1970s

From the Timeline:

1970- (September) Student Senate approves "sign-in" intervisitation and Freshmen hours be self limited, however the President of St. Bonaventure retains the right to any final decisions.

1973- (February) Physical Education program open to women.

1973- (May) First woman on Board of Trustees; Ann Mikoll.

1973- Limited intervisitation granted.

1973- First women in ROTC.

1976- Old Convent part of Hickey Dining Hall, where the Sisters who cooked on campus lived, is torn down and renovated to increase capacity.

1976- (October) Charter for Women's Council was approved by Student Governance Board.

Intervisitation:

From a BV article titled, "Fr. Reginald holds intervis fate" from October 30, 1970:
    "University Chaplain the Rev. Hugh Eller, O.F.M...told the UAC [University Advisory Council], intervisitation represented 'a drive toward community among the younger generation'...Intervisitation, he said, would encourage student development as 'social comrades, human beings, persons.'  It would produce 'an occasion not for sin, but an occasion for real moral development."
    Twenty-nine of thirty-two RA's supported experimental intervisitation.
    "The Rev. Cornelius Welch, O.F.M, executive vice-president, based his fear of intervisitation on 'the premise that a (dormitory) room is a bedroom.  I can't see it as a point of entertainment.'"

From a Daily News article from Friday, November 6, 1970 by Joseph Modzelewski, titled, "College Debate on Sex Rules Ends in Arson"
    "Olean, Nov. 5.  'A debate over student power and sexual standards ended in arson...this morning two large buildings were leveled in less than an hour.'...Students, shocked by the burning, agreed to call off demonstrations planned for Friday."  The two warehouses were valued at $77,000 and machinery was valued at $40,000.  "The fire broke out a few hours after...Very Rev. Reginald A. Redlon (President)..., ordered students to honor college regulations that forbid men and women students from mingling in each others' dormitory rooms."

From a New York Times article from November 5, 1970, titled, "'Suspicious' Fires Raze 2 Barns During St. Bonaventure 'Truce'" 
    "Father Redlon called an emergency convocation at 2:30 am, an hour after the fire, to discuss the situation with students.  He asked students for 'solidarity' against violence and the student senate quickly approved a resolution condemning such acts."

From an Olean Times Herald article from January 5, 1971, titled, "During the November Crisis...Someone Laughed at St. Bona"
    "Very Rev. Reginald Redlon, OFM, forbidding student intervisitation" issued a Presidential ban on "Permitting those of the opposite sex to visit each other's dormitory rooms...Seven hundred students openly defying a Presidential ban was an exercise of power, but by the law on the books, it was illegal.  Fearing that the least that could come of it all at St. Bona would be a compromise involving some type of intervisitation, some of the friars talked of leaving while their life-long beliefs were in jeopardy of compromise.  Many students also talked of departure."
    A "November issue of the New York Daily News...referring to the Bonaventure situation, headlined a story, 'Girls And Boys, And Priestly Ploys.'  The irreverent headline dramatized the attitude of some toward a problem just being felt at St. Bonaventure, but experienced years ago, and solved by other institutions.  It had come to that.  Someone was laughing and the Institution- St. Bonaventure- was suffering."

From a Bona Venture article from September 24, 1971, titled, "Trustees KO intervisitation"
    "As reported in the Franciscan Provincial Newsletter the Trustees rejected the Student Handbook Committee's proposal by a 7-6 vote 'that intervisitation be permitted on a limited basis.'  Commenting on his personal view of any future discussion of intervisitation, Fr. Reginald emphasized, 'As far as I'm concerned, the intervisitation question has been answered; the issue has been resolved and the final appeal has been made and I shall never present it to the Board of Trustees again.'"

From an Olean Times Herald article from September 12, 1973, titled, "'Social Visits' OK In Bona Dorms"
    "Expansion of last years 10-date open-dorm program begins Monday, at St. Bonaventure University with dormitories open from 6-12 p.m.  It marks the first of a once-a-month weekday program which also will include six weekend open dormitory dates during the first semester.  The three-day weekend hours will be from 6-12 p.m. on Friday nights; 6 p.m. - 1 a.m. on Saturday nights; and 3 - 20 p.m. on Sunday."
    "The program (set up by Father Daniel Kenna, OFM, and new President Rev. Damian McElrath, OFM) which is experimental for one semester, will be periodically evaluated and presumably provides safeguards for the moral conduct of the students involved; through check-ins and presumed supervision by Dormitory Councils and Residents Assistants as well as by the Dean of Men and the Dean of Women."
    "It is noted each dormitory will have its own option to approve or reject the 'social visit' plan through the determination of the dormitory council.  Fr. Daniel Kenna: 'A great deal of time and effort has been spent over the past six years at the University concerning the matter of social visits.'"

Visions from the Bonadieu

Women in ROTC

  In 1973, six women joined the St. Bonaventure ROTC program as cadets.  They were the first female recruits to the SBU unit in the 37 years of the program's existence.  The women pictured below, in no particular order are:  Maryann Barczak, Deidre Keenan, Maureen Keenan, Diane Zielinski, Maryann Harris, and Connie Terrell.

06/21/2007