The Fraternity Debate — 1868 to 1968! by John Dirlam Fraternities began to take root at Williams in 1833 with the arrival of Kappa Alpha, followed one year later by Sigma Phi. By the time of the Civil War, four more fraternities had joined them in competing for students—-Chi Psi, Alpha Delta Phi, Delta Psi, and Delta […]
Read article
The Bittersweet History of Black Students in the Purple Valley
Black students at Williams refused to let their geographic isolation inure them to the historical changes taking place in the greater society. Instead, students of the classes of 1967-1970 sparked revolutions at Williams that changed the college forever.
Read article
the babbel
“On Friday, February 11, 1966, ‛the babbel,’ Williams’ answer to a Greenwich Village espresso house, opened to a large and enthusiastic clientele…in the basement of Brainerd Mears House.” — Williams Record, Feb 15, 1966 Brainerd Mears had formerly been the ϴΔX Fraternity House, and the babbel was part of an effort symbolically to re-purpose the […]
Read article
There’s something happening here: a critical review of recent studies of the 60s
Review by Ken Jackson
Mark Kurlansky. 1968: The Year that Rocked the World.
New York: Ballantine, 2004.
Williams in transition in the 60s: almost a frat boy
Editor’s note: One of the many changes we witnessed as members of both the Class and Generation of 1968 was a complete overhaul of the social environment of Williams College. Future treatment(s) will delve into Jack Sawyer’s influence on the process; here we focus on how it felt to be half-in, or half-out of the […]
Read article
We gotta get out of this place
“If it’s the Last Thing We EVER DO!” This existential declaration in music hit the airways in 1965, a classic British Invasion contribution by Eric Burdon and the Animals. It was immediately embraced by collegians—collegians ending the evening at a lousy mixer, lamenting an unhappy social life, disgusted by a particular academic experience, or […]
Read article
The sixties: the war in Vietnam and its music
It goes without saying that the Vietnam War was both a decisive and divisive event for the ‘60s, particularly the latter part. And the music around the war, both for and against it, was loud and impassioned. Two anthems of the antiwar movement were both released in 1967. “ I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag” by Country Joe and […]
Read article