Westlands Sit-in 1969

The following documents are intended to represent the history of protests and student actions surrounding the Westlands Sit-in of 1969 on the campus of Sarah Lawrence College.

Given the large number of documents housed in the College Archives on various student actions (approximately 5,000), the representation here is not comprehensive. To learn more about a specific student action and the SLC community’s response, please reach out to the Archives.

This online collection contains the original actions, demands, and various community responses to add historical context to the events and to make many of the documents more accessible. The documents are arranged chronologically in ascending order within each protest. The majority of the documents are from the Protest and Activism Collection, but there are others from the various collections within the College Archives. The collection from which the document came is noted in the metadata record for the item. To access finding aids for collections, such as the Protest and Activism Collection, see the Archives website. For additional information on the history of diversity at the College, see the Diversity Timeline.

NOTE: To protect the privacy of individuals, names have been redacted in the documents.

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[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to Students and Faculty, January 20, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush

Memo from President Esther Raushenbush to the students and faculty announcing a tuition increase for the 1969-1970 academic year. Raushenbush explains the reasons for the increase, plans for the budget, and an upcoming all college meeting for discussion.
[Flyer Listing Reasons to Suspend A Tuition Raise, January 21, 1969]

Unknown

Flyer listing the reasons for suspending the tuition increase proposed by the trustees and announcing an all-college meeting for questions and discussion.
[Memo from Esther Raushenbush and the General Committee to All Teaching Faculty, January 22, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush

Memo from President Esther Raushenbush and General Committee to the teaching faculty announcing their support for an all-college meeting to discuss a tuition increase. It calls for an additional meeting of the teaching faculty to exchange views and explore alternate solutions.
[Memo from Ruddick C. Lawrence, February 1, 1969]

Ruddick C. Lawrence

Memo from Ruddick C. Lawrence, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, announcing that a tuition increase will be postponed for one month.
[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to the Faculty, February 5, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush

Memo from President Esther Raushenbush to the faculty containing notes on the actions taken at a previous meeting of the teaching faculty.
[First Sit-in Statement, March 5 1969]

Unknown

First statement made by students occupying Westlands in protest of a tuition increase.
[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to the Faculty and Students, March 5, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush

Memo from President Esther Raushenbush to the faculty and students announcing a reduction in the proposed tuition increase and no change to the increase for room and board.
[Second Sit-in Statement, March 5, 1969]

Unknown

Second statement made by students occupying Westlands in protest of a tuition increase.
[Speech by Esther Raushenbush at all-college meeting, March 5, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush

Speech given by President Esther Raushenbush at an all-college meeting addressing the actions taken toward a tuition increase as well as a response to messages she received from students in protest of the tuition increase who have occupied Westlands.
[Memo and Proposal from the Black Student Association and Black Faculty to the Sarah Lawrence Community, March 6, 1969]

Unknown

A memo and proposal from the Black Students Association and Black faculty to the Sarah Lawrence Community listing demands to create a Black Studies - Social Change program, provide upward mobility for Westchester County community paraprofessionals, prevent any Black applicants from being denied admission due to financial constraint, and redirect existing funds toward a Black Arts Program.
[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to Student Body with Response to Black Students Association Memo, March 6, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush

A response from President Esther Raushenbush to the student body regarding demands made by the Black Students Association.
[Statement by the Alumnae Trusteees, March 6, 1969]

Unknown

Statement made by the Alumnae Trustees about providing funds to reduce the tuition increase by $100 per student.
[Memo from General Committee to Admissions Committee, March 7, 1969]

[Unknown]

A memo from the General Committee calling for the establishment of an ad hoc committee to consider black applicants.
[Memo from the General Committee to the Committee on Financial Aid and Admission Policy, March 7, 1969]

[Unknown]

A memo requesting specific policy, procedures, and programs to assist high-risk students.
[Response from the Black Students Association to the President, Dean, and President-delegate, March 7, 1969]

Unknown

A response from the Black Students Association requesting action on specific demands and the right to review and approve any action taken.
[A Statement from the Occupiers of Westlands to the Board of Trustees and the Sarah Lawrence Community, March 8, 1969]

