On February 9, Harvard completes plans for several construction projects which include specific commitments to hire minority workers--one of the first such provisions in the nation.

On February 25, 15,000 people rally in Boston to support the "Chicago 7," arrested on charges of conspiring to incite riots in Chicago. The night ends with mild skirmishes between protestors and police.

March 1970

Harvard refuses to officially involve itself with the Cambridge Project, a Defense Department effort to develop a computer language, in protest of the Defense Department's policies in South-east Asia. However, 42 Harvard Faculty work independently for "Project Cam," receiving a total of $430,000 in Defense Department funds.

On March 26, a Harvard committee to review co-ed housing recommends that two additional Houses become co-ed the next year.

April 1970

The Visiting Committee of the Center of International Affairs (CFIA), which is located on Memorial Drive, is forced to end a meeting when 200 members of the November Action Committee (NAC) enter the building and demonstrate. The following week marks a long-awaited Vietnam War protest week, during which Black Panther Party members speak at a Panther teach-in on campus.

On Wednesday, March 15, a crowd of 3,000 demonstrators marches from a 100,000-person demonstration on Boston Common towards Harvard Square. The crowd becomes violent as it nears the Square, setting fire to two buildings and two police cars, breaking windows and looting stores. Four hours later, police use clubs and tear gas to end the riot, leaving more than 200 people--including 35 Harvard students--in need of hospitalization. Estimated damages to the Square exceed $100,000.

May 1970

On April 30, President Nixon announces the invasion of border regions of Cambodia by South Vietnamese and American troops, inciting student demonstrations and strikes across the nation. On May 3, a mass meeting of students, Faculty and staff votes to hold a University-wide strike.

The next day, the National Guard opens fire on student demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four and wounding 11. This event fuels student strikes nationwide, which by May 6 have reached 166 campuses.

On May 7, the Faculty makes a major decision to aid the student strikers by allowing them to skip final exams and be graded solely on the basis of coursework handed in to date, or on a pass-fail basis. On May 8, 35,000 demonstrators rally on Soldier's Field. The same day, police peacefully disperse 650 demonstrators who begin to damage Shannon Hall, the headquarters of Harvard's ROTC program on Francis Ave.

By May 14, 267 campuses are on strike, but 149 others have ceased their protests. Despite Faculty opposition to the war, the CRR begins proceedings against students who demonstrated in the CFIA building and others who picketed around University Hall. By the end of the academic year, 25 students have been disciplined.

Summer 1970

Increasing numbers of wandering youth begin to stay in the area around Harvard Square, and in the wake of spring rioting, stores board up their windows and begin to call for an increased police presence.