1996-97

This Timeline is based on a portion of Sarah Finger's A History of Student Activities and Achievements at Hampshire College. Anything not otherwise cited comes from this source.

1996
Sept 16

Twenty-seven Hampshire students sit in silence through weekly Monday morning Breakfast with President Greg Prince wearing signs of protest over the elimination of student support positions, SOURCE coordinator, CA coordinator, and student activities coordinator, and the affirmative action officer. The decision to eliminate these positions was made last May after students left campus with no student or staff input as part of a $500,000 budget cut. [The Phoenix: September 20, 1996]

Sept 19

Dean of Student Affairs, Bob Sanborn and Larry Archey, Director of Physical Plant meet with students to discuss a proposal to turn the Merrill and Dakin Master’s Houses into a student center. [The Phoenix: October 4, 1996]

Sept 30

Prince meet with student representatives to discuss the student support positions that were cut. Students made a list of demands including rehiring for all the positions, a public apology, that a committee be formed to review the president, major decisions affecting students not be made without students input, and that the 1992 Cole Science Agreement and 1998 Dakin SOURCE agreement be signed in a legally binding fashion. [The Phoenix: October 4, 1996]

Oct 4

New Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Bob Sanborn, hopes to help students deal with the restructuring of student services and encourages students to come talk to him during his open office hours every afternoon. [The Phoenix: October 4, 1996]

A press conference is held with administration, student representatives, and faculty present to address the concerns of restructuring in student affairs. President Prince apologizes to students for making the decision without student input, but says at this time he can not change the decision. Students are frustrated by the meeting and administrative responses. [The Phoenix: October 18, 1996]

Oct 18

Hampshire College is preparing to undertake a self-study in preparation for next years reaccreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. [The Phoenix: October 18, 1996]

Students continue to have problems with the practice space in FPH for musicians. The storage and practice facilities are inadequate and other rooms used for practice are not sound proofed and disturb residents of Merrill A as well as users of the Merrill living room. A new proposal has been put forth to solve the problems, but no action has been taken so far. [The Phoenix: October 18, 1996]

Nov 1

The administration began to take steps to meet student demands regarding the restructuring of student affairs. An Acting Affirmative Action officer has been hired and a search has begun to find a new director for the counselor advocates. [The Phoenix: November 1, 1996]

Nov 10

Hampshire Students join the Five College Committee for Human Rights and Democracy in Nigeria at a protest at Shell Oil on Route 9 in honor of the “Ogoni nine,” Nigerian activists who were executed by the Nigerian military regime in 1995. Shell Oil is targeted because of its exploitation of the Nigerian people, and its support of the military regime. [The Phoenix: November 15, 1996]

Nov 15

Members of the Yurt project, which has been ongoing since the fall of 1994, report that it is scheduled for completion next semester. [The Phoenix: November 15, 1996]

Nov 22

Acting Associate Dean of Community Development, Sibby Anderson Thompkins announces her resignation. Thompkins was hired over the summer after the restructuring of student affairs for a one year position. Thompkins says it has been a difficult semester for her due to the circumstances under which she was hired and the controversy surrounding student affairs. She has been one of the most outspoken staff members on the restructuring, and feels that she is expected to do things that are not part of the job she was hired to do such as be director of the cultural center. [The Phoenix: December 2 1996]

Dec 2

The Counselor Advocates are back on call and taking new cases after hiring a new clinical supervisor/consultant, Hampshire Alumna, Sara Ellinoff. The CAs were unable to take cases due to legal constraints without a supervisor since the beginning of the semester. [The Phoenix: December 2, 1996]

Dec 7

A large snow storm knocks out power to campus in the middle of the night and is not restored until the next morning. [The Phoenix: December 13, 1996]

Dec 12

The Judicial Council rules that Hampshire must operate under the 1971 College Constitution until the new version is ratified by the Board of Trustees. Community Council brought the issue to the Judicial Council as a largely symbolic process to bring attention to the urgency of ratification. [The Forward: February 12, 1997]

Dec 13

Phoenix editor, Ben Dryer, writes of his concerns of administrative and faculty support of a new paper, the context. While the Phoenix is currently not the only publication at Hampshire it is the only traditional newspaper. But it is separate from Hampshire because it is an incorporated not for profit business. Dryer is concerned about what will happen when two school newspapers are forced to compete for advertising business at a school as small as Hampshire. [The Phoenix: December 13, 1996]

1997
Feb 7

A public Judicial Council hearing begins to investigate charges brought by Community Council against former Community Council Chair L.G.. G. is charged with spending for personal gain, forgery, spending outside the Master Budget, and spending without the approval of Community Council. Charges were brought late Spring of 1996, but were postponed while G. was on leave. [The Forward: February 12, 1997]

Feb 19

Students band together to discuss rumors that Hampshire is cutting essential programs. [The Omen, Feb 19,1997]

Mar 3

Over 40 students become involved in a UMass protest supporting the UMass student building takeover demanding the University be more accessible and responsive to the needs of students of color, low income students, first-generation students, and students with children. Three Hampshire students join the students inside the building. [The Forward: March 12, 1997; The Omen: Mar 8, 1997]

Mar 11

At a Community Council meeting FiCom Chair Nat Irons and FiCom member, Dan Gregor bring charges against Community Council Chair, Wil Doane, for allegedly modifying the Council bylaws without approval, as well as Seth Mills-Cannon, Council Parliamentarian, for negligence. Mills-Cannon claims the charges are personally motivated. [The Forward: April 2, 1997]

Mar 12

Hampshire musicians complain about the lack of practice space on campus and call for the soundproofing of FPH 101 and 102 where they have been given storage space and permission to practice in the evenings. [The Forward: March 12, 1997]

The Judicial Council makes a ruling on the L.G. case. The Council recommends that G. pay back $1814.40, be placed on disciplinary probation, have a note of the incident put on his transcript, and not be able to hold positions of financial responsibility on the campus. They also make recommendations on revising financial procedures of Community Council. [The Forward: April 16, 1997]

Mar 25

Four members of Community Council, students Alexis Eynon, and Seth Mills-Cannon, and staff Sarah Reeves and Steve Berube, resign. They express their dissatisfaction with the process that took place at the previous meeting on March 11, saying that it was personally motivated, secretive, and improperly carried out. [The Forward: April 2, 1997]

Apr 2

Marijuana plants are confiscated from a student's room in mod 49 in Enfield by the Amherst Police Department and Public Safety after it was discovered she was running a “marijuana growing operation.” No arrests are made. [The Forward: April 2, 1997]

Apr 30

Nine Division III students publish two letters stating they are unhappy with many decisions made by President Greg Prince including staff firings, pet policy, alcohol policy, union busting techniques, and marginalization of minority students. They claim that Prince has assembled an administration that consistently lies to students and reverses agreements without consultation. To protest these injustices the students refuse to shake hands with Prince at graduation, as well as wearing buttons, or arm bands, and distributing literature. [The Forward: April 30, 1997]

June 15

The National Yiddish Book Center opens at Hampshire. The Center was created by Aaron Lansky (F70), and will become a part of a group of cultural centers President Prince plans to establish on campus. [The Forward: April 30 and October 2, 1997]

June 28

Most of the sheep at the Farm Center are sold at auction due to poor health and wool quality; rumors of a disease “outbreak” spread to the community. [The Forward: September 18, 1997]