When the first class of 185 undergraduates arrived at UC San Diego in 1964 , they wore blue and gold beanies , lined up for booster shots and bought stacks of books for what they knew would be a grueling workload . It was innocent , idyllic and altogether “ normal ” for the time . There was no sign that the decade ’ s end would bring perhaps the most contentious and consequential period in the history of American higher education — and San Diego was no exception .
Within the year , those first freshmen would see the first protest ever held on campus . In May 1965 , about 25 students , faculty and staff demonstrated against U . S . intervention in the Dominican Republic , carrying hand-painted signs and behaving peaceably . The event was mild , but still shocked the surrounding community , one that had welcomed the university and expected it to produce educated , respectable professionals .
And yes , UC San Diego did that . But it was still a university , full of young minds being taught to think for themselves . Politics have always played a part in campus life , but this generation of students changed the terms of engagement . The student rebellion of 1969 was largely directed in opposition to the Vietnam War , but it also signaled something deeper : a refusal to accept authority without question . There were demonstrations against military recruitment , scrutiny from government officials , student takeovers of buildings , and an abundance of anti-war speeches and marches . There were arrests and protests , strikes and distrust , strife and tragedy .
UC San Diego was a new university , unencumbered by tradition or precedent , defining itself with every year and every new class of graduates . The years surrounding 1969 began a new “ normal ” for our university , as a place to stand up and seek change . And with each new voice that speaks out , it has become a place to be heard .
— Roger Showley ’ 70
PROTEST EVOLUTION
( Top ) In May 1965 , the first campus protest saw 25 students , faculty and staff stand against U . S . intervention in the Dominican Republic .
The years to come would bring student demonstrations to another level , such as this anti-CIA protest ( bottom ) outside the Coffee Hut — now the Che Café .
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