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TO COMMEMORATE THE THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PEACEFUL STUDENT PROTEST AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE COLLEGE, NOW SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, WHERE THE STUDENT SIT-IN RESULTED IN POSITIVE AND GREAT ACHIEVEMENT FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