Bookstore Sit-in

The Bookstore Sit-in (also called the Bookstore Protest) was a protest held on November 18, 1966 by UW students angry about the high cost of textbooks. The protest succeeded in its goals and led to the rise of the Radical Student Movement.

The Sit-in
On the morning of November 18, 1966, two articles were printed on the cover of The Chevron, announcing a protest sit-in at the UW bookstore. The protest was to begin at 12:15pm. Within an hour, approximately 300 students filled the bookstore, bringing operations to a standstill. The group sung songs and talked among themselves while Campus police watched over the entire event.

Goals
The sit-in had two stated goals:  The administration must guarantee in writing that book store prices will be reduced by 15 percent no later than January 1. The administration must guarantee in writing that there be at least two students on the administration’s committee studying financial policies of ancillary operations. 

Meeting with Hagey
A 2:45pm, word reached the students in the bookstore that university president Joseph Gerald Hagey would see three or four students. The students decided to instead all go to Hagey's office. By the time they reached the president's office on the fifth floor of the Dana Porter Library, their numbers had dwindled somewhat to 210. The students and the university president talked for over an hour, but the president refused on principle to make any decisions at the meeting. A decision regarding the second demand was promised to be given to the students within one week. The meeting concluded and the students went home without a fuss. The sit-in was over.

Outcomes
The demand for two seats on the ancillary services committee was granted the following Monday. Textbook prices would eventually be dropped by 15%, but not by the January 1st deadline. The reduction was made starting July 1st 1967.

The sit-in also had the side-effect of giving rise to the Radical Student Movement, an extreme left group that took over The Chevron and Federation of Students for many years after.