A History of Student Activities, 1990-1991
Compiled by Tim Shary
1990
Jan 9
Greenwich donut 1 is evacuated and searched when a bomb threat claims that the mods are targeted; no bomb is found. [The Permanent Press: February 9, 1990]
Jan 15
While residential staff respond to a suicidal student in Merrill, first-year student Jill Ramsey dies after jumping from the roof of Dakin; a community meeting is held the next day, and a memorial service is held in February. [The Permanent Press: February 9, 1990]
Jan 15
About 80 students gather for a candlelight vigil to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.[The Permanent Press: February 9, 1990]
Feb 2
The most controversial faculty reappointment process in years engages students, faculty, and administrators in a dispute over fairness and academic freedom; denied contracts are Norm Holland, Jeff Wallen, Kay Henderson, Greg Jones, and Catheryn Sophian.[The Permanent Press: February 9, 1990]
Feb 8
The Admissions Office comes under fire when interim director Carmen Fortin decides to halt student members of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual groups on campus from participating in a presentation to high school guidance counselors. [The Permanent Press: February 16, 1990]
Feb 12
In the continuing reappointment controversy, over 35 students show up at Monday breakfast to confront Greg Prince on his decision to uphold the denials of reappointment to five of six professors whose contracts CCFRaP recommended be terminated.[The Permanent Press: February 16, 1990]
Feb 26
Students distributing a flyer on campus describing the events surrounding the enforced medical leave of a first-year student raise serious questions about the ethics of administrative withdraw.[The Permanent Press: March 2, 1990]
Feb 27
Four members of People for a Socially Responsible University, including student Randy Viscio, are acquitted on charges filed against them in connection with the April 24, 1989 occupation of Memorial Hall at UMass, by a Northampton District Court Jury[The Permanent Press: March 2, 1990]
Mar 2
A memo from Greg Prince encouraging students to cooperate with a plan to convert mod double rooms in Greenwich and Enfield from single to double occupancy begins a tense conflict among students, house staff, and administrators. [The Permanent Press: March 2, 1990]
Mar 6
Community Council approves a motion by member Tim Shary to halt the proposed plan for redoubling rooms in Greenwich and Enfield; an alternative proposal is requested from the interim housing committee established by Greg Prince the month before. [The Permanent Press: March 16, 1990]
Mar 13
The College Senate approves guidelines for graduation in four years and moves to change the advising system along those guidelines. [The Permanent Press: March 2, 1990]
Mar 30
111 of the newly re-upholstered Main Lecture Hall seats are slashed by an unknown vandal, the first in a series of disturbing vandalism and discriminatory graffiti incidents that will plague the campus for the rest of the semester. [The Permanent Press: April 13, 1990]
Apr 8
Becky, a horse at the Farm Center, is reported missing; she is later found to have been borrowed by Greg Prince's wife Toni as per a previous agreement, raising suspicions about the dismantling of the horse program, which was decided in March. [The Permanent Press: April 13, 1990]
Apr 10
Community Council approves a proposal from the interim housing committee that will gradually but ultimately lead to the reconversion of Greenwich and Enfield doubles.[The Permanent Press: April 13, 1990]
Apr 13
People for a Socially Responsible University deliver a report to the administration, revealing that $269,450 in college funds are invested in companies conducting weapons research or doing business in South Africa. [The Permanent Press: April 13, 1990]
Apr 15
The men's ultimate frisbee team makes it to the semifinals in the Northeast Regional Championships at SUNY Purchase, losing to the home team after five consecutive wins in two days.[The Permanent Press: April 27, 1990]
Apr 17
Despite continuing administrative reluctance to create a new staff position, Community Council approves $4,000 to pay for half the salary of an LGBA coordinator to start work in the fall semester; the administration is expected to match the amount.[The Permanent Press: April 27, 1990]
June 10
The Sunday New York Times Magazine publishes "What's New At Frisbee U.?", a provocative and detailed article reflecting on Hampshire's past twenty years; the author is F71 alum Chip Brown.[Community Council Misc.: 90S-Z87]
