During the late '60s, SDS sponsored numerousactivities campuses: passing out information,heckling pro-war speakers, protesting recruitersfrom companies involved in the Vietnam conflictand organizing acts of civil disobedience.
Despite the group's popularity, many studentsstood against SDS. Even at college with largechapters, more students criticized the activiststhan praised them. At Harvard, which had some 300active SDS members, the group came under constantfire.
The 1970 edition of the American Council onEducation report contained a survey showing that44.9 percent of male undergraduates who entereduniversities in 1967 felt that administrators weretoo lax on protesters. Of men who entereduniversities in 1969--the year after the Columbiastrike--60.8 percent felt administrators were toollenient.
Still, students were protesting more often. AndSDS members no longer had to radicalize enteringfirst-years.
In 1969, more than 44 percent of male collegefirst-years had protested against military policy,racial policy or their schools' administrativepolicy while in high school. And almost 16 percent said there was "a very good chance" theywould participate in a protests while in college.
So in the spring of 1969, when Harvard studentsbegan to organize, SDS would be ready.