Northern Before the Protests

Student Protests

At Northern Michigan University

timeline
- Northern Before the Protests, c.1950-1965
  Learn about what Northern was like before the protests began and what factors contributed to sparking student rebellion.
- Protests Over President Harden's Resignation, 1965
  In 1965, President Edgar L. Harden resigned over an argument with a Board of Control member. The next day, he retracted his resignation. Did student protests contribute to his decision?
- Vietnam Protests, 1965
  Most university students in the country opposed the policies in Vietnam. This was not necessarily the case at Northern.
- Spring Protests, 1967
  In the spring of 1967, students protested a variety of issues including housing, dress codes, food, and other campus issues.
- The McClellan Controversy, 1967-1968
  In July of 1967, a history professor named Robert McClellan was fired for dubious reasons. Students and faculty rallied to his support and throughout 1967-1968 there were a string of protests, meetings, and court cases which culminated in McClellan's re-instatement.
- The Basketball Game Sit-In, 1968
  In December of 1968, the Black Student Union held a sit-in at an important basketball game to protest the treatment of African American students at Northern.
- Job Corps Closing, 1968-1969
  The Job Corps was a federal program created to help poor teenagers and young people who had dropped out of high school gain the skills to have a job. In December of 1968, the Faculty Senate urged President Jamrich to not seek renewal of the Job Corps, which cased a bit of controversy.
- Vietnam Protests Continued, 1969
  In the spring of 1969, Vietnam protests heated up again on campus when an ROTC program opened at Northern. Nation-wide Vietnam moratoriums in the fall of 1969 also led to protests in Marquette.
- The Sit-In in Dean Niemi's Office, 1969-1970
  In December of 1969, the Black Student Union held a sit-in in Dean Allan Niemi's office, again to protest the treatment of African American students at Northern. The largely peaceful protest led to the trial of the "Marquette Six" in the spring of 1970.
research

by person
- Edgar L. Harden
  President of Northern Michigan University from 1956 to 1967.
- John X. Jamrich
  President of NMU from 1968 to 1983.
- Ogden Johnson
  The interim President of Northern during the 1967-1968 school year.
- Alan Niemi
  Dean of Students and later Vice President of the university during the protest era.
- John McGoff
  Head of the NMU Board of Control from 1967 to 1969
- Robert McClellan
  A history professor at Northern in 1965.
- Anthony Forbes
  The head of the history department in 1967.
- Ellsworth "Dutch" Barnard
  An English professor at Northern during the 1960s.
- Don Keskey & Rob Fure
  President and student senator in ASNMU student government.
- Bart Brown
  Student leader of the spring 1967 protests.
- The Marquette Six
  Six African American students who were charged for the sit-in in Dean Niemi's office.
- Charles Griffiths
  Student who sparked off the sit-in in Dean Allan Niemi’s office
photo & audio

album

c. 1950-1965

In order to understand the protests, the context of Northern’s history in the decade prior to the protests must be examined. As recently as 1955, Northern had less than 1000 students, most of whom were from the Upper Peninsula. Under President Edgar Harden (1956-1967), the university began to rapidly expand. By 1968, Northern had over 7000 students. Harden's "right to try" policy lowering admissions standards brought some students. The completion of the Mackinac Bridge in 1957 also made it easier for students from downstate to attend Northern.

This expansion, while saving the school from a potential closure, caused a variety of problems. Northern simply did not have the academic or residential facilities to accommodate so many students. Other less tangible problems sprang up as well.

As a small, provincial college, Northern kept strict, traditional rules far longer than the larger, more diverse universities downstate. Female students had strict curfews and had to have the permission of their parents to leave the dorms on the weekends. They had to wear skirts to most meals and to classes and the library. Male students also had a strict dress code. Most students were required to live in the dorms all four years. Only a few hundred students received permission to live off-campus each year. As the school grew, students from downstate and out-of-state began to attend Northern and questioned the strict guidelines.

As late as the mid-1960s, Northern, despite now being a full-fledged university, maintained the in loco parentis policies which had begun to crumble at other universities around the country. The behavior of the students both inside and outside of class was still strictly monitored. On the flip side, however, students who attended the university during this time described it as a small, close campus where everyone knew each other (listen to audio file on this page). That definition, however, that was beginning to change.

The administration felt that the school’s new status as a university necessitated hiring new faculty who were more highly qualified. This, coupled with higher enrollment, led to an influx of new teachers, many of whom were young and believed that students and faculty should have a greater say in university policy. The 1960s were also a time of constant building at Northern. In a few short years, the university built the Quad II residence halls, the LRC, West Science, and the original Jamrich building.

All of these factors led to a state of turmoil and constant change and growth at the university that was only amplified by the larger events of the 1960s.

Student ProtestsAt Northern Michigan University