1968

1968 in Columbia history:

Spring

• Construction of the Morningside Park gym commences
• April: 1968 protests erupt in response to the gym and other factors; buildings are occupied and classes disrupted for a week until students are beaten and arrested by the NYPD
• The Grateful Dead play a concert outside Ferris Booth Hall
• Commencement is held at St. John the Divine, and historian Richard Hofstadter addresses students rather than University President Grayson Kirk. Students nevertheless stage a walk-out and hold a counter-commencement in Morningside Park