Post Author: Emily Kohl

Time Brings Changes

Throughout the seventies on Madison’s campus, there were undoubtedly students who were aware of national issues and fought to bring change to their own, small college here in the South. Those who participated in counter-cultural trends did not necessarily fit within the stereotypical label of “hippie” or even “nonconformist.” Instead, Madison activists came from all walks of life. Through protest, publication, guest speakers, drug experimentation, musical preferences, and even dress, students crafted their own identities and demonstrated their awareness of the social and cultural moment in which they belonged. The changes they helped to bring about include greater accountability between administration and students, greater freedom of expression in terms of demonstration rights on campus, and generally more liberal policies regarding the treatment of students. These changes may have been inevitable, but the refusal of some Madison students to be silenced certainly helped to bring about the end of an era on campus. To quote Jay Rainey, the activists on campus “dragged the administration kicking and screaming” into the future.

Jay Rainey says it ALL in this clip from his interview with Jeremy Turner.