During the spring of 1970, 40 students picketed Wicks Hall over their concerns for campus safety. "No protection No Classes" was the slogan. The picket to obtain campus police was 90 percent effective. Faculty backed the students by canceling classes.

May 27,1970 saw the creation of a new Black Student Association (BSA). Educational opportunities and a voice in campus groups were part of the ten concerns presented to the school board on August 28,1970. BSA stated seven of the ten concerns had been adequately addressed by September 10, 1970.

In February, a cold groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of construction for Saginaw Valley College's new gymnasium. Three-below temperatures didn't stop about 100 students, administrators, and faculty as Richard O'Connor, president of the Student Government and Diane Brink, cheerleader captain, chopped the frozen earth.

The $1 million gym contained an intercollegiate-size basketball floor and two intramural size floors. A roof without beams was designed as a special feature to provide acoustics for any musical or theatrical programs as the gym was the only place on campus to host these types of events before the Performing Arts building was constructed. Bleachers provided seating space for 1,500 persons. The building contained an entrance lobby, and showers and lockers for men and women.

Students were to bear the cost of the new facility. In January 1971, a fee of $1.50 per credit hour was imposed on all students. The gym stands near the corner of Pierce and Davis Roads and was to be completed by October of 1970.

Source: The Valley Vanguard, February 17, 1970, staff writer Peg Guimond.

Also in February of 1970, Saginaw Valley College received the Midland radio station WQDC as a gift from Ned and Dorothy "Honey" Arbury. The station, which would be designated WSVC, included $45,000 worth of electronic equipment and supplies and $50,000 in Dow Stock which was expected to finance the operation of the station for 12 to 18 months. When the stock ran out, grants and other donations were needed to sustain operations.

As WSVC, the station featured programming of cultural interest to the community and was to be made available for imaginative use by faculty and students. While SVC's then associate professor of English Dr. W. Leslie Whittaker, assisted in launching the station and programming patterns, two former WQDC employees, Bob Olsen and Jim McLachlan, were hired by the college as program coordinator and engineer, respectively.

The station was to begin broadcasting on September 27, 1971, but was postponed because the FCC wanted to do more checking before issuing a license. Just one year later, WSVC was sold to a religious station.

Source: The Valley Vanguard, Febraury 17, 1970 and September 27, 1971.

In March of 1970, Sagianw Valley College's student-faculty constitution went into effect after the student body approved it by a vote of 415 yes to 22 no. The voting toll was the highest ever posted on a single issue in the history of the young college.

To summarize the Constitution, it gave students equal powers with the faculty and administration in the operation of the college by placing members on the faculty committees, and, at the same time, placing faculty members on all student committees.

SVC President Dr. Samuel D. Marble, termed the constitution the most liberal of any such student-faculty constitution in American higher education at the time and said if the college community can make the new document function it would be a "contribution to higher education in this country."

This constitution was active through 1973 when the faculty unionization marked the end of Community Government.

Source: The Valley Vanguard, March 3, 1970, staff writer Gary A. Hensley.

Saginaw Valley College expanded its student housing and its curriculum in June of 1970.

The new dormitories were copied after the already existing Great Lakes Hall complex and were built to house 150 students. The dormitories were built on the suite plan, with eight students sharing common bathroom facilities and living area. Only two students were assigned to each of four bedrooms that open off of the living area. The new unites were built just south of Doan Center and to the east of the campus driveway.

The curriculum was offered for the second 7 ½ weeks of the summer semester to provide an opportunity for high school graduates who wanted to get a fast start on their college education. Courses in botany, math, and psychology were open to qualified freshmen and students could earn a full semester credit in those concentrated courses.

The broader curriculum was also attractive to SVC's regularly enrolled students who wanted to accelerate their college education and guest students from other universities could enroll in the classes too. Credits earned by guest students would apply to their home college.

Source: The Valley Vanguard, June 12, 1970.

International study was made available to SVC students in the fall of 1970 through an arrangement with the college by Youth for Understanding, an international teen-age exchange program. Saginaw Valley College was to handle the academic end of the program with SVC professors handling most of the classes. Enrollment in the program was open to any qualified college student, whether attending Saginaw Valley College or not. The tours lasted six weeks and college credit was granted to any student who successfully completed the course work.

In 1970 and 1971, SVSU opened its campus to Youth for Understanding, an international exchange program for teens. Five thousand American, European, South American and Oriental teens received orientation at SVSU. Between June and August, the campus received the incoming students. At the same time, the outgoing students made their connections for their visit to foreign countries.

Source: The Valley Vanguard, October 30, 1970.

November of 1970 found Saginaw Valley college faculty and students busy in the process of nominating candidates for the first annual Franc A. Landee Award for Excellence in Teaching at SVC.

The late Dr. Landee was a research scientist at Dow Chemical Company, one of the pioneers in adapting the computer to business uses, and also taught a course at SVC on Computer Science. His deep interest in the school led to the creation of the fund which makes the Landee Award possible. The winning professor would receive a cash grant and a medal.

While the entire SVC community was invited to nominate candidates for the award, the actual selection was to be made by a committee of two students, two alumni, and two faculty members.

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