whiskey
rebellion,
part 2
by Guy Mendes
Western Kentucky University is worried about its homecoming celebrations.   Listen to Dean of Public Affairs Robert Cochran:
"The only bad part of the day will probably be a cloudburst;   that's the one thing we live in horror of. We haven't had rain on homecoming now for about the past 20 years. . . we just pray that God shines down on us, gives us colorful leaves and a pleasant afternoon. "
Cochran didn't let on, but at the time, he was quite bothered by another problem that threatened to affect the October 18 festivities.   He had reason to be, for, besides serving ably as dean of public relations,  Cochran is also Homecoming Chairman.
And for one long, agonizing week (Oct. 2-9), Western suffered its first brush (and that word is used lightly) with the Student Revolt; a brush that almost sent homecoming --that most high and exhaulted college bacchanal, that time of alumns and mums and Friday-to-Sunday dates and of specially-scheduled lesser opponents --tumbling to the ground.
Friends, there IS nothing sacred anymore.
The dramatic episode was not without the standard fixtures of any self-respecting campus uprising. There was a small but vocal and well-organized minority united around a burning issue.    There was also the cry Cor more student control of student lives.   A crippling boycott was called for,  negotions were begun and then broken off and a sizable backlash developed in the rest of the student body.   The administration was at first stunned but soon recovered and began ;:he usual behind-the-scene moving.
But for all the adherence to campus revolutionary guidelines, Western's student power uprising came off like .he Bay of Pigs.
Consider first,  the vocal minority: members of 11 of Western's 12 fraternities and three of eight sororities [that's about 800 out of an 11, 000 WKU anrollment).   It would be a very unlikely ^roup of protestors were it not for the issue involved--an administration :rackdown on booze in fraternity houses ind the concurrent stripping of the nter - Fraternity Council's self-regu-latory powers.
Because WKU has no fraternity row, he houses are sprinkled about the fringe of the campus, in the midst of ¢esidential Bowling Green. There, hey've found many hostile neighbors vho frequently report excessive oartying to campus officals and Bowling jreen Police.
There has always been a regulation banning alchool in the fraternity houses, but according to Dean of Student Affairs. Charles A. Keown. the IFC was supposed to enforce the regulation ind didn't.   "It just got to the point where we couldn't ignore it anymore, " said Keown.   With that he informed the fraternities that a four-month probation with no social functions and no pledge vlass would be the result should further
12
complaints arise from townspeople.
Consider next, the boycott, called for by the IFC and aimed at mighty homecoming.   Now,  this might not seem like a radical action designed to bring the campus to its knees and it might even seem to be an imposition on the fraternity men (asking them to pass up the pre-homecoming dance on Wednesday night, the big pep rally and bonfire, the John Hartford concert, float-building, queen-nominating, open houses and assorted partying is no small request), but when you weigh the fact that the fraternities and sororities ARE homecoming at Western, the action takes on greater magnitude.
A collective gasp arose from administrators and independents:   who will organize and build the bonfire? Who will waste all that time sticking crepe paper through chicken wire to build the colorful floats that dazzle the eye? Who will nominate the beauties who will ride on those floats during the big parade?   And who will sponsor all those groovy twist-and-shout danc es?
Not I,  said the IFC.
Meanwhile, the administration was shrugging off its astonishment at the display of insolence (said Cochran: "I'm highly disappointed in these people. ") and beginning to take remedial steps.
The sororities dropped out of the boycott after they were told by the administration that besides being under the thumb of and used by the fraternity men, they were breaking a national PanHellenic rule Which says that unfavorable publicity should not be brought on a school by PanHellenic members.
Dean Keown attempted to negotiate with the IFC,  led by its president, Steve Garrett.   That was Monday.   On Tuesday Garrelt said,  "It's full speed ahead on the boycott.   I don't think we'll talk to the administration any more until after homecoming. "
Keown then told the fraternity men that he would initiate a through study of the WKU Greek system that would foreshadow improvements in the present structure.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon then dropped out of the boycott to join Sigma Nu,  the one fraternity  that had never joined the protest.
While that was going on, Cochran was trying to find students to take up the slack left by the fraternities and found to his delight, a large number of students eager to get involved in a battle against the Greeks.    "They thought the Greeks were trying to shoot down homecoming, " said Keown.    "It's just a case of loyalty to the cause of homecomming. . "
Professional fraternities, GDI's, and dorm dwellers moved in to take over the responsibility for queen nominations, and float and bonfire building.   The student paper, the College Heights Herald , editorialized that the IFC was only five years old and acting like it.
Word began to spread among the fraternities that Keown's promised study was "his way of saying 'okay, we'll make some changes'" as one fraternity man put it.   Rumors went around to the effect that some frater-
nities were considering pulling out, and even if they didn't, members would probably drift over to the festivities anyway. And the Phi Delts were supposedly entering a homecoming queen "candidate.
The IFC met the next day, and when it became apparent that several fraternities considered the promised study victory enough, members unanimously voted to call off the boycott.
Some even had time to enter a queen candidate and build a float.
The drinking will not cease,  it will be done "less blatantly, " as one fraternity man put it.   According to Keown the IFC may get it's self regulating powers back in January.
And Western will probably have fair weather for, homecoming again this year.
So maybe Dean Cochran wasn't really worried after all.    Like he said, in the middle of that strange week "I think when we get right down to it, they (the fraternity men) will be there. Because they think too much of Western. "
"I mean, these are fine people. We don't have any bums or tramps here. "
blue-tail fly