DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa anti-war protests, January-April 1971 | 1971-02-11 Iowa City Press-Citizen Article: ""1,500 Attend 'Teach-in,' More Activities Planned""

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University of Iowa anti-war protests, January-April 1971

1971-02-11 Iowa City Press-Citizen Article: ""1,500 Attend 'Teach-in,' More Activities Planned""

P-C    2/11/71

1,500 Attend 'Teach-in,' 
More Activities Planned
By Fred E. Karnes
Of the Press-Citizen
Hundreds of University of Iowa students, faculty and others spent nearly 12 hours Wednesday in activities aimed at expressing "outrage" at the recent invasion of Laos and other aspects of the U.S. Military establishment.
While campus police milled through the crowds, more than 1,500 persons attended a teach-in at Iowa Memorial Union Wednesday afternoon before breaking into small "workshops." About 500 students convened later in the evening to endorse a series of demands and programs arising from the workshops.
The students and others decided late Wednesday to confront the State Board of Regents —which is meeting in Iowa City today and Friday—with three demands, namely:
—Total and immediate withdrawal of forces from Southeast Asia.
—An end to UI "complicity" with the military, especially ROTC on campus.
—And, an end to layoffs of UI workers.
Meanwhile, a rally was scheduled for this noon to discuss possible actions in connection with the appearance of a Bank of America recruiter at the university today and Friday.
Another gathering was set for 6:30 p.m. in the Union to plan a march on a Pershing Rifle drill class an hour later at the Recreation Building.
Although the possibility was discussed at several points during the day, no call for a student strike was issued by the protesters.
Instead, Student Body President Robert Beller called on students to "return to or stay in their classes with the provision that all classes be devoted to the discussion of the situation we find ourselves in, to confront our teachers and ourselves in order to discover the real source of our collective power and our collective outrage that we may direct ourselves to an effective means of stopping this machinery of war."
Featured in Wednesday afternoon's teach-in were historical accounts of U.S. involvement in Indochina and two "eye witness" accounts from Vietnam veterans.
Prof. Robert Dykstra told protesters that the "United States must bear primary guilt for the war in Southeast Asia" because of its undermining of the 1954 Geneva Accords.
Prof. David Hamilton termed the bombing of the Vietnam countryside a greater atrocity than the alleged My Lai massacre.
"The U.S. is committing daily acts of barbarism in the name of civilization," Hamilton asserted. "By bombing the countryside, we're forcing the peasants into the cities where they can be controlled more easily by the South Vietnamese government."
Sociology Prof. Howard Ehrlich tied the foreign war with "domestic oppression." Ehrlich argued that any society that "brutalizes and dehumanizes" its citizenry through war should be "destroyed."
The most moving reaction was elicited by Donald Pugsley, a UI freshman who served in Vietnam.
Pugsley gruesomely described the physical effects of M-16 rifle fire and napalm, then drew a standing ovation and shouts of "right on" when he said, "When you realize how disgusting the tools of war are, you realize how disgusting war is. You're not disgusted with the M-16, you're disgusted with war."
Another UI freshman who recently returned from Vietnam described how he changed from a "gung-ho militarist" to an anti-war protester.
"I knew how to return fire," said Richard Phillips. "I knew how to administer first aid. I was ready for everything. But for the poverty and destruction I was not prepared. For a father procuring patrons for his 13-year-old daughter's services in order to support his family, I was not prepared."

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P-C 2/11/71 1,500 Attend 'Teach-in,' More Activities Planned By Fred E. Karnes Of the Press-Citizen Hundreds of University of Iowa students, faculty and others spent nearly 12 hours Wednesday in activities aimed at expressing "outrage" at the recent invasion of Laos and other aspects of the U.S. Military establishment. While campus police milled through the crowds, more than 1,500 persons attended a teach-in at Iowa Memorial Union Wednesday afternoon before breaking into small "workshops." About 500 students convened later in the evening to endorse a series of demands and programs arising from the workshops. The students and others decided late Wednesday to confront the State Board of Regents —which is meeting in Iowa City today and Friday—with three demands, namely: —Total and immediate withdrawal of forces from Southeast Asia. —An end to UI "complicity" with the military, especially ROTC on campus. —And, an end to layoffs of UI workers. Meanwhile, a rally was scheduled for this noon to discuss possible actions in connection with the appearance of a Bank of America recruiter at the university today and Friday. Another gathering was set for 6:30 p.m. in the Union to plan a march on a Pershing Rifle drill class an hour later at the Recreation Building. Although the possibility was discussed at several points during the day, no call for a student strike was issued by the protesters. Instead, Student Body President Robert Beller called on students to "return to or stay in their classes with the provision that all classes be devoted to the discussion of the situation we find ourselves in, to confront our teachers and ourselves in order to discover the real source of our collective power and our collective outrage that we may direct ourselves to an effective means of stopping this machinery of war." Featured in Wednesday afternoon's teach-in were historical accounts of U.S. involvement in Indochina and two "eye witness" accounts from Vietnam veterans. Prof. Robert Dykstra told protesters that the "United States must bear primary guilt for the war in Southeast Asia" because of its undermining of the 1954 Geneva Accords. Prof. David Hamilton termed the bombing of the Vietnam countryside a greater atrocity than the alleged My Lai massacre. "The U.S. is committing daily acts of barbarism in the name of civilization," Hamilton asserted. "By bombing the countryside, we're forcing the peasants into the cities where they can be controlled more easily by the South Vietnamese government." Sociology Prof. Howard Ehrlich tied the foreign war with "domestic oppression." Ehrlich argued that any society that "brutalizes and dehumanizes" its citizenry through war should be "destroyed." The most moving reaction was elicited by Donald Pugsley, a UI freshman who served in Vietnam. Pugsley gruesomely described the physical effects of M-16 rifle fire and napalm, then drew a standing ovation and shouts of "right on" when he said, "When you realize how disgusting the tools of war are, you realize how disgusting war is. You're not disgusted with the M-16, you're disgusted with war." Another UI freshman who recently returned from Vietnam described how he changed from a "gung-ho militarist" to an anti-war protester. "I knew how to return fire," said Richard Phillips. "I knew how to administer first aid. I was ready for everything. But for the poverty and destruction I was not prepared. For a father procuring patrons for his 13-year-old daughter's services in order to support his family, I was not prepared."