Spring Break
The Daily OrangeFight to assemble: David Ifshin's life-long battle for reform started in the Vietnam era at SU. Today, Newhouse honors the late leader of 1970 student protests
Abstract:
They walked in quickly and quietly, before most of the university administration staff had arrived. The small group of students chained the doors to Tolley Hall, and there they sat, waiting. Several hours later, they were told that then-Chancellor John Corbally would see them....
- Displaying 1 - 14 of 14
Paul Wiele
posted 2/19/08 @ 9:30 AM EST
Um... Hanoi was in North Vietnam, not North Korea.
Tanjem
posted 2/19/08 @ 10:58 AM EST
Originally posted byPaul Wiele
Um... Hanoi was in North Vietnam, not North Korea.
Have you read the New York Times article Dumb and Dumber? Apparently World geography is seen as redundant by today's college students.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/books/14dumb.html?em&ex=1203570000&en=2c9bff2541865fdc&ei=5087%0A
Doug Rankin
posted 2/19/08 @ 11:50 AM EST
Originally posted byPaul Wiele
Um... Hanoi was in North Vietnam, not North Korea.
Not was, IS the capital of Vietnam. As an aside: ref. the Movie Animal House. "When the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor"
Kay Heley
posted 2/19/08 @ 12:32 PM EST
As someone who was a junior high observer in 1970, I appreciate this well-written reminder of how passionately students were involved in the anti-war movement. We need that kind of passion again today and always to help our culture move from one of war to one of peace. We can never have too many role models of living a life of principle.
Nic D'Alesandro
posted 2/19/08 @ 4:29 PM EST
"national traitor" ? I believe that sums it up.
He and Jane Fonda ... what more does the enemy need?
He and Jane Fonda ... what more does the enemy need?
Drew
posted 2/19/08 @ 10:50 PM EST
What an absurd statement. Do you really think that the U.S.'s enemies care about anti-war protesters? They're too busy planning how to kill all of us to care about our political convictions.
Besides, likening Fonda to Ifshin just doesn't work. Ifshin's work out video only sold about 2 million copies.
Besides, likening Fonda to Ifshin just doesn't work. Ifshin's work out video only sold about 2 million copies.
Originally posted byNic D'Alesandro
"national traitor" ? I believe that sums it up.
He and Jane Fonda ... what more does the enemy need?
Richard Stone
posted 2/19/08 @ 7:34 PM EST
As a contemporary of Mr. Ifshin's at SU and someone who was also involved in campus politics I must respectfully disagree with your analysis of Mr.Ifshin while he was at SU. [Note: I had no connection with Mr. Ifshin after graduation so I have no comment or observations for that period of time.]
When Mr. Ifshin came to the Campus Alliance Party for CAP's backing in the SG elections of 1969 I found his presentation to be self-serving. To me Mr. Ifshin's only true cause was Mr. Ifshin. When, as a member of the CAP executive council, I cast my vote against Mr. Ifshin it was because I believed Mr. Ifshin would have taken whatever position it took on any issue in order to get elected. To me he was the epitome of a politician who went whichever way the wind was blowing.
I was also a part of the anti-war movement on the SU campus in 1969-70 - in fact my parents proudly displayed the issue of the Journal Register with my picture on pages 1 and 5 as I marched in October of 1969. However, other than the fact that Mr. Ifshin was SG president, I did not find him to be the "leader" you described. I considered others, such as Hank Fishkind and Richard Rosentstein, for example, to be leaders of the anti-war movement.
When a thousand or so of us marched to the War Memorial, Mr. Ifshin was not involved. When we manned the barricades on campus, Mr. Ifshin was, again, not involved. As SG president Mr. Ifshin was necessarily involved in many of the anti-war activities on campus but we never thought of him as "the leader." In fact, at the time, many of us believed him to be an opportunist - jumping on the bandwagon of others and then trying to take the "glory" for himself.
Understandably, many students who were in favor of the war considered Mr. Ifshin a lightning rod for their hatred of the anti-war movement. Clearly these students and many Syracuse [city] residents could vent their hatred of the anti-war movement on Mr. Ifshin since he was the SG president. However, of the hundreds of students that I protested with I must say that none of us considered Mr. Ifshin as a leader of the movement.
Therefore, I must respectfully disagree with your glorification of Mr. Ifshin and his contributions to the SU anti- war movement in 1969-1970. Whether he later "found religion" I am simply not qualified to say. My observations, as one who was actually there, is that the pedestal you put Mr. Ifshin on was not warranted and he did not earn the credit you attribute to him as a leader of the anti-war movement at SU.
When Mr. Ifshin came to the Campus Alliance Party for CAP's backing in the SG elections of 1969 I found his presentation to be self-serving. To me Mr. Ifshin's only true cause was Mr. Ifshin. When, as a member of the CAP executive council, I cast my vote against Mr. Ifshin it was because I believed Mr. Ifshin would have taken whatever position it took on any issue in order to get elected. To me he was the epitome of a politician who went whichever way the wind was blowing.
I was also a part of the anti-war movement on the SU campus in 1969-70 - in fact my parents proudly displayed the issue of the Journal Register with my picture on pages 1 and 5 as I marched in October of 1969. However, other than the fact that Mr. Ifshin was SG president, I did not find him to be the "leader" you described. I considered others, such as Hank Fishkind and Richard Rosentstein, for example, to be leaders of the anti-war movement.
When a thousand or so of us marched to the War Memorial, Mr. Ifshin was not involved. When we manned the barricades on campus, Mr. Ifshin was, again, not involved. As SG president Mr. Ifshin was necessarily involved in many of the anti-war activities on campus but we never thought of him as "the leader." In fact, at the time, many of us believed him to be an opportunist - jumping on the bandwagon of others and then trying to take the "glory" for himself.
Understandably, many students who were in favor of the war considered Mr. Ifshin a lightning rod for their hatred of the anti-war movement. Clearly these students and many Syracuse [city] residents could vent their hatred of the anti-war movement on Mr. Ifshin since he was the SG president. However, of the hundreds of students that I protested with I must say that none of us considered Mr. Ifshin as a leader of the movement.
Therefore, I must respectfully disagree with your glorification of Mr. Ifshin and his contributions to the SU anti- war movement in 1969-1970. Whether he later "found religion" I am simply not qualified to say. My observations, as one who was actually there, is that the pedestal you put Mr. Ifshin on was not warranted and he did not earn the credit you attribute to him as a leader of the anti-war movement at SU.
Jay Abrams
posted 2/19/08 @ 8:11 PM EST
I ran against Ifshin for student government president that year. I ran as an independent against the overwhelming influence of the greek system on all student affairs. I later dropped out, met with David, and endorsed him since I believed he had a better chance to win than I did. It was hard to believe in those days that he would go so far--but I give credit where it was due. Contrary to the movie, "Born on the fourth of July," both the students and police in Syracuse respected each other enough to make sure SU never became another Kent State. I always regreted that the view of students not affiliated witht the Greek system didn't prevail that year, but bigger issues did. In all fairness for disclosure's sake, since then, my two kids have graduated SU and were active Greeks, unlike their old man. Still, those were heady days, never to be forgotten.
Joe Herrick
posted 2/20/08 @ 9:32 PM EST
SU should honor Sol Rosenberg who bravely locked himself in the Hall of Languages as part of the popular student demonstrations supporting the first Gulf War. Sol later denounced Saddam Hussein and the United Nations Oil for Food Program from on an internationally televised game show in Saigon, South Korea. Please. SU needs mandatory geography and civics instruction for its students. That, and a taste of the reality Dave Ifshin experienced when he threw the peace pipe in the trash and became an adult.
Bill Watson
posted 10/10/08 @ 2:16 PM EST
Richard's right, David could be off-putting. My take on all of it, though, is that it's a shame some of the rest of us were not mature enough to realize that intense ambition is not innately bad. It's easy to understand why some of us thought that it was. Many of us felt betrayed by leaders at every level, and were suspicious, deeply, of anyone who aspired to leadership. That suspicion informed our view of actions and motives. More; it skewed our views of actions and motives.
David wanted to be in the game and he wanted to not just play the game, but help rewrite the rules to make the game different. His personal philosophy was compassion for the downtrodden and he had an almost romantic yearning to be a champion. I am among those eventually unable to see past the highly focused ambition; that inability turned out to be my loss, not his.
Bill Watson '71* "GDI"**
* Sooner or later I've got to go back and finish up some course work so I can stop putting an asterisk on this. Maybe after I retire.
**"God Damned Independent", a spoof perpetuated by some of us, not affiliated with fraternities and sororities, who supported David in his bid for the student government post.
David wanted to be in the game and he wanted to not just play the game, but help rewrite the rules to make the game different. His personal philosophy was compassion for the downtrodden and he had an almost romantic yearning to be a champion. I am among those eventually unable to see past the highly focused ambition; that inability turned out to be my loss, not his.
Bill Watson '71* "GDI"**
* Sooner or later I've got to go back and finish up some course work so I can stop putting an asterisk on this. Maybe after I retire.
**"God Damned Independent", a spoof perpetuated by some of us, not affiliated with fraternities and sororities, who supported David in his bid for the student government post.
Bruce Skewes
posted 10/11/08 @ 9:20 AM EST
My, what a surprise! I thought they were going to honor a conservative activist. It takes a lot of courage to take on the PC media and educational establishments.
willie mead
posted 10/19/08 @ 9:54 PM EST
HAS ANY ONE NOTICED THAT JOHN MCCAIN PALLED AROUND WITH THIS GUY TO YHE POINT THAT HE ATTENDED HIS FUNERAL, INITIATED THE HAND SHAKE THAT BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER,SAID SOME KIND WORDS ABOUT HIM AND THIS MAN BROADCAST SOME ANTI-AMERICAN THINGS FROM HANOI WHEN MCCAIN WAS A PRISONER. THAT BROADCAST WENT INTO HIS CELL.
TO BE CLEAR, THIS GUY WORKED FOR PRES. CLINTON AND HAS SINCE APOLOGIZED TO MCCAIN SINCE.
IF THIS IS THE CASE, WHY SO MUCH FUSS ABOUT BILL AYRES. BY THE WAY, AYERS NEVER KILLED ANYONE WITH HIS BOMBS OR HE WOULD HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER.
TO BE CLEAR, THIS GUY WORKED FOR PRES. CLINTON AND HAS SINCE APOLOGIZED TO MCCAIN SINCE.
IF THIS IS THE CASE, WHY SO MUCH FUSS ABOUT BILL AYRES. BY THE WAY, AYERS NEVER KILLED ANYONE WITH HIS BOMBS OR HE WOULD HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER.
Fred Wendt
posted 9/02/09 @ 4:24 PM EST
Spring of 1970 was a very complex time ... particularly for a freshman at SU ... which I was. I will not make a comment about David Ifshin ... as we mature, our values and views also mature... I would like to point out one clarification in Amanda's article ... ref: "... "Students poured out of their dorms to protest," Elin said. During "The Strike," all entrances to the campus were barricaded with furniture from dorms, students refused to go to class, grades "ceased to exist" and the graduation ceremony was cancelled. ..."
To be more accurate, a bomb threat was called into every academic building on campus ... we all poured onto to the Quad ... which had been set up with microphones/speakers ... we listened ... some agreed ... some did not ... the matter of grades/pass-fail (which became an option) was not decided for about 4-5 days ... when the university was officially closed for the year .... most of us simply spent the time in "limbo" not knowing whether we were going back to school, and not really expressing an opinion (at least openly) as is implied in the article ..... as I said .... the world around us was complex.....
To be more accurate, a bomb threat was called into every academic building on campus ... we all poured onto to the Quad ... which had been set up with microphones/speakers ... we listened ... some agreed ... some did not ... the matter of grades/pass-fail (which became an option) was not decided for about 4-5 days ... when the university was officially closed for the year .... most of us simply spent the time in "limbo" not knowing whether we were going back to school, and not really expressing an opinion (at least openly) as is implied in the article ..... as I said .... the world around us was complex.....
- Displaying 1 - 14 of 14
Howie H
posted 2/19/08 @ 7:03 AM EST