July 23
After the administration drops funding for the annual Frog Book, Community Council Chairperson Tim Shary sponsors a motion to members through the mail to fund the project with Council funds; the proposal passes under questionable quorum. [Community Council Misc.: 90S-Z141]
Aug 17
Director of Purchasing Sheila Moos makes an executive decision to lay tiles in certain ~ Merrill and Dakin corridors without consideration of student opinion; despite pleas by students to stop the tiling, she does not reverse her decision. [The Permanent Press: September 7, 1990]
Sep 5
Director of Student Activities Robin Harris organizes a full-scale replica of a TV game show in Saga: "The Hampshire Squares" features staff and faculty answering trivia questions based on the entering class, with President Greg Prince in the center square, and CCS coordinator Ruth Hammen and student Tim Shary as hosts. [Memo from Robin Picard Harris, August 20, 1990]
Sep 14
The first of many meetings is held by the Budget Task Force, consisting of students, faculty, and staff, as the college sets out to cut $1,000,000 from the next fiscal year budget; student trustee Summer Lindzey additionally forms a student task force. [The Permanent Press: September 21, 1990]
Sep 15
Students Michael Beneville and Erik Havlick coordinate a contingent of Hampshire students to protest the U.S. involvement in the Iraq-Kuwait crisis; the demonstration takes place in Northampton.[ Personal account]
Sep 20
Community Council Finance Committee Co-Chairs Randy Jones and John Keh organize a meeting of all student organizations on campus to allocate funding for the semester, democratically directing authority for funding to the groups. [The Permanent Press: October 5, 1990]
Sep 24
Community Council conducts a student referendum to approve the long-awaited student endowment and to ban the sale of cigarettes on campus; although not enough votes are gained to make the vote binding, Council later legislates on behalf of the majority: yes on the endowment, no on banning cigarette sales. [Community Council Misc. 90F-Z8W2]
Oct 20
Hampshire students join hundreds of protestors in Boston as groups in 25 cities around the world rally in opposition to the U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf. [Boston Globe, October 21, 1990]
Oct 25
Controversy erupts over a decision of the 20th Anniversary Committee which prohibits alcohol from being served over the celebratory weekend, even though it is served at a few administration-sponsored events; Community Council is informed that they will not be able to serve beer at a party which they had planned for alumns. [Memo from Robin Picard Harris, October 26, 1990]
Oct 26
Various members of Community Council distribute a single piece of chalk to each student's mailbox, encouraging them to "express" their opinions about recent events and developments on campus; within hours, the remaining chalk is removed from the boxes, as students have graffitied virtually every building on campus. [Community Council Misc. 90F-Z116-118]
Oct 26
Over 1,000 alumns and guests gather on campus for the 20th Anniversary Weekend, which features one of the largest coffeehouses ever held in Saga, a picnic, all- community photograph, dance, and various workshops, presentations, and peaceful protests by students; keynote speaker is N.Y.C. police commisioner Lee Brown. [Non Satis Scire, Twentieth Anniversary Report]
Oct 30
Director of Facilties and Services Sheila Moos admits at an all-community 'meeting that she gave the order to have the chalk removed from students' mailboxes during the 20th Anniversary celebration, while President Greg Prince announces a potential plan to purchase bankrupt Friends World College. [The Permanent Press, November 2, 1990]
Nov 4
Second-year student Andy Davis and a few unidentified friends stage a performance art piece outside the Arts Village during which they light small fires, rub themselves with animal entrails, and discuss meat; Davis is later recommended for suspension by Dean of Students Trey Williams, touching off a wave of protests concerning censorship, art, and community norms. [Community Council Misc. 90F-Z146]
Nov 7
During Parents Weekend, students protest recent incidents of shower-peepers in Merrill House, drawing attention to a wider range of security concerns such as lighting on campus, training security officers, and locking living areas. [Memo from Greg Prince and Trey Williams, November 16, 1990]
Nov 19
