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Image provided by: Niagara County Community College
OLD WEIRD HERALD Volume 11, No. 3 Niagara County Community College, Niagara Falls, New York October 28, 1969 Moratorium Day: Morning By PAT MURPHY Between 700 and 800 stu- dents of NCCC wandered into the Imperial Suite at the Park- way nn on the morning of Octo- ber 15 to listen to and contrib- ute facts and opinions concern- ing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war. Joe Ligammari, SGA presi- dent and moderator of the teach-in, which was sponsored by the local Vietnam Morator- ium Committee, kicked things off at 9:00 o'clock by introduc- ing Reverends Henry Gugino and Alan Williams, both giving a short invocation for peace. The invocation was followed by a speech containing a factual and detailed account of the ancient as well as modern his- tory of Vietnam given by Dr. John O. Hunter, Dean of NCCC. After stressing that all of his opinions would be his own and not necessarily those of the administration Dr. Hunt- er, who got his doctorate in his- tory, pointed out that \Ameri- can involvement has been a disaster.\ Considering the poss- ible effects of the moratorium on administration war policy, he said, \Foreign policy must ultimately bend to the will of the people.\ After noting that the Vietnamese situation \can only be understood under the context of the Chinese Revolu- tion,\ he spent some time elab- orating on the intervention of a few of the major world pow- ers which had occupied Viet- nam in its more recent history. He mentioned that the Vietna- mese people have been fighting their War of Liberation since the 1920'5, when they first kicked out the French. He also acknowledged that, through most of his life, Ho Chi Minh looked up to the United States as a fine example of a free na- tion living under democracy, a political doctrine he was report- ed to have believed in until his death. After his speech, Dr. Hunter answered a few ques- tions from the audience before relinquishing the floor to the panel discussion and general debate. Dropping the planned for- mat, Joe Ligammari invited all interested people to join the panel and thus the scheduled panel of four became a biparti- san panel of nine. After each member of the enlarged panel gave a short statement of his own convictions, the audience was invited to direct questions to any member of the panel they wished to challenge. Most of the debate centered around the moral and economic aspects of the war although there were exceptions such as Mr- Race's statements center- ing around the precept that \war is not in our geneslt was mentioned in a recent article in the Niagara Falls Gazette that the more \recent arguments on the subject\ were not used. Rather than dispute the issue, we suggest that anyone interest- ed, should get his hands on the last issue of this newspaper in which we printed articles con- cerning the Paris Peace Talks, the Vietnamization Plan and some legal aspects of the war. Considering the fact that al- most 50% of the student body was present, it would be safe to assume that the teach-in was successful in accomplishing its goal of bringing the Vietnam war out into the open at NCCC. At approximately 12:45, the morning program broke up and students were given a forty-five minute lunch break before the start of the afternoon activities. Moratorium Day: Afternoon By 808 POTTER The afternoon portion of the moratorium proved to be equal- ly, if not more intense and meaningful than the morning's activities- After a forty-five minute break, four hundred and some odd people proceeded to the front of the main building, in preparation for the planting of the Tree of Life. The tree sym- bolized the mourning of all the students for those men, women and children who have died in the Vietnamese conflict. More- over we all prayed that as the tree grows, so will the world- wide desire for peace. If one part of the morning was more moving than all the others, I feel that it be the tree planting. A plaque, made from ceiling tile, represented the hopes of all the students, for the creation of \a new nation, liv- ing in peace and love. After the plaque was read. Dr. Notar, president of NCCC, addressed the students, and placed the first shovel full of dirt into the hole. Pat Murphy next placed dirt on the tree, and then came the most moving part of the en- tire day. Eric Hitchcock, a Viet Nam veteran, asked if he might place some dirt in the hole to commemorate his best friend who had died in Viet Nam. He did it silently, with a tear in his eye, and I, with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye, could merely say thank you, Eric. Such an inadequate phrase for such a meaningful moment. As a final gesture, all the stu- dents were given the opportunity to place some dirt on the tree of life, as a symbol of the unity of the young people against the war in Viet Nam. After the tree was planted, the students and faculty moved into their places in preparation for the trek to City Hall. \Give Peace a Chance\ was the phrase which led the demonstrators on their walk for peace. The entire ordeal was done in complete si- lence. At City Hall, the demon- strators from NCCC united with those of Niagara University in a peace rally. If not for the level-headed, mature students, there could have been detremen- tal reactions, as a result of the mayor's speech. After a preparation state- ment, telling of how happy he was to see us and how orderly the proceedings were, he pro- ceeded to tear the peace move- ment apart, because of his own antiquated feelings. First, he re- fused to put the flag at half staff. Could it be that our fine mayor felt no mourning for those who have died in Viet Nam? Next, he ranted and raved about his pacifism of younger years that had been \bombed out by the Nazi's. Although his speech was con- trary to the convictions erf most of the students, he did receive some applause. It could have easily been President Joe Liggimarri and coordinator Pat Murphy made short addresses to the 850 students present, and this month's moratorium was finished. It was, however, merely a prelude to a hopefully even big- ger demonstration for peace in November. Administrator of the month By KAREN GRATTO It isn't surprising that Dean Shea should have been chosen as the first administrator of the month. WHY, you ask? Dean Shea always has time for students. No matter how busy he is, he finds time to listen to both school and per- sonal problems. When in his presence you don't feel that he is the great overlord: instead, you can look at him as a friend. In a time when administrators mock students and hold a whip, Dean Shea encourages the free- thinkers. He encourages stu- dents to express themselves and trys to help them carry out plans. Another reason many stu- dents admire Mr. Shea is that he is not snobbish. No matter where or when you see him, you know he won't snub you or look down on you because he is with sombody else- So, a sincere thanks to Dean Shea for being the person he is. Dean Shea Founder's Day The seventh annual Founders Day Banquet will be held No- vember 15th at the Parkway Inn. Students may purchase tickets for the banquet at the Dean of Students office for 5.50. Theme will be \A Salute to Niagara County Industry.\ After the banquet, beginning at 9:30 p.m., a \Ball\ will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Parkway Inn in honor of Dr. Notar, our founding presi- dent. Admission to the \ball\ will be free to all NCCC stu- dents who wish to attend. Please dress semi-formally. PRESS CARDS The staff would like to | thank Miss Merino for hav- ing Press Cards printed. We sincerely appreciate this effort to help aid the Her- ald's reporters and photog- ! raphers- ; I J
