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1970 Student Strike at Syracuse University Collection

An inventory of the collection at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Anna E. Shuff
Date: 2025

Historical Note

The 1970 Student Strike at Syracuse University was part of a nationwide series of similar student strikes that took place on campuses across the United States. These demonstrations were in response to a number of factors, most notably the Vietnam War and related U.S. military incursions in Cambodia, and the ongoing Civil Rights Movement. At Syracuse University, the student strike began on May 4, 1970, with a rally attended by around 3,000 students. During this protest, students learned that earlier the same day four Kent State students had been shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard during a similar anti-war protest. After the Kent State shootings, strike activity escalated at Syracuse and at campuses across the country. In the following weeks students and faculty conducted teach-ins, distributed information on the social issues relevant to the strike and held protests and marches. For the first week of the strike, classes were canceled but resumed on May 11 for the final week of the academic year. Students were not required to attend classes, and those participating in the strike were given alternative options to complete their coursework. The strike ended at the conclusion of the academic year.

Scope and Content Note

The 1970 Student Strike at Syracuse University Collection consists of materials created for and about the strike and is divided into two series:

The Strike materials series contains materials produced and used by participants in the strike and sources reporting on the events of the strike. The series includes armbands, fliers, informational brochures and booklets on issues relevant to the strike, schedules of strike activities, copies of the student publications Strike Press and Shut Down, and external press coverage of both the strike at Syracuse University as well as the National Student Strike generally.

The University responses series contains materials produced by Syracuse University administrators, faculty, and staff in response to the strike. These include statements and reports on the strike, documents from legal injunctions brought against certain strike participants, correspondence from University administrators, and informational documents regarding grades and classes at the end of the 1970 academic year.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

More information on the 1970 Student Strike at Syracuse University can be found in the Larry Elin Collection on the 1970 Student Strike at Syracuse University, as well as the Syracuse University Clipping Files, the Chancellor John E. Corbally Records, the Margaret R. Johnston Papers, and the Syracuse University Photograph Collection.

The Syracuse University Special Collection Research Center has an online exhibition: Shut It Down: The 1970 Student Strike at Syracuse University. It contains more detailed historical information on the student strike as well as digital versions of some materials from this collection.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Cambodia -- History -- Civil War, 1970-1975.
Kent State Shootings, Kent, Ohio, 1970.
Student movements.
Student strikes.
Vietnam War, 1961-1975.
College students.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Announcements.
Booklets.
Bulletins.
Correspondence.
Fliers (printed matter)
Headbands (headgear)
Judicial records.
Memorandums.
Newsletters.
Newspaper clippings.
Newspapers.
Notes (documents)
Pamphlets.
Petitions.
Posters.
Reports.
Schedules (time plans)

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

1970 Student Strike at Syracuse University Collection,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

The materials in this collection were previously part of the Syracuse University Student Activities Reference Collection and the Syracuse University Memorabilia Collection and were gathered by the University Archives from various sources, including student organizations and alumni.

Processing Information

Materials were placed in acid-free folders in an acid-free box.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically.

Table of Contents

Strike materials

University responses

Inventory