1990-91

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

August
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]

September
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 Financial 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]

October
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]


 * 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 commissioner 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]

November
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]

December
Dec 7


 * Phish plays a concert in the Robert Crown Center. Download the entire album of tracks recorded at the live concert: http://www.phishows.com/zips/1990/1990-12-07.zip [Citation: http://www.gankmore.com/, do a find on "Hampshire College"]
 * 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]

January
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]

February
Feb. 6


 * President Prince announces the plan for locking Merrill and Dakin outer doors at night.[Memo to the community, February 6, 1991]


 * 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 &amp; 144]

March
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]

April
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
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]