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
By Amanda Allison
Posted: 2/19/08, 12:59 AM EST Section: News
In just a few years, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated, and both the civil rights and the women's movement paralleled the larger anti-Vietnam war movement. It was hard not to get swept up, Elin said.
SU grad Steve Tober worked with Ifshin briefly in SA. He later resigned because he felt uncomfortable about the requirements of his job, which would have positioned him between the radical Ifshin and Corbally.
"War was going on the whole time," he said. "Everybody was very concerned with what was going on. There was a growing sense of unease, and the draft was looming large. When we came back to school, that was clearly his number-one priority."
In the next months, Ifshin spent significant energy and SA funds on anti-war efforts, from distributing leaflets and holding open forums to discuss the Vietnam War. A main concern was the presence of the ROTC program, which to Ifshin, only brought the war closer to home.
Chancellor Corbally refused to hear Ifshin's argument, and so on Feb. 19, 1970, Ifshin, along with supporters, both involved with SA and not, proceeded to shut down Tolley Hall.
"We wanted to protest until our voices were heard," Tober said. That lock-in led Corbally to allow an open debate on the subject, which was first held later that day when 1,500 Syracuse students crammed into Hendricks Chapel.
Two days later, the debate was moved to Manley Field, where 10,000 students showed up to back Ifshin.
"He was incredibly dedicated to the social politics of the time," SU grad Paul Finkelman said. A year younger than Ifshin, Finkelman also participated in the protests.
"He was incredibly dedicated to opposing American participation in the war. He was charismatic, with lots of followers," Finkelman said. "He had qualities of leadership, he knew what to say, how to organize people, how to get things done."
Only a few months later - May 4 - a national event "struck the campus like lightening," and provided Ifshin another chance to voice his opinions.
SU grad Steve Tober worked with Ifshin briefly in SA. He later resigned because he felt uncomfortable about the requirements of his job, which would have positioned him between the radical Ifshin and Corbally.
"War was going on the whole time," he said. "Everybody was very concerned with what was going on. There was a growing sense of unease, and the draft was looming large. When we came back to school, that was clearly his number-one priority."
In the next months, Ifshin spent significant energy and SA funds on anti-war efforts, from distributing leaflets and holding open forums to discuss the Vietnam War. A main concern was the presence of the ROTC program, which to Ifshin, only brought the war closer to home.
Chancellor Corbally refused to hear Ifshin's argument, and so on Feb. 19, 1970, Ifshin, along with supporters, both involved with SA and not, proceeded to shut down Tolley Hall.
"We wanted to protest until our voices were heard," Tober said. That lock-in led Corbally to allow an open debate on the subject, which was first held later that day when 1,500 Syracuse students crammed into Hendricks Chapel.
Two days later, the debate was moved to Manley Field, where 10,000 students showed up to back Ifshin.
"He was incredibly dedicated to the social politics of the time," SU grad Paul Finkelman said. A year younger than Ifshin, Finkelman also participated in the protests.
"He was incredibly dedicated to opposing American participation in the war. He was charismatic, with lots of followers," Finkelman said. "He had qualities of leadership, he knew what to say, how to organize people, how to get things done."
Only a few months later - May 4 - a national event "struck the campus like lightening," and provided Ifshin another chance to voice his opinions.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 14
Howie H
posted 2/19/08 @ 7:03 AM EST
Yeah- this makes perfect sense. SU can't so much as acknowledge Veterans' Day, but they celebrate a protester? Pretty much says it all about sense of priority. (Continued…)
Paul Wiele
posted 2/19/08 @ 9:30 AM EST
Um... Hanoi was in North Vietnam, not North Korea.
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. (Continued…)
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?
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. (Continued…)
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. (Continued…)
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. (Continued…)
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. (Continued…)
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. (Continued…)
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. (Continued…)
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