What was your role on campus at the time:

Graduate student

During the school year 1969-70, where did you live:

Off-campus

Were you a member of any student organization on campus? If so, which one(s)?

No

During the weeks before the university closed, what was the most significant thing you observed?

Rioters were out in the afternoons, not mornings. Tear gas smell lingered for a long time. National Guard vehicles with guardsmen circled the Oval, guardsmen stationed at university buildings. A grad student friend of mine was activated and couldn’t continue his classes ’cause he was now activated and in uniform. Uniformed individuals were not allowed in classes, at least in Hagerty Hall. Profs tried to carry on, many had classes in their homes, also had open discussions with classes on the topic of the war in Vietnam, what happened at Kent State, student responses, etc. There were protesters and rioters, different groups, but all being treated the same.

What were your impressions of campus during the time period?

Protesters came in different shapes, sizes, and sources. Many protesting on campus had no affiliation with OSU; it is an urban campus and folks gravitated here. I had an office in Hagerty Hall; rioters came through just tossing stuff out windows. I was there, [and] one picked up my master’s thesis draft. I told him if he threw it out the window, he would go with it. The guy put it back down and went out to the next location. That was just destruction for the sake of destruction and not related to the issues for which actual protestors were reacting. Seeing National Guard vehicles riding around the Oval was scary as they were carrying guns. After Kent State, no one was sure if guns were loaded, and if so, with what. Graduation was closed, [people] needed tickets to get on campus for it. Check points were set up for vehicles at entrance to campus at 17th and High. Students were concerned for their future, as draft numbers were needed to increase, and there was fear in students as they would have no control over their lives…

Did you think the university should be closed? Why or why not?

Yes, it was a matter of safety for both students and university property. [The administration] needed to get the non-students off campus and away from campus property.

What did you do during the two weeks the university was closed?

Went to Washington, DC, observed happenings there, stayed with a friend, received my engagement ring

Did you return to finish the quarter?

Yes

Looking back, what do you think are the lasting legacies of the student demonstrations?

Hopefully university and city police have put together crowd control plans, and a means of communications to students has been created. The existence of the draft was the major variable that doesn’t exist now. When an issue had a direct impact on students’ lives, students paid attention and became involved. Forums for discussions [are] now available which were not then.