of the play made it a "happening" event on campus. Although University President Gustave Weber didn't object to the play being presented on campus, he did object to the request to have Susquehanna University sponsor a tour of the production. Students responsed to this by holding a demonstration, as shown in this protest announcement. Later, permission was given to a touring production of "Viet Rock", but not as an official function of Susquehanna University.
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