A History of Student Activities, 1988-1989

Compiled by Tim Shary

1988

Jan. 26:
Community Council holds an informal meeting to discuss accusations made by students alleging that a group called 'The Fraternity" is sponsoring a "get laid" party with a wet t-shirt contest; Council later decides to no longer fund the group. [The Permanent Press: February 12, 1988]

Jan. 28:
Students Mary Ellen Doyle, Nina Mallette, and Heidi Dorow, representing the Peoples Organization for Worker Equality and Revolution, confront the Trustees' Finance Committee, meeting in Manhattan, to demand they address a student wage increase. [The Permanent Press: February 12,1988]

Feb. 9:
Community Council holds their largest election ever, with over 480 votes granted to at-large student members Dake Ackley, Bill Karieva, Sue Sauvain, Sarah Heegaard, Mary McDonald, and Andy Arnold; Council heads into a strong era of student action. [The Permanent Press: February 26, 1988]

Feb. 12:
The multi-sports facility is $138,000 over budget, nearly 20% more than its original cost estimate; it is scheduled for completion in August, 1988. [The Permanent Press: February 12, 1988]

Feb. 12:
Four students, Erik Lindenauer, John McCaughey, Nikolas Triantafillou, and Tim Sullivan, have organized the first Hampshire cycling team. [The Permanent Press: February 12, 19881

Feb. 16:
Community Council votes to remove member Erik B. due to his allegedly racist and sexist slandering of outgoing Council Chairperson, Michele Johnson; the act was allowed after an approved suspension of the bylaws. [The Permanent Press: February 26, 1988]

Feb. 18:
After complaints following a recent "Sex and Violence Film Festival" in Dakin D-1, house supervisor Jim Jemison cancels a scheduled showing of two science fiction films by students Matt Friedman and Dan Bukszpan, claiming the films are offensive. [The Permanent Press: February 26, 1988]

Feb. 23:
A scheduled all-community meeting is interrupted and ultimately suspended as members of SOURCe announce that Third World students have occupied the Dakin Masters' House, with demands forthcoming; a vigil is held in the Dakin quad that evening. [The Permanent Press: February 26,1988]

Feb. 24:
Negotiations begin between SOURCe and the administration on demands for changes that have been proposed. [The Permanent Press: February 26,1988]

Feb. 26:
Students Hasok Chang, Joe Russack, Lisa Hirschfield, Kirsten Heckler, Josh Freedman, and Stephanie Peirce, form the Lunchtime Coalition and issue a statement to the community citing reasons why they feel that the Dakin occupation "was not called for". [Memo to the community: February 26,1988]

Feb. 29:
Second-year student David Costello hangs himself near Physical Plant; a memorial service is held on March 13. [Memos to the community: 2/29/88 and 3/10/88]

Mar. 1:
After reaching preliminary agreement on revised demands, SOURCe ends their occupation of the Dakin Masters' House, ending the longest takeover in Hampshire history. [The Permanent Press: March 11, 1988]

Mar. 1:
Community Council approves a motion by member Tim Shary to overturn the removal of Erik B. to allow the Executive Committee to handle it according to Council bylaws. [The Permanent Press: Much 11, 1988]

Mar. 1:
The Lost Sheep Committee is formed by students Andy Elsberg, Sarah Townes, Peter O'Donnell, and David Smathers, who organize a community meeting to foster communication on the SOURCe takeover. [The Permanent Press: March 11, 1988]

Mar. 2:
The Executive Committee of Community Council again removes Erik B. from his membership due to his offensive slandering of the previous Council Chairperson, by a vote of 6 to 1. [The Permanent Press: March 11, 1988]

Mar. 3:
300 people march in a rally against racism that stretches across the campus, lead by keynote speaker Mel King. [The Permanent Press: March 11, 1988]

Mar. 3:
The Student Workers Coalition organizes a job walkout by work-study students, threatening a strike if the administration does not renegotiate a pay raise; an administrative task force had recommended a 25-cent raise, which workers felt was not enough. [The Permanent Press: March 11, 1988]

Mar. 8:
"Hair', directed by student Ted Simpson, closes after one of the most successful and critically-acclaimed theatrical runs in Hampshire history, earning the cast and crew a performance with the original Broadway cast in Washington, D.C. later that month. [The Permanent Press: April 15, 1988]

