In 1969 the hill was buzzing with student activism, the students made demands and the faculty listened.
Bettie Thompson ’71 had been corresponding with her soon-to-be Syracuse University roommate on a regular basis the summer before her freshman year at SU. It wasn’t until Thompson met her roommate, a fellow New Jersey native, in person that race became an issue.
“Her family walked into Walnut Cottage where we lived, and she said, “My God, you’re a nigger,’” Thompson said.