Trey Williams holds an open meeting at which he defends his decision regarding the Andy Davis suspension, and calls for the Community Review Board to decide if the punishment is legitimate, adding that matters of safety and social respect were at issue rather than art, as Davis lit fires and failed to clean the area after the performance. [Community Council Misc. 90F-Z148]
Nov 29
President Greg Prince announces the establishment of the Council on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns, chaired by professor Susan Tracy. [Memo to the community, November 29, 1990]
Dec 7
Students Rebecca Cherry, Karya Lustig, and Tim Shary help organize a Five College dance at Amherst College, funded by Community Council, the sophomore classes at Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith, and the UMass area governments. [Community Council Misc. 90F-Z178]
Dec 12
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees approves the Student Endowment Fund. [Community Council Misc. 90F-Z200]
Dec 20
President Greg Prince announces the potential plan of locking entries to Merrill and Dakin Houses, while a majority of students respond with disdain. [Memo to the Housing Committee, December 20, 1990]
1991
Jan 15
President Greg Prince calls an all-community meeting in the Main Lecture Hall to discuss the Persian Gulf Crisis; students have been protesting daily in Amherst and at Westover Air Force Base, as the potential for war with Iraq appears imminent. [Memo to the community, January 14, 1991]
Jan 16
Shortly after 6:00 p.m. EST, reports that U.S. planes have fired on Baghdad are announced; over a hundred students and staff gather in the Airport Lounge to watch television coverage, and to hear professor Eqbal Ahmad speak on the developing war. [Personal account]
Jan 19
At the January Commencement ceremony, student speaker Jon Reed discards his speech to allow fellow graduates to discuss their perceptions on the war. [Personal account]
Jan 21
President Prince holds an all-community breakfast to discuss events in the Middle East. [Memo to the community, January 18, 1991]
Feb. 6:
President Prince announces the plan for locking Merrill and Dakin outer doors at night.[Memo to the community, February 6, 1991]
Feb 6
President Prince orders that the revised alcohol policy passed by Community Council on the previous day cannot be enacted without review by the President and administration, touching off months of debate on jurisdiction and the apparent increase in alcohol-related regulations. [Memo to Community Council, February 6, 1991]
Feb 13
Chairperson of Community Council Tim Shary files the first of two requests to Judicial Council, asking that the President's action on the new alcohol policy be reviewed; after the first request is suspended, Shary files a second request in March and the Judicial Council decides that Community Council does, in fact, decide the social policies for the college. [Community Council Misc. 91S-Z90 & 144]
Mar 8
A group of students from Invisible Theatre remove the U.S. flag from the pole in front of the RCC and replace it with a flag displaying the symbol for woman to recognize International Women's Day; while the students ask President Prince to permanently remove the U.S. flag, Prince disagrees. [Memo to the community, March 29, 1991]
Mar 12
Over 300 students sign a petition opposing a new housing plan which would change the inputting process in the mods; even though the plan is approved by Community Council, Director of Housing Sussan Noushadi recalls the plan under the condition that Council later accept a more lenient plan. [Community Council Misc. 91S-Z122]
Mar 27
Students begin protesting potential budget cuts which would eliminate house coordinator positions, staging a sit-in at the President's office and forming a committee of student interns to discuss alternative options. [Personal account]
Apr 16
Community Council approves a motion proposed by students Oliver Jones and Julien Hockings to erect an alternative flag pole in the area of the U.S. flag pole, so that flags from other groups on campus may be flown. [Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 18, 1991]
Apr. 19:
A number of students organize a Community Festival, featuring dancing, contests, workshops, singing, and a bonfire behind Physical Plant. [Community Council Misc. 91S-Z145]
May 3:
Students Lisa Reed and Richard Rushfield organize a Senior Day to celebrate graduating students; the event features a parade of graduates dressed as their Division III project, amusement rides, and a baby elephant. [Personal account]