Mar. 10:
A teach-in on racism and classism entitled "Race and Class: Working for Change", organized by professors Fran White, Susan Tracy, Deb Martin, and Mike Ford, is held and attended by students, staff, faculty, and many guests. [Memo to the community: March 10,1988]

Mar. 12:
Jonathan Kitzen, a second-year film student, shocks Security and a group of Elderhostel with an experiment in which he hides a camera in the RCC and videotapes crowd reactions to a "dead" student lying face-down in a pool of fake blood near the library. [Personal account]

Mar. 14:
Students Bill Karieva and Avi Schleifer organize an all-community meeting for the second time in a month to discuss events and problems on campus; over 500 people attend. [The Permanent Press: April 8, 1988]

Mar. 31:
After many tense and controversial meetings with administrators, the Student Workers Coalition announces that they are willing to accept a compromised wage of $4.18/hour until the end of the semester, still demanding $4.75/hour by the fall semester. [The Permanent Press: April 8, 1988]

Apr. 4:
A riot of over 100 students breaks out in the Prescott quad shortly after midnight as students protest an unexpected change in the housing policy which would force students to leave mods that did not have a certain number of returning residents. [The Permanent Press: April 8, 1988]

Apr. 8:
In a highly contested special meeting, Community Council votes to overturn the housing policy changes proposed by the administration and elects to form a committee to evaluate the situation at its next meeting. [Community Council Misc.: 88S-Z69]

Apr. 12:
At the largest Community Council meeting in years, Director of Housing Jack Kuszaj apologizes for the lack of student involvement with the previously proposed housing policy, and begins work with the Council's ad hoc housing committee. [The Permanent Press: April 15, 1988]

Apr. 13:
A pre-registration policy for new students enrolling in classes sparks controversy as two-thirds of all 100-level courses and one-third of all 200-level courses are reserved for new students; the decision was apparently made without student input. [The Permanent Press: April 22, 1988]

Apr. 20:
By a vote of 7 to 6, Community Council rejects the newly proposed housing policy, citing that the proposed policy is too similar to its original; house staff react with anger and frustration. [The Permanent Press: April 22, 1988]

Apr. 22:
Merrill House Master David Kerr and student intern Jana Naylor accuse the administration of censorship after it is announced that Duplication will no longer copy their "Fred" or other house newsletters, or 'The Commentary", a right-wing
student magazine. [The Permanent Press: April 22, 1988]

Apr. 23:
The Grateful Dead Historical Society sponsors a party to set the record for most people in the RCC sauna; founder of the society, John Dwork, joins members of the Permanent Press and Community Council as the head count hits 30 at 6:16 p.m. [The Permanent Press: May 6, 1988]

Apr. 29:
Concerned members of the staff issue a statement condemning a rash of recent graffiti incidents and vandalism that have defaced the multi-sports facilty (still under construction) and various classrooms on campus. [The Permanent Press: April 22, 1988]

May 4:
Trustee Secretary Peter Gluckler declares the recent student trustee election process invalid after first-year student candidates Anita Fearman and Katherine Pelletreau run in the primary despite a bylaw limiting the position to older students.
[The Permanent Press: May 6, 1988]

May 6:
KR, a black second-year student, has filed discriminatory charges against the Admissions Office after she was fired at the start of the semester because of her planned transfer in the fall and her view on race relations at Hampshire. [The Permanent Press: May 6, 1988]

Sep. 11:
A group of first-year students living in Dana House as a result of overcrowded housing begin a march across campus making loud noises in protest; the group is ultimately joined by over 50 students in the Dakin Quad, where Security ends the demonstration. [The Permanent Press: September 16,1988]

Sep. 13:
Community Council, after years of challenging the MassPIRG line-item fee of $4 per student from the Student Activities Fee, votes to suspend funding for the group; Council Chairperson Kathryn Wichmann casts the deciding vote. [The Permanent Press: September 16, 1988]

Sep. 16:
Many older students are reporting difficulty in finding classes that are not limited due to pre-registration; professors resort to lotteries and essays in order to fill available spaces. [The Permanent Press: September 16, 1988]

Sep. 16:
The installation of Publications and Public Information in Warner House has offically ended the crafts center that existed there for years. (The Permanent Press: September 16, 1988]

