NOW AND AGAIN In the late ’ 60s , students fought to make UC San Diego ’ s Third College their answer to social injustice of the time — protests were frequent outside administration buildings , and Angela Davis , MA ’ 69 , was outspoken about Third , now Marshall , College . Today , modern marchers rally around the Black Lives Matter movement , co-founded by Marshall alumna Alicia Garza ’ 02 . Learn more about its origins : tritonmag . com / garza
HIstoric photos courtesy UC San Diego Special Collections Main photo : Erik Jepsen ' 10
MARSHALL COLLEGE : NOW MORE THAN EVER
Born from protest , UC San Diego ’ s Third College brought social justice to the forefront .
BY SAVANNAH MUÑOZ ' 21 AND JARRETT HALEY
IT SEEMS quaint that the college could have been named for the Greek muse , Clio , and focus on history and its theory . This was the initial direction at least , back when no one could have known what UC San Diego ’ s third college would become , and that its origins would be as contentious as they were ambitious . Just as no one could have known , on April 4 , 1968 , that Martin Luther King , Jr . would be assassinated outside his Memphis , Tenn ., hotel room .
“ After that , I think people began to be less polite , more demanding and assertive ,” says Joe Watson , who would become Third College ’ s provost following Armin Rappaport and William Frazer , who largely oversaw its conception . Watson was then a chemistry professor and advisor to the Black Student Council , which was under the leadership of student Ed Spriggs ’ 70 , the Council ’ s founding chair . “ King ’ s murder was an awakening moment ,” Spriggs agrees . “ We realized that we had to become more forceful with what we were doing on campus .”
28 TRITON | FALL 2020