1948-49

Dr. Peterson, on November 19, 1948, at the installation of the first set of permanent officers, stated, "This Charter, given by the Board of Trustees, is issued with the hope that the student council will not be merely a 'rubber stamp' in seconding and carrying out administrative decisions." Bill Turner was selected as the first ASB President following the temporary president Frank Hruza. Other officers in that first ASB organization included Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, five Representatives-at-Large, Director of Activities, Representatives of Men's and Women's Athletics, Planning Commissioner, Cooperatives Commissioner, and an Elections Commissioner. In a dramatic newspaper statement Bill Turner, ASB President, warned: "There is immediate danger that the Student Union may be closed by official action of the student council if its untidy condition is not improved by next Monday."

The OCC Student Constitution was first published in the Barnacle on April 27, 1949 and was ratified by a vote of 212 for and 37 against in a special election held Monday, May 9, 1949, which represented a 73% turnout of voters. Also initiated this first year was the Welfare Board, later to become the Judicial Board, which saw Charles Padrutt as chairman. Charles later was elected to the ASB presidency for the following year.

1949-50

Having approved the first constitution the May of 1949, Padrutt's term of office saw "a major overhaul of the ASB constitution" under the leadership of John Kennedy, constitution committee chairman. Of interest was the fact that the co-chairman of Pirate Day festivities this year was Bob Humphreys, now a member of the Board of Trustees of OCC (1964) . The annual editorial of misuse of the student lounge was printed and the students saw ASB elections needing a run-off between Ray Jeffs (eventual winner) and John Kennedy. In the same election, Fred Owens, later of football and wrestling coaching fame at O.C.C., won the vice presidency race by a 3 to 1 majority over Jack Foell. It was noted that there was a 70% turn-out at this hotly contested election.

1950-51

1950-51 was the year in which Ben Rode, art student, designed and had accepted by the student council and Board of Trustees our college seal. This seal is still used on all official publications. The first (and last) annual song contest, sponsored by the student body, saw Mary Anne Morrison and Alice Martin tie for first place prize of $10 in the student division while first prize in the faculty division went to Fred Huber, Dean of Men. Mary Anne submitted a melodic popular ballad type song entitled "Somewhere, Some Day," and Alice's contribution was a football fight song called "The Bloody Bucket." Dean Hubbell's song was a ballad entitled "Georgianne." A notice dated January 9, 1951 announced that there would be changes in the ASB constitution and an editorial of the year complained, "We walked into the Student Union one day last week, sat down at one of the tables, and this is what confronted us: papers, a partly eaten lunch, spilled coffee, cigarette ashes, an abandoned mascara brush, sugar from a donut, and an empty malt carton . . ."

1951-52

Under the leadership of Henry Aguilera, ASB president, the ASB sponsored a nineteen-year-old Hungarian DP, John Kereszturi. The previous spring Coast students had voted to sponsor a DP student through the aid of the World Student Services Fund. It was in this year of 195152 that Don Knipp, Clyda Scholefield, and Bill Hay were elected to serve as the first Alumni Assn. Officers.

1952-53

1952-53 saw the official dedication of the new Student Center. Under the leadership of President Paul Lee, student government found a permanent home in the new building when it was dedicated on April 6, 1953. Another tradition came about when the Barnacle called for a "Dead-Week"—the seven days preceding the mid-terms and final examinations—when no activities are scheduled. This is now observed just before finals, but not at mid-terms because exams seem to occur at all times during the semester— not just at mid-terms!

1953-54

John Sailors, ASB President, and Don Magee, Planning Commissioner, began the establishment of a permanent flag pole setting which still incurs misunderstanding by students, faculty and community. Following great amounts of research, correspondence to Washington, D.C., consultation with the Orange County Counsel, and debate between students, administration, and the Board of Trustees, a replica of a Naval Mast was authorized this year and finally constructed the following year. In a review of the accomplishments of the year listed by Sailors, it is noted that heading the list was "revision of the constitution." It was during this year also that the lnterClub Council became a more independent body and had equal status anal voting rights on the student council. A tradition which is observed today started this year when faculty guests were invited on a weekly basis to observe student council meetings.

1954-55

Much of the year was taken up with the effort of Don Magee, ASB President, to convince Dr. Peterson and the Board of Trustees that the place of honor for the American Flag on the new flag pole was out to the side—not the main mast. After much struggle and persistence Don won and another tradition was firmed at Orange Coast College. Of note this year was that card playing in the student center received attention by various committees so that on April 18, 1955 card playing was declared to be "limited from 1 to 4 p.m. inside the student center and all day in the patio." It seems that great amounts of "match sticks" were trading hands and absenteeism in class was related to the excitement of the game.

1955-56

The first official action by Ron Armstrong, ASB President, was a strong letter to the effect that traffic control at the Harbor and Adams intersection needed attention in the form of a traffic light. The light was installed some years later. This was the year the campus first heard the yells of "Tally . . . Ho" and "Pizza . . . Beer" as Randy Albers helped lead the cheering sections. It was in 1955-56 that the constitution was changed from one representative-at-large per hundred students to a total of eight. The first agitation for Bermuda shorts started during this year and it was to take three years before men were finally authorized to wear them. Also initiated were the naming of three campus streets . . . "Monitor Way," "Quarter-Deck Walk," and "Flagship Walk."