Sep. 17:
Six unidentified naked students leave the sauna to begin an impromptu game of frisbee in the library quad, only to realize that in their zeal for fun they left their clothes in the building, which closed while they were playing. [The Permanent Press: September 30, 1988]

Sep. 22:
After extensive protests by students, including an attempted demonstration organized by mod 75 residents Beth Marshall and Chris Anderson, Prescott House supervisor Jim Jemison lifts a ban that prohibited playing live music in the mods. [The Permanent Press: September 30, 1988]

Sep. 22:
An eight-day conference entitled 'The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: Realities and Alternatives", organized by students lead by Yogesh Chandrani, begins one of the largest lecture series in recent years. [The Permanent Press: October 14, 1988]

Oct. 4:
Community Council approves a motion by student member Tim Shary to hold an election for a Third World student position; this is the first time since the position was reserved in 1981 that an election needed to be held. [The Permanent Press: October 14, 1988]

Oct. 14:
After numerous debates and a primary narrowed the number of candidates for student trustee, second-year student Anita Fearman has been elected to the position by a wide margin, ending the most controversial student trustee election process ever. [Trustees Records]

Oct. 14:
Hampshire band Beatrice U.T.B. have released their first album, "Demolisten", with students Matt Bosson and Sage Guyton doing vocals, Sean Kennedy on guitar, and Tim Wilson on drums. [The Permanent Press: October 14,1988]

Oct. 14:
For the eighteenth consecutive year, the proposed construction of a student center is discussed by the Trustees, this time within the Campus Life Committee; negotiations at least produce blueprints. [The Permanent Press: October 28,1988]

Oct. 20:
Despite distributing nomination forms to every student, not one candidate is nominated for Third World student member of Community Council. [Community Council Minutes: November 1, 1988]

Oct. 21:
Under the conduction of third-year student Jason Uechi, the Hampshire College Marchin' Band delivers its first Parents' Weekend performance, from the library to Dakin. [The Permanent Press: October 28,1988]

Oct. 24:
Adele Simmons announces she will resign as President of Hampshire College effective June 30, 1989, to take on a position with the MacArthur Foundation. [The Permanent Press: October 28, 1988]

Oct 28:
Students Working Against Poverty (S.W.A.P.) have obtained an 8,000 square foot warehouse in Holyoke to use as a household necessities distribution center. [The Permanent Press October 28, 1988]

Oct. 28:
The Women's Center sponsors a Witch's Costume Ball in the Red Barn as a chem-free alternative to the Halloween Party taking place at Saga. [The Permanent Press: October 28, 1988]

Nov. 5:
First-year student Cara Page organizes a "Candlelight Vigil to Celebrate Diversity' at the Grace Chruch in Amherst in response to a massive Ku Klux Klan rally planned that day in Philadelphia; over 100 Hampshire students attend. [The Permanent Press: December 9,1988]

Nov. 18:
The Permanent Press publishes a special four-page section entitled "Adele in the Eyes of the Student Press", a retrospective of the President's eleven years at Hampshire. [The Permanent Press: November 18,1988]

Dec. 5:
Administrators receive a petition of nearly 300 signatures, demanding that the extensive lighting problems on campus be fixed; by January 10, almost a third of the previously inoperative outdoor lights have been repaired. [The Permanent Press: February 3,1989]

Dec. 6:
Despite critical opposition by four of its members, Community Council passes a motion to restructure its student membership, changing previous at-large positions to be filled and elected by underrepresented minority groups on campus. [The Permanent Press: December 9,1988]

Dec. 21:
Division III student Denice O'Neill dies in the crash of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerby, Scotland; more than 300 other people perish in the disaster, caused by the explosion of a bomb placed on board by international terrorists. [The Permanent Press: February 3, 1989]

1989

Jan. 21:
Students, staff, and guests are shocked at the January commencement ceremony when Adele Simmons delivers a speech in which she stresses the financial needs of the college, encouraging donations to the continuing Capital Campaign. [The Permanent Press: February 3,1989]

Feb. 10:
Former Admissions employee Vincent Washington is found guilty of assault and battery by a Northampton District Court judge for sexually harassing student Laura Ring on November 11, 1987. [The Permanent Press: February 17,1989]

