Inspired by the recently published book, Radicals in the Heartland: The 1960s Student Protest Movement at the University of Illinois by Michael Metz, University of Illinois Press hosted a series of panels and presentations in October 2019 exploring the past and present of student activism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Student Life and Culture Archives conducted oral history interviews with alumni who participated in the demonstrations during their time on campus.
Joseph Hardin attended the U of I between 1965 and 1970. He was active in the counterculture and alternative scenes on campus and helped found the Walrus underground newspaper. Hardin was also active in the Students for Free Speech, and he attended the national Democratic Convention in 1968. Hardin describes his work with Earthworks Garage and the offshoot of underground newspapers that appeared after the founding of the Walrus.
Michael Metz attended the U of I from 1965 to 1970. He came from a family with very traditional values, but he eventually became active in the Free Speech Movement and protests of the Vietnam War. He feels that his liberal arts education and conversations he had with friends helped him understand the injustices of the world. Metz also mentions that the people protesting were initially a small but powerful minority, but over time, the majority of students likely believed in their cause.
Paul Schroeder attended the U of I from 1964 to 1968. He was a student member of the board of the Illini Publishing Company and served in the student government. His main focus in activism was educational reform, specifically coming out of student government. He created a program called Freshman Seminar to cultivate student leaders by having students visit with professors in their homes and offices. Schroeder hoped to create a more personable setting than a classroom.
Phil Durrett attended the U of I starting in 1965, but left in 1967. He was active in the student protest movement, specifically in the protests against Dow Chemical. Dow Chemical attempted to recruit students to work for the company, but Durrett and others staged a protest to prevent the recruiters from doing so. He was initially expelled from the university but appealed and was instead put on probation. Durrett decided to transfer to Amherst instead of finishing his studies at the U of I.
Robert Outis was a student at the U of I from 1963 to 1968. As an undergraduate, he served as the student government president. Although he was at the university before much of the anti-war and civil rights activism, he was involved with the cause for recognition of a chapter of the W. E. B. DuBois Club. The university’s administration received pressure to prevent the chapter to be recognized as a student organization. As student government president, Outis pushed a resolution through the Student Senate to allow the DuBois Club to use their offices if they were denied recognition from the university. Outis was subpoenaed to appear at a disciplinary committee meeting for his actions.
