this post is dedicated to my mother, an Antioch alum.
"Fundamentally, FBI repression of these groups and inividuals was as much an attempt to resist a challenge to traditional American lifestyles as it was about suppressing political gains and minimizing disruption. This concern with the New Left's countercultural values was clearly illustrated by the Cincinnnati field office's treatment of Antioch College, a small liberal arts school in Ohio. According to the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Cincinnati office's repression of the New Left, Antioch was "most often run by a small group of militants that are permitted by college authorities to attack every segment of American society under the semblance of being 'highly intellectual.' Anyone visiting the campus doubts its academic scholarly environment because of the dirty anti-social appearance and behavior of a large number of students, who can be seen to have the fullest beatnik image" (Memo to Director, 6/3/68; emphasis mine). The Cincinnati SAC reported that, due to the permissiveness of Antioch administrators, no disruptive incidents had occurred at Antioch during the past school year, and furthermore, "there is, in fact, little reason for disruptive activity [in the future] since the students are permitted to do exactly what they want to without interference from college administrators" (Memo to Director, 7/16/68). Despite this recognition, students at Antioch were repeatedly targeted for repression by the Cincinnati office, presumably for their adherence to anti-establishment ideals rather than their potential for any disruptive threat. In this same manner, much of the FBI-generated material against the New Left focused on the "immoral" and "dirty" lifestyles of particular members rather than on their political ideals."
- David Cunningham: "State versus Social Movement", p. 53
This post is also dedicated to the following articles from the Lincoln Journal Star that caused much angst at our breakfast table this morning, that is until the cat threw up: Voter rolls show UNL City Campus faculty leans left, and Some students say professors express their views too much - possibly the saddest article title for a democratic society ever.