Feb. 11:
An emotional memorial service for Denice O'Neill is held in FPH; the college announces the establishment of the Denice O'Neill Fund for Division III research projects, as proposed by her friends Geralyn Flood, Sean Kennedy, and Rob Harmon. [The Permanent Press: February 17, 1989]

Feb. 14:
Community Council rejects a countermotion by member Tim Shary to overturn the restructuring of Council membership approved in December; Sbary cites numerous laws and college policies that are being violated, but most members decide these are invalid. [The Permanent Press: February 17, 1989]

Feb. 18:
The Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program sponsors a rally at the Unitarian Meetinghouse in Amherst to show support for pro-choice abortion rights; the Supreme Court is expected to review the landmark Roe vs. Wade case in the next few months. [The Permanent Press: March 3, 1989]

Feb. 21:
Former music professor Roland Wiggins, who sued the college for discrimination in his denial of reappointment, has settled out of court; student trustee Anita Fearman discovers $145,000 was removed from the endowment for a "one-time legal fee". [The Permanent Press: March 17, 19891

Feb. 25:
The Feminist Studies Network holds their first meeting. [The Permanent Press: March 17, 1989]

Mar. 6:
Under the new restructuring, the Community Council election for student candidates in the gay/lesbian/bisexual, older student, and student worker categories results in one of the lowest voter turnouts in Council history. [The Permanent Press: March 17, 1989]

Mar. 11:
The winners of Hampshire's first Schick Super Hoops 3-on-3 Basketball Championships are the Assassins men's team of Tim O'Shea, Jason Blumklotz, and Jim Winter, and the Supersonic Trio women's team of Sue Melbourne, Lacey Johnston, and Kathryn Snow. [The Permanent Press: March 17, 1989]

Mar. 12:
The Hampshire Marchin' Band participates in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Washington, D.C. [The Permanent Press: March17, 1989]

Mar. 17:
Michael Ford, former Dean of Students, has been named the Dean of Multi-Cultural Affairs; the position was demanded and agreed to during the Dakin Masters House occupation a year earlier. [The Permanent Press: March 17,1989]

Mar. 28:
Community Council member Peter Altman presides over a successful
outdoor all- community meeting. [The Permanent Press: April 14,1989]

Apr. 4:
After a heated debate on a petition by first-year student Ross Chafetz to instate a Jewish student representative on Community Council, the Council forms the Committee to Evaluate Restructuring in order to review specific new membership guidelines. [Community Council Minutes: April 4, 19891

Apr. 4:
Community Council approves a motion by member Stephan Jost to designate Greenwich donut 1 as older student housing effective in the fall semester. [The Permanent Press: April 14, 19891

Apr. 5:
About 50 students gather for Hampshire's first all-community meeting for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and heterosexual or questioning allies; the two-hour meeting addresses an extensive agenda. [The Permanent Press: April 14, 1989]

Apr. 8:
Dozens of Hampshire students join over 600,000 protestors in Washington, D.C., in a national pro-choice march for abortion rights sponsored by the National Organization of Women. [The Permanent Press: April 14,1989]

Apr. 14:
The Rainforest Action group has begun allocating proceeds from benefits to international defense funds and ecology programs. [The Permanent Press: April 14, 1989]

Apr. 20:
The Committee to Evaluate Restructuring, organized by Community Council members Philip Bertani and Mitch Kramer, holds their first meeting. [The Permanent Press: April 14, 1989]

Apr. 22:
The Hampshire College Baseball team defeats Landmark College by a score of 5-3 for their first win ever; pitcher Aaron Rudelson throws a two-hitter while Jacob Hoye, Randy Jones, Peter Sheingold, Peter ODonnell, and Steve Deutsh make key plays. [The Permanent Press: April 28, 1989]

Apr. 24:
Student protesters from Hampshire and UMass, calling themselves People for a Socially Responsible University, occupy Memorial Hall at UMass to protest the University's involvement with Department of Defense research. [The Permanent Press: April 28,1989]

Apr. 28:
Signs have begun appearing on campus prohibiting cigarette smoking in public areas, in compliance with the Massachusetts Clean Air Act, which became law over a year ago. [The Permanent Press: April 28, 1989]

