What Happened at Kent: An eye-Witness Account By Michele Sim Editor-in-Chief Two co-eds from Kent State Guardsmen knelt and some University were on the campus stood and all fired of Rosary Hill College last simultaneously; some fired into Wednesday, May 6,1970, to give the crowd and some into the air. the student body an eye-witness Some students became hysterical account of the killing of four of and called the Guardsmen their fellow-students at Kent murderers, but no one could four days before. The two girls believe that the four students were Pat Cromwell, a freshman, were really dead. a n d Kathy Rohlman, a The students Called for a sophomore transfer student strike, and Dr. White, President from R.H.C. Kathy was in her of the University, cancelled all dorm when the shootings classes. The crowd size was also occurred; Pat was in the Reid increased by local high school where the rally was taking place, students who had come to see and she gave this account: what was going on. The students all sat and sang songs and talked; It all started Friday night the National Guard had blocked Dr. Leland Miles is Commencement Speaker (May 1st) in downtown Kent. A them in Commons. Shortly after group of students sitting in a bar ' the shooting, all the students were discussing the extension of went back to their dorms and Dr. Leland Miles, president of the war into Cambodia, and they President White closed the Alfred University, will deliver wanted to show President Nixon University until further notice; th e address at Rosary Hill that they’re against this all students were forced to College’s 19th Annual escalation. Pat was not present evacuate. Commencement at 3 p.m. on herself' but she said that somehow a fight started and all Pat said that to her knowledge Sunday, May 24, in Kleinhans the students were pushed into Music Hall, and will be awarded there were no outside agitators the streets. The Kent police in the anti-^rar demonstration. It the degree of Doctor of Humane pushed the demonstrators Letters by Sister Mary Angela was a well-organized protest of through the city back to the concerned students and faculty Canavan, O.S.F., president of campus; the police formed a Rosary Hill. members who wanted to see an Formerly dean of the College human barricade. Some windows end to the war. Kent, which lies of Arts and Sciences at the were broken and fifteen students south of Cleveland, is a very U niversity of Bridgeport in were arrested. That night, some conservative school, and the Connecticut, Dr. Miles earned 5 0 0 National Guardsmen majority of the students his A.B. degree from the descened on Kent State participated in the University of North Carolina. He University. demonstration. She could find- no justification for the National h a s studied at Harvard On Saturday afternoon all the University as a Fellow of the Guard Rring into the crowd. She students of Kent State were told did not see nor hear a sniper, American Council of Learned what had happened; it was Societies and at King’s College, and said that the National Guard emphasized that the trouble fired first; there were no warning University of London, as a started because of Cambodia. A Senior Fulbright Scholar. shots whatsoever. She noted that curfew was imposed on the the students were about thirty Dr. Miles served for three campus from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 years as moderator of the CBS feet from the Guardsmen when a.m. At 8:00 p.m. there was a the shooting occurred. w^eekljft television program rally and a group of students “Casing the Classics.’’ He has met in a field to hear speeches. Kathy Rohlman, who was in lectured on such diverse topics It was then that a small group of her dorm at the time, reported as “ Women in Literature,’’ radical students set fire to the that one of the other ten Controversies on Campus,” and ROTC building. The campus students who were shot was “Americans Are People,” has police and the fire department watching from a Rfth floor published widely and is founder tried to put the fire out, but dorm itory window. This of the scholarly journal “Studies some students got control of the particular girl was opposed to in Burke and His rimes.” Dr. Leland M iles hose; the firemen got it back and the demonstration and had Following the commencement the students split it. As a result, planned on going home the next exercises, at which 290 Dr. and Mrs. Miles will be dinner in Rosary Hill’s Charles J. the ROTC building was burned day. candidates will receive degrees, honored at a reception and Wick Campus Center. to the ground. Pat emphasized that she did not know who Pat then answered questions Do Your Part on started the fire, but that the for the crowd assembled in the Sis ter Mary McCarrick Fight Against Cancer great majority of students were Snack Bar. She said that Ohio We ask for no money or vast against it. As she pointed out, Governor Rhodes had been on contributions of your time or the newspapers did not report campus on Sunday and said that Is Next Year’s Editor that another fire was started in he was going to “get tough”; he of Penance and Christian effort — all we ask is your By Michele Sim signature. the HP shed and that a group of was tired of all this student Editor-in-Chief Charity. She came to Rosary Hill students put it out. unrest because of the riots at in September 1968 as a In the main foyer of the Wick there are letters written to Ohio State. She also noted that Sister Mary McCarrick ’71 has sophomore, majoring in English By Sunday morning the the S.D.S. faction on thé Kent education. She has been on the President Nixon requesting the been appointed as initiation of an intensive National Guard had roped off State campus was really small; Editor-in-Chief of the ASCENT Dean’s List every semester, and the ROTC building. Not much she stated again that most of was recently inducted. into the program and increased for the 1970-71 academic year. governmental support for cancer happened in the afternoon Kent’s 19,000 students are The appointment was made by Lambda Nu Chapter of Kappa because the campus was under “really straight kids.” She did Delta Pi, the education honor research. Please take one for the present editor and the yourself and at least seven copies martial law. No assemblies were not know if the University ASCENT advisor, Mrs. Gayle society. She has been on the allowed, and any group of more would take action against the ASCENT staff for one year. for your-relatives and friends. Thomas. Address them to the President than four students was National Guard. She felt that Mary was born in Brooklyn In a school where the student immediately broken up. most of the citizens of Kent government has just abolished and deposit them with or and raised in Niagara Falls,'N.Y. without postage in the supported the students against She attended Sacred Heart itself, Mary sees the ASCENT as There was a rally scheduled the war and that they, like the “a vital organ of intra-school designated box in the Wick for 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night. School and was graduated in foyer. Postage will be paid by majority of the students, were 1966 from Madonna High communication and an editorial There was no violence; it was against the burning of the voice of student concern.” She the organization sponsoring the merely a peaceful demonstration School, where she was the drive. Please recognize that we building. This incident, she said, Editor-in-Chief of the h as attended journalism against the war. Nevertheless, should serve as a lesson : that workshops sponsored by St. do not even ask you for the after thirty minutes the National MARYENNE, the high school price of a postage stamp ! students must accomplish their newspaper. Under Mary’s Bonaventure University, Niagara Guard split them up and shot aims by peaceful means, but University, and the University of If you wish, you may mail tear gas into the group. More editorship, the MARYENNE was these letters at your own strong peaceful means. the recipient of a trophy from Detroit, and she hopes to use the students were injured. knowledge gained from these convenience. You may also the Buffalo Evening News. compose your own letter to the On Monday, May 4th, another Heights Awards In September 1966, Mary workshops to help make the ASCENT a more effective tool. President and make copies of it rally was scheduled for 12 Noon Announced entered the Sisters of St. Francis for your relatives and friends to on the field called Commons. sign; and deposit them in the The students thought that the On Tuesday, May 12, 1970 Wick or mail them yourself. Guardsmen would let them awards for the literary magazine, Please make this our last (but assemble peacefully because The Heights, were announced. not least) united effort of the they had allowed them to do so The first prize in poetry went to school year. The amount of mail for a short time on Sunday. Carolyn Foster and the second received by the President urging Quite a large crowd of students prize went to Donna Collins.