To protest the use of energy by the flame of the Volunteer Statue, students roasted marshmallows in the flame and stuck them to the statue. The flame was extinguished. It was relighted in 1979 at the unanimous request of the Student Government Association.

Henry Morse, UT system director of campus planning, and Bill Oliphant, landscape architect, announced in March 1974 that Circle Park would be improved with a large pool and fountain surrounded by bricks in the exact middle of the park. Students immediately objected. Petitions were circulated, and in two days’ time, more than 750 students signed … Continued

The Student Coordinating Council unanimously voiced its opposition to the proposal to roof Neyland Stadium for basketball, citing the economic instability of the project and fierce student opposition to what they termed a “drastic waste of money.” Athletics Director Bob Woodruff announced in January that he would not recommend the project.

In summer 1975 Dr. Howard Aldmon, vice chancellor for student affairs, announced that the Office of Special Student Services, which included the Office of Minority Affairs and the vestiges of the dean of women’s responsibilities, would be disbanded and plans would be made to incorporate its functions into other university offices. Ralph Boston, coordinator of … Continued

Before the speech of Israeli General Moshe Dayan in Alumni Memorial Building on October 1, 1975, students marched through the campus to protest the plight of the Palestinian refugees.

Mirroring the nationwide problem of drugs on college campuses, drugs on campus was a major issue brought to public attention in early 1976 when a Knox County Prison Farm escapee, a convicted drug dealer, was discovered living in Hess Hall with residents. The problem was a continuing one, with UT security searching rooms and sending … Continued

Agriculture students intensified pressure for construction of a pedestrian bridge linking the main and agricultural campuses in 1977, following the Louisville and Nashville Railroad’s demand that UT install a fence blocking passage to a large steam pipe that spanned Third Creek and connected the two areas. L&N officials termed the common practice of scooting across … Continued

The Afro-American Student Liberation Force held a campus march followed by a rally in Circle Park in fall 1977 as the organization took account of its founding a decade past. Speakers at the rally accused UT of racism (“ROTC at UT means ‘racism on the campus’”); questioned why no predominantly African American schools were included … Continued

In spring 1977 the State Building Commission approved razing Blount Hall. The building had been used by the Facilities Services Department for storage and by the School of Architecture for classes and projects. Chancellor Reese ordered the building closed and classes moved. One architecture lab class, through an informal arrangement with Facilities Services, continued to … Continued

In May 1978 the Afro-American Student Liberation Force held a march across campus and a rally to bring attention to the lack of progress in employing more African American faculty and staff as called for by the 1977 Affirmative Action Plan and to reiterate the request to divest institutional holdings of stocks and bonds of … Continued