May 2:
Community Council passes a motion by the Committee to Evaluate Restructuring which effectively ends the restructured student membership configuration and reinstates an Elections Committee to encourage a diverse range of future student candidates. [The Permanent Press: May 12, 1989]

May 4:
Hampshire students are among the 35 protesters arrested after a 24-hour occupation of the UMass Graduate Research Center in the continuing demonstrations against Department of Defense research by People for a Socially Responsible University. [The Permanent Press: May 12, 1989]

July 15:
After numerous student complaints and protests, Special Programs concedes to drop the $10/week rent that summer student workers had been paying for their Prescott mod rooms, rather than granting demands for a wage raise. [The Permanent Press: September 15, 1989]

Sep. 1:
Five new students are housed in the newly renovated Weneczek House due to overcrowded housing for the first two weeks of the semester; dozens more will live in lounge doubles for the rest of the semester. [The Permanent Press: September 15, 19891

Sep. 9:
People for a Socially Responsible University hold a two-day conference with over 30 students representing national colleges, planning for direct, anti-militarism action at their respective schools; students Randy Viscio and Joanna Settle are organizers. [The Permanent Press: September 15, 19891

Sep. 11:
New college president Greg Prince holds the first of his 7.30 a.m. Monday morning breakfasts with students, stating, "I want to help Hampshire become more like itself." [The Permanent Press: September 15,1989]

Sep. 29:
Young HOPE (Healers of Our Planet Earth), organized by student Ben Zeman in spring, 1988, have moved into their office in FPH. [The Permanent Press: September 29, 1989]

Oct. 1:
Students are abashed when the October issue of "Sassy" magazine lists Hampshire as one of the ten "sassiest" colleges in America; thereafter, rumours circulate that the applicant pool has increased due to the article. [The Permanent Press: October 27, 1989]

Oct. 3:
Up to 80 students gather for a vigil in memory of Rosie Jimenez, the first known woman to die of an illegal abortion after the Hyde Amendment stopped medical funding for abortions in 1977. [The Permanent Press: October 13, 1989]

Oct. 6:
A chemical fire extinguisher is set off in the basement of Dakin L filling the halls with noxious smoke and causing a panic which leads to an evacuation of the building; suspicions arise when both on-call Dakin student interns fail to respond. [The Permanent Press: October 27,1989]

Oct. 11:
Two members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual community are charged $75 for the cost of removing chalk graffiti from buildings on campus; some students voice offense at drawings depicting sexual acts and profane language used in the messages. [The Permanent Press: November 10, 1989]

Oct. 13:
After renovating the dining commons over the summer, Saga manager Larry Archey is requiring student groups who use the space to have adult supervision at events, resulting in a delay for scheduled dances. [The Permanent Press: October 13, 1989]

Oct. 26:
The Lebron-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center opens in its current location in the Prescott Masters House, giving SOURCe a space for events and providing an office for their director and the Dean of Multicultural Affairs. [The Permanent Press: October 27, 1989]

Oct. 28:
Hampshire's Riding Team finishes its first season at the UMass Intercollegiate Horse Show; student members Paula Lillard, Robin Wecksier, Wen LaBarre, Monique Silverman, Debbie Boyer, and Holly Bayendor finish sixth out of thirteen colleges. [The Permanent Press: November 10, 1989]

Nov. 4:
A drove of sheep grazing in the apple orchard alongside Bay Road launch the first of two consecutive midnight breakouts, wandering across the south side of campus; students noticing the sheep heading for Northampton report the incidents. [The Permanent Press: December 1, 1989]

Nov. 10:
College Treasurer Allen Torrey has announced his resignation, to be effective as of June 30, 1990. [The Permanent Press: November 10, 1989]

Nov. 10:
A referendum to approve the actions of People for a Socially Responsible University has passed by an overwhelming 769 to 43 margin. [The Permanent Press: November 10, 1989]

Nov. 11:
Gregory Smith Prince is inaugurated as Hampshire's fourth president during a weekend colloquy entitled "Educating for Social Justice". [The Permanent Press: December 1, 1989]

Nov. 28:
The College Senate passes a motion barring students in poor academic standing from holding governance positions; the motion had already been passed in the Community Council, where it was originally sponsored by Dean of Students Trey Williams. [The Permanent Press: December 1, 1989]