May Day — demands on Cambodia address; fast for peace

A rally of approximately 1,500 people involved a voice vote to present a set of "demands" to IU President Joseph Sutton concerning President Richard Nixon's address on Cambodia.

Two hours after the rally, Keith Parker and Mike King presented the following demands to Vice President David Derge: that the University repudiate President Nixon's plans for Southeast Asia and demand the immediate withdrawal of our troops, that they end the campus complicity in Southeast Asia and supply information on government contracts, that the University make a financial commitment to the Bobby Seale Defense fund, that the University bring the percentage of black students into accordance with the percentage of black people in the population of the State of Indiana and that the University supply an answer to these demands at a rally on May 6.

One student was arrested following the event for spraying contents from an aerosol can on a photographer and Safety Division staff member.

At 5:30 p.m., President Sutton released a statement saying, "As I carefully explained last September in my first major address to our University family, I will not accept or consider demands of any kind. Procedures by which students may bring before he faculty and administration their reasonable concerns or desires are clearly established. These procedures do not include communications such as this. I therefore reject these demands."

On May 6, "with President Sutton's consent, freshman Jody Lanard spoke at the outset of the Founders Day Convocation. She expressed displeasure with the expansion of the war and signaled a peaceful walkout of some 300 students," according to an IDS article. "President Sutton said that while he did not agree with Miss Lanard, he noted that 'at this University you can still make such a statement."

Later that afternoon, about 7,500 students marched peacefully from a rally in Dunn Meadow around campus under the direction of student marshalls to protest the war in Asia and oppression in America.

At the rally, the crowd called for a two-day strike, which was approved by the Student Senate, to mourn the deaths of four Kent State students.

During the walk, ten people carrying Viet Cong flags on eight-foot-poles were asked to take down the signs because the poles could be considered weapons.

A police car drove ahead of the marchers to clear vehicle traffic from the parade path.

"The situation is serious," Vice President Mike King said in an IDS article. "The people who run this country are willing to kill,slaughter, commit genocide and even destroy the whole world rather than give up one ounce of their power. We must turn this country around and take the power from the people who have usurped the power of the people, seize that power and return it to the people. And if we face death in the struggle, let our last words be 'All power to the people!'"

The next day, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. classes were canceled by Chancellor Byrum Carter to allow students and faculty to attend memorial services in the IU Auditorium for the Kent State students who died during a protest on their campus.

On May 13, pickets blocked entrances to the Bryan Administration Building and a chain was placed on the east entrance before a conference addressing the students demands in a May 1 rally.

In the address, Carter said he could not speak for the entire institution on matters of foreign policy because of the divergence of opinions, the ration of black students would probably equal or exceed the ration of blacks in Indiana by the fall of 1971, commitment of University money to the Bobby Seale defense fund would be illegal and a full report published at each Founders Day Convocation could be found any time in IU Foundation books.

That evening a group of several hundred people, including University staff members, visited Sutton's home to express support for him in "keeping the University open," according to the News Bureau.

The same day as the picket, fasters for peace were ordered out of Dunn Meadow following an advisement from the IU Environmental Health Service who said the presence of the tents pitched in the meadow would damage the grass and sanitary facilities in the meadow were not sufficient.

After reaching a compromise with Assistant Dean of Students Herbert Smith, the fasters issued an addendum to their previous statement asking those who could not afford to fast for 24 hours to limit their diet to vitamins, fruit juice and water, lemon, honey and water or brown rice, tea and fruit juice.

Five days later, a feast of rice, chicken bullion and other light foods awaited the fasters.

"My stomach must look like a prune. I'm going to make it look like a balloon," Steve Sorkin, graduate student, said in an IDS article.

Though the fasters planned to stay in the meadow throughout the fast, they only spent two nights in the field after angry townspeople tried to move the fasters out and the protesters decided it was safer not to sleep there.