The Minnesota Daily reported that Hans Luther, the “stout, bald ambassador” from Nazi Germany, barely responded to the call for an Olympic boycott and the student demonstrations against his visit to the University of Minnesota. Many students were forced to leave Shevlin Hall, where the German Department hosted him at a tea. The article labeled the demonstrators as “hecklers” rather than protestors and clearly condemned their behavior. Dean of Women Anne Blitz was concerned that a student protester was not properly dressed for a tea and threatened to call police, who were present inside Shevlin. She stopped student protesters from asking Luther questions. A concurrent meeting organized by the University YMCA, YWCA, and Menorah Society drafted a joint statement protesting Germany’s racial discrimination against minority athletes.
If you have information about the University of Minnesota in the 1930s that you would like to add, or reflections on other campus struggles, please contact us at prell001@umn.edu
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