SC006: Excalibur

Running from 1966-1970, the Excalibur collection was published during the Vietnam War, a time of political unrest in the United States. This was a war protested by college students throughout the nation. In fact, the Excalibur reported some Shimer students attending peaceful protests against the war, with one student, Steve Hether, turning in his draft card.

The Excalibur also speaks to nationwide unrest on campus following the Kent State shootings, in which four students of Kent State University in Ohio were fatally shot by National Guardsmen during a protest against the war. This shooting, which was found to be legally unjustified, was the subject of much discussion in Shimer’s assembly meetings.

During this period, Shimer was facing its own political conflict known as the “Grotesque Internecine Struggle.” Controversy over college president F.J. Mullin’s dictatorial governing style first broke out in 1966 and was subsequently reported in the Excalibur. Student life was largely affected by Mullin’s strict leadership. Frequently, students were either expelled for breaking campus rules or “dormed,” a punishment in which students were only allowed to leave their rooms for classes and meals. Mullin clashed not only with students but with faculty. By the end of the Struggle in 1968, when Mullin was fired by the college, over ten members of the faculty and administration had resigned due to the conflict.