''The Strawberry Statement'' is a non-fiction book by
James Simon Kunen, written when he was 19, which chronicled his experiences at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
from 1966–1968, particularly the
April 1968 protests and takeover of the office of the dean of Columbia by student protesters.
Explanation of title
The book's title was a reference to a statement made by
Herbert Deane, vice dean of Graduate Faculties, in an April 1967 interview with ''
Columbia Daily Spectator'', the student newspaper. Speaking about the role of students in university policy, Deane said that "student or faculty opinion should not in itself have any influence on the formation of administrative policy". "A university is definitely not a democratic institution," he added. "When decisions begin to be made democratically around here, I will not be here any longer." Deane concluded with what students widely mocked as "the strawberry statement": "Whether students vote 'yes' or 'no' on a given issue means as much to me as if they were to tell me they like strawberries."
Deane frequently said that he had been misunderstood on the matter. In a 1988 interview with campus radio station
WKCR
WKCR-FM (89.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to New York, New York, United States. The station is owned by Columbia University and serves the New York metropolitan area. Founded in 1941, the station traces its history back to 1908 with the fir ...
, he said student opinions about university policy did matter to him, but if they were offered without reasoned explanations, then they meant no more to him than if a majority of students liked strawberries.
Film adaptation
A film loosely based on the book, but fictionalized, was released in 1970.
See also
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Columbia University protests of 1968
In 1968, a series of protests at Columbia University in New York City were one among the various student demonstrations that occurred around the globe in that year. The Columbia protests erupted over the spring of that year after students disc ...
*
Morningside Park (New York City)
Morningside Park is a public park in Upper Manhattan, New York City. The park is bounded by 110th Street (Manhattan), 110th Street to the south, 123rd Street (Manhattan), 123rd Street to the north, Morningside Avenue to the east, and Mornings ...
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Morningside Heights, Manhattan
References
1969 non-fiction books
American non-fiction books
Non-fiction books adapted into films
Random House books
{{US-poli-book-stub
de:Blutige Erdbeeren
fr:Des fraises et du sang
ja:いちご白書