1956-57

This was the year of the "color change." The original colors had been maroon and grey. After heated debate, on February 20, 1957 a special election showed that there were 229 for scarlet, black and white. Among other choices were 37 for black and white, 25 for scarlet and white, 1 for orange and white, 1 for pink and black, 1 for all green, and 38 to keep the old colors of maroon and grey. In a second election after a three-hour Welfare Board session declared the first invalid, the vote two weeks later, with less "electioneering" near the polls, was 195 for scarlet, black and white, 58 for orange and white, and 25 for the old maroon and gray. The new colors went into effect immediately.

1957-58

During this year editorials on "messy student center" and comments about the chemise dress appeared from time to time, but card playing and school spirit occupied most of ASB President Don Brown's time and efforts. School spirit during the Santa Ana football game seemed to get out of hand when such activities as turning on fire alarms, joy riding in a school pick-up truck and stealing victory flags occurred. The most bizarre prank was the theft of three OCC cows, apparently missing the Wednesday morning before the game from the area of the Pirate barns. The usual "bald type" haircuts were in order for opposing yell leaders to add to the festivities. On the matter of card playing, action was taken by the council to "open card playing to all tables from 1 to 3:30." Joe Kroll in opposition to the ruling, declared that a high school instructor was rather disturbed when one of his students lost 75 cents while here during the annual half day visit to the campus.

1958-59

A $200 "Good Sportsmanship" trophy was initiated by the Eastern Conference Board of Governors during the 1957-58 school year. Orange Coast was the first college to win this trophy during 1958-59, and was later to win it for four of the six years that it has been presented. Harbor Boulevard and Adams Avenue intersection again came in for agitation by the student council and for the umpteenth time a student election was declared "invalid" and a reelection held. It was during Jay Moore's reign that rowdy Pirate Day was abolished, to be replaced by the now traditional School Carnival. The first student "political party" under the leadership of Fred Thomas, ASB VicePresident, was formed. However "Pirates for Representative Government" died after two meetings when only a handful of interested students attended meetings.

1959-60

After three years of "lobbying" students finally, under the leadership of Ed Ditlevson, ASB Fall term President, achieved the permission of the Administration Council to allow men to wear Bermuda shorts to classes. Because of abused privileges, the lounge was to be closed early—2 p.m. instead of the usual 3:30, and OCC won the Eastern Conference Sportsmanship trophy for the second year in a row. This was also the year that the students voted to make the term of their student officers one semester rather than the full year. This became the first year with two student body presidents—even though the semester offices were not to take effect until the following school year. Ed Ditlevson resigned under pressure of studies and ex-Marine Sgt. Paul Booth took over for the Spring semester — probably the oldest ASB president in the history of OCC, at 33.

1960-61

Harry Wray, fall term president, was selected to be President of the California Junior College Student Government Association and was responsible for organizing and hosting over 500 representatives from every junior college in the State at the Disneyland Hotel for three days. New innovations in student government during Harry's and Daren Groth's tenure were a "Charities Week" to replace the three or four previous single charity drives; the establishment of a creative arts magazine, and the first "Gripe Week," led by the Representatives-at-Large, when students could write their gripe on any topic of any nature.

1961-62

Tim Merwin, fall president, was faced at the first council meeting with finding a solution to compliance with a new state law requiring a "patriotic observance" each day on the campus. Through suggestions by all members, the student council recommended to the Board of Trustees that a different club each week "represent" all of the students with the raising of the flag and the repeating of the Pledge of Allegiance. A short-lived addendum to this program was the playing of patriotic music over the Library P.A. system at noon. This was the year that Orange Coast entered the Elephant Race at Orange State College. When student council refused to appropriate the money ($200) to rent an elephant, the Sophomore Class came up with the amount and went on to win first place in the J.V. division of the first annual affair. Some 10,000 people were in attendance and OCC hit the television newsreels throughout the nation.

1962-63

Tom Williamson became the first president in several years to serve the entire year. While the office of president was still 011 a semester basis, Tom re-ran unopposed and served the entire school year. This year the student council faced and solved the "Crest" magazine controversy, aroused by various community objections to certain writing which appeared in the student-sponsored creative arts magazine. The council, along with the Administrative Cabinet, developed a review committee to prevent the publication of embarrassing material in the future. The battle of placing a "juke box" in the Student Center was faced and won by the council, rejecting such a request with speeches, open air meetings, and even pickets with signs of "Ban the Box" and "Junk the Juke." For the first time in OCC's history, a $100 scholarship was won in the Southern California Bill of Rights week contest with a third place showing.

1963-64

Under the leadership of Mike Hunter and Pete Ostling, a new bookstore became a reality, through a student body agreement with the school district to borrow the needed funds to pay their share of the proposed new store. After fifteen years the trash problem in the Student Center seemed to be solved by the employment of a student for three hours a day to sweep the floors. For the first time most people seemed to be happy about the situation—not even one editorial appeared following this action by the Council! The Sportsmanship Trophy was again won, for the fourth time out of six years, and also a second $100 scholarship for the Bill of Rights contest. The adoption of a budget of $148,000 for the following year was in striking contrast with the $11,000 of the 1948-49 year.

What seems to be the essence of this sixteen years of student government at Orange Coast College? Certainly dedication was a part, of course leadership, and advisor and administrative support was evident. But it would appear to most that the dominating element of this outstanding program was one of true education at every turn of the way. As one ASB President put it when addressing the faculty one year, "I haven't found in the college catalog any such courses as "Meditation 1A" or a lab course in "How to get along with people." Yes, as in all of the facets of our college's history, education permeated student government too.

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