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Preventing Violent Unrest: Student Protest at the University of Toledo, 1965-1972

Deters, Matthew J.

Abstract Details

2010, Master of Education, University of Toledo, Higher Education.

The student protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s were the most widespread in American history. Students around the country organized themselves in response to political, social and cultural developments. War in Vietnam, the hippie movement, generational conflict, Communism, the Civil Rights Movement, and rapid growth and bureaucratization of American higher education, all had an influence on the generation of young people entering college. Towards the end of the 1960s, student protest tactics shifted from relatively peaceful rallies and sit-ins to more radical tactics, often involving disruption, property destruction, and violence. Higher education institutions across the nation, especially in Ohio, were affected by student protest and in some cases suffered significant property damage and violence. Similar to many other campuses across the country, and across Ohio, the University of Toledo (UT) also experienced incidents of student protest in the late 1960s and early 1970s. UT had radical political groups such as the Students for a Democratic Society. There were massive rallies protesting the ROTC on campus and the Vietnam War. There were protests that took action against what the protestors viewed as the administration’s repressive practices and policies. There were controversies surrounding student rights,representation, and code of conduct, as well as rallies for free speech. The University of Toledo students went through the same cultural, political, and generational changes that caused rallies and protests on other campuses around the country. However, the University of Toledo did not face the shutdowns, injuries, deaths, or property damage that other campuses, including a few in Ohio, did. Sound administrative leadership, recognition of student rights and representation, proper law enforcement, and effective communication, all contributed to the prevention of violent unrest on the UT campus during a tumultuous period of American and Ohio history.

The present study is a historical analysis of campus unrest at the University of Toledo between 1965 and 1972. This historical analysis examines the incidences of student protest at UT and the institutional role in responding to student unrest. The study is based on primary documents from local newspapers, correspondence, speeches, memoranda, and other materials collected in the UT library archives. A brief review of the history of American student activism places the case of the University of Toledo into the larger national context of student protest in the United States during the 60s era.

Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, PhD (Committee Chair)
David Meabon, PhD (Committee Member)
Ronald Opp, PhD (Committee Member)
109 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Deters, M. J. (2010). Preventing Violent Unrest: Student Protest at the University of Toledo, 1965-1972 [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1270585177

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Deters, Matthew. Preventing Violent Unrest: Student Protest at the University of Toledo, 1965-1972. 2010. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1270585177.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Deters, Matthew. "Preventing Violent Unrest: Student Protest at the University of Toledo, 1965-1972." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1270585177

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)