[Unknown]

A statement listing the demands of the students occupying Westlands for the strike.
[Black Students Association and Black Faculty Acceptance of Administration Response to Demands, March 9 and 10, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush, Jacquelyn Mattfeld, Charles DeCarlo, and Black Students Association

A response from the Black Students Association accepting a plan from the administration for compliance with the Black Students Association and Black Faculty demands. Includes the plan from the administration.
[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to the Sarah Lawrence Community, March 10, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush

A memo from President Esther Raushenbush calling for an all-college meeting to discuss the implementation of the response to student demands.
[Resolutions of the Teaching Faculty, March 10-11, 1969]

[Unknown]

Resolutions the teaching faculty has pledged in response to the demands made by students regarding economic and racial diversity.
[Statement from the Black Students Association and Black Faculty to the Press, March 10, 1969]

Black Students Association and Black Faculty

A statement to the press from the Black Students Association and Black Faculty stating their acceptance of the administration's compliance with their demands.
[Memo from the Admissions Committee to the Sarah Lawrence Community, March 11, 1969]

The Admissions Committee

A memo from the Admissions Committee to the Sarah Lawrence community stating that the Admissions Committee is unable to do its work while the sit-in continues.
[Speech by Esther Raushenbush at all-college meeting, March 11, 1969]

Esther Raushenbush

A speech given by President Esther Raushenbush detailing the efforts that have been made and will be made to meet the demands of the students. Also includes "Information That May Prove Useful to the Sarah Lawrence Community" which outlines admissions and financial aid policies among other topics.
[Memo from the Black Students Association to the Teaching Faculty, March 13, 1969]

Black Students Association

A memo from the Black Students Association thanking the faculty for their support.
[Resolutions Passed by the Teaching Faculty, March 13, 1969]

The Teaching Faculty

A list of resolutions the teaching faculty has passed in response to the sit-in demands.
[Statement from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, March 13, 1969]

Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sarah Lawrence College

A statement from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees clarifying what the Board is responsible for and protocols for approving changes made to the faculty by-laws and admissions procedures. It also states that the tuition increase will not be rescinded.

Westlands Sit-in 1969

[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to Students and Faculty, January 20, 1969]

[Flyer Listing Reasons to Suspend A Tuition Raise, January 21, 1969]

[Memo from Esther Raushenbush and the General Committee to All Teaching Faculty, January 22, 1969]

[Memo from Ruddick C. Lawrence, February 1, 1969]

[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to the Faculty, February 5, 1969]

[First Sit-in Statement, March 5 1969]

[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to the Faculty and Students, March 5, 1969]

[Second Sit-in Statement, March 5, 1969]

[Speech by Esther Raushenbush at all-college meeting, March 5, 1969]

[Memo and Proposal from the Black Student Association and Black Faculty to the Sarah Lawrence Community, March 6, 1969]

[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to Student Body with Response to Black Students Association Memo, March 6, 1969]

[Statement by the Alumnae Trusteees, March 6, 1969]

[Memo from General Committee to Admissions Committee, March 7, 1969]

[Memo from the General Committee to the Committee on Financial Aid and Admission Policy, March 7, 1969]

[Response from the Black Students Association to the President, Dean, and President-delegate, March 7, 1969]

[A Statement from the Occupiers of Westlands to the Board of Trustees and the Sarah Lawrence Community, March 8, 1969]

[Black Students Association and Black Faculty Acceptance of Administration Response to Demands, March 9 and 10, 1969]

[Memo from Esther Raushenbush to the Sarah Lawrence Community, March 10, 1969]

[Resolutions of the Teaching Faculty, March 10-11, 1969]

[Statement from the Black Students Association and Black Faculty to the Press, March 10, 1969]

[Memo from the Admissions Committee to the Sarah Lawrence Community, March 11, 1969]

[Speech by Esther Raushenbush at all-college meeting, March 11, 1969]

[Memo from the Black Students Association to the Teaching Faculty, March 13, 1969]

[Resolutions Passed by the Teaching Faculty, March 13, 1969]

[Statement from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, March 13, 1969]

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