Activism at Pratt: 1968-1972

The 1960s and '70s were tumultuous years filled with student activism across the country. For Pratt students, the years 1968 - 1972 were the most active. Several strikes, protests, and demonstrations took place on campus during this time period, tackling a range of issues from curriculum problems to civil rights issues.

An Era of Protest

Prattler, Oct. 21, 1969. Pratt Institute Archives.

The 1960s and 1970s were characterized by youth-led protest movements. Across the United States and around the world, students were organizing and participating in protests connected to activist movements such as the civil rights and Black power movements, the anti-war movement, and the free speech movement. Activist organizations formed on campuses across the country such as the Black Student Union and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

1968

The Architecture Strike

In the spring of 1968, after years of tension, students in the Pratt School of Architecture began a strike to express their concerns with the curriculum of the program in which they were enrolled. Students advocated for a tri-partite committee comprised of students, faculty, and professionals and community leaders to determine the direction of the architecture program going forward.

Documents Supporting the Formation of an Evaluation Committee for the School of Architecture.pdf

"Documents Supporting the Formation of an Evaluation Committee for the School of Architecture." 1968. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28750078

68 declaration of the strike.pdf

“Declaration of the Strike.” Apr. 1968. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28750073

Strike Declared

The declaration of the strike shows the tense relationship between students and the administration. In this document, the students demonstrate how long this dispute over the architecture curriculum has been going on, writing "let us not forget that these letters were sent exactly three years ago" ("Declaration of the Strike" pdf p. 1). They paint a picture of a dismissive administration that makes empty promises to concerned students. The students called a forum on November 21, 1967 to discuss the architecture curriculum. The strike declaration writers said, "since that date the spirit of Pratt continued to deteriorate. Apathy, lack of commitment and contact has grown appallingly" (p. 2).

Student Grievances

These documents were distributed to both students and administration, outlining specifically what students were looking to achieve by striking. Their grievances focused mostly on problems with the curriculum of the architecture program including a lack of interaction between classes, a suppression of experimentation, and a disconnect between class projects and real world applications. There were also more general concerns such as poor facility conditions, lack of communication regarding the school's finances, and poor community relations. Students outlined their intentions with the tri-partite committee, specifically demanding that the administration does not interfere with the committee's work, and that they commit to implementing the committee's plan.

Letter from school of architecture.pdf

“Letter from School of Architecture Students to Administration, April 1968.” April 1968. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28750070

1969

Tension on Campus

By 1969, tensions at Pratt began boiling over. No longer centralized in the architecture department, students across the school were expressing their disagreement with many of the administration's decisions. To the right is a page from the student run newspaper, the Prattler, outlining students' demands. They advocated for changes in Pratt's administration with a focus on finances, more resources for students, and better compensation for faculty. Students noted poor communication, saying "when the word of the administrators is no longer credible because of so many inconsistencies from day to day to day, then who are we to believe?" They denounced the tuition hikes and the acquisition of the Willoughby Walk buildings.

“Student Manifesto.” Prattler, vol. 30, no. 18, 1969. Pratt Institute Archives, Activism Series. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.29261901

nyt protest 1969.pdf

Perlmutter, Emanuel. "Faculty at Pratt on Strike Over Antiprotest Policies." New York Times, 8 May 1969, p. 1 and 43.

Drastic Measures

Tensions escalated to a point where students decided that drastic measures were necessary to bring attention to their concerns. Students took over Thrift Hall and padlocked the gates to get onto the campus, resulting in the arrest of 11 students. These actions reflect the emotional charge behind the movement. The article to the left shows how faculty joined the students in protesting the actions of the administration. Faculty were disappointed in the "get-tough policy" announced by the administration in the wake of the students' actions.

the Black Student Union

The Black Student Union (BSU) played an important role in student activism at Pratt during this time. In the document to the right, the Pratt Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) express their support for the demands of Black students at Pratt and the overall cause of the civil rights movement. Students expressed concerns about Pratt's treatment of Black students and the majority Black community of Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood adjacent to Pratt Institute. Student demonstrations were at their most intense during this time, resulting in the takeover of Pratt buildings by students and the arrest of demonstrators from the BSU. They advocated for a Black and Latin American Studies Department as well as exemption from tuition raises as a form of reparations and addressed the lack of diversity within the administration and Pratt's poor relationship with the community. The document below outlines the demands of the BSU, and the document to the bottom right shows Pratt president James B. Donovan's response to the demands. These two documents show the resistance from the administration to accept the demands of the BSU.

support the black demands.pdf

“Support the Black Demands.” 1969. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752082

BSU demands.pdf

Black Student Union. "Black Students Union Demands." 29 April 1969. Pratt Institute Archives.

donovan dismisses BSU demands.pdf

Donovan, James B. "Letter to The Board of Trustees." 28 May 1969. Pratt Institute Archives.

Asbury, Edith E. "Students and Neighborhood Residents Join to Protest Pratt Institute Actions." New York Times, 30 March 1969, p. 66.

Urban "Renewal"

Pratt Institute played an important role in the urban renewal movement of the '50s and '60s with the construction of Pratt's campus directly resulting in the displacement of many Bedford Stuyvesant and Clinton Hill residents. In a continuation of these efforts, Pratt sought to acquire the Willoughby Walk apartment buildings to expand their student residences. Pratt students joined with community members to protest the acquisition of the Willoughby Walk apartment buildings, one of which is now a Pratt dorm. The takeover of these buildings would have resulted in the displacement of the majority Black residents.

Prattler, vol. 30, no. 18, 1969. Pratt Institute Archives, Activism Series. JSTOR, https://ezproxy.pratt.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.29261901

“An Open Letter to James Donovan.” Apr. 8, 1969. Student Affairs Collection, Pratt Institute Archives, box 17, folder 10.

James B. Donovan

Pratt's president during this time was James B. Donovan who worked in government and served as a prosecutor during the Nuremburg trials after WWII. Donovan referred to the protests as "a touch of spring," a response which students found belittling and diminishing of their reasons for protesting. Students openly fought back against this phrase, using it in protest materials and articles in the Prattler. The document to the left shows a list of questions to Donovan addressing issues ranging from a lack of resources to campus diversity. The writer adds, "P.S., Will you be my pen pal?" to facetiously address the communication issues between students and the administration. Students were not the only group on campus that had quarrels with Donovan. Faculty also took issue with Donovan's policies and actions, even writing their own list of demands (below right). The group of faculty members who signed this document advocated for the removal of police on campus and for the BSU and other concerned members of the Pratt community to be placed in charge of the creation of cultural programs among other issues.

“Donovan Lies to Faculty.” 8 May 1969. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives, Activism Series. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752083

faculty demands.pdf

"Faculty Demands." 6 May 1969. Pratt Institute Archives.

1970

Anti-War Protest

Spring of 1970 saw another strike on Pratt's campus. The 1970 strike, like strikes on many other college campuses across the country, focused on the United States' involvement in war. The document to the right shows the students' demands, including the removal of the R.O.T.C from Pratt's campus. The last two lines of this document reflect the larger anti-war movement that was occurring on campuses across the country, reading "Pratt has joined a confederacy of all other universities across the country in support of these issues. Pratt students are on strike until these issues are settled. All students are on strike to free themselves from this country's turmoil."

"All-Institute Pratt Student Strike Objectives." 5 May 1970. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752084

saltzman addresses anti war.pdf

“Head of Pratt Institute Takes Issue with President Nixon on Military Action in Cambodia and North Vietnam.” 4 May 1970. Student Affairs Collection, Pratt Institute Archives, box 17, folder 10.

Administration Supports Students

In this protest movement, unlike the others, Pratt students received much more support from the administration. Henry Saltzman, who succeeded Donovan as Pratt's president, expressed support for the student cause and allowed for the cancellation of classes and a referendum to be held to determine the future of the R.O.T.C. on Pratt's campus (see documents below). Saltzman additionally wrote to President Nixon (shown in the document to the left) to express his "deep concern and disappointment" over the actions of the United States military in Cambodia and North Vietnam (PDF p. 1). The letter also includes the "unanimous support of the Faculty Council and the Student Coordinate (Government)" showing a much more unified campus (PDF p. 1).

“Statements on the Cambodian Crisis.” 6 May 1970. Student Affairs Collection, Pratt Institute Archives, box 17, folder 10.

“Letter from the Office of the President.” 8 May 1970. Student Affairs Collection, Pratt Institute Archives, box 17, folder 10.

rotc referendum.pdf

“ROTC Referendum.” 7 May 1970. Student Affairs Collection, Pratt Institute Archives, box 17, folder 10.

"ROTC Referendum." 1970. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28744588

1972

Students and Faculty Demand Change

In 1972, there was a resurgence of activism surrounding the relationship between Pratt students and the administration. Students were calling for the removal of president Henry Saltzman, advocating for student and faculty representation on the Board of Trustees, and proposing the development of a center for Black and Latin American studies at Pratt. The article to the right reports that Pratt faculty voted to request assistance from State Education Commissioner Ewald B. Nyquist in resolving the disputes on campus. According to the article faculty members voted 53-6 and again 81-1 in favor of a strike that would continue until Saltzman's removal as president. Students from the BSU occupied the office of the Dean of Students, Richard Streiter, and students also occupied DeKalb Hall, which was an administrative building at the time, forcing administrators to set up temporary offices in the cafeteria. The article also references a letter from Saltzman (below left) that instructs vice president Donald Mathis to reduce the amount of "obnoxious" correspondence to the Pratt Board of Trustees. Jan Ruby, a Pratt student, wrote a letter (below right) in response to the Board of Trustees' request for a halt of correspondence from specific groups at Pratt. Ruby defends her fellow strikers, writing that "it is not just a few students from the Engineering School and a few militant Black students who are taking a strike action against the administration. There are students and faculty from every division of Pratt who are demanding change in the governing structure of this institution."

"Pratt's Faculty to Ask Nyquist Help in Dispute." 12 May 1972. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752158

"Letter to Vice President Mathis from Henry Saltzman." 8 May 1972. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752145

"Letter from Jan Ruby to Trustees." 13 May 1972. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752160

“Agreement Amongst Faculty Regarding Student Strike.” 1972. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752168

A Unified Campus

Across many different groups, Pratt students and faculty members agreed on their demands. The campus was unified in their attempts to remove Saltzman and provide students with the best possible education.

“Saltzman Must Go!” 1972. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752155

BSU Demands

The BSU played a major role in organizing these strikes, focusing on the removal of the Dean of Students, Dick Streiter, and President Henry Saltzman. The BSU was readdressing many of the issues that were brought up in the 1969 strike, as evidenced by the document to the right, page one of a three page letter from the BSU outlining their concerns. Students elaborated their case against Dean Streiter (below left) and listed their demands (below right) including the implementation of a Black and Latin American Studies Department, representation in the faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees that is proportional to the population of Black and Puerto Rican students, and that the vacant Head of Security position be filled by a Black man.

“Letter from Black Students Union.” 1972. Student Affairs Collection, Pratt Institute Archives, box 18, folder 1.

tuition checks.pdf

“Procedure for Withholding Tuition Checks.” 1972. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28752147

Students Organize

Pratt students were highly organized during this strike, with committees being formed to address different issues and documents outlining how to withhold tuition checks being distributed.

“Strike Report Day 2.” 11 May 1972. Student Affairs Collection, Pratt Institute Archives, box 18, folder 1.

Striker

Striker was a student publication that combined writing and art to address students' concerns about the state of Pratt. Several of the documents above were distributed to students via Striker in addition to other pieces of writing and art. The entire issue of Striker is linked below (left), and some selected highlights are also pictured below.

striker.pdf

“Striker, Vol. 1.” 1972. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28750080

Timeline

The documents below, from Striker, give a timeline of events from the 1972 strike.

“Striker, Vol. 1.” 1972. Vertical Files Collection, Pratt Institute Archives. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.28750080

Prattler: Letters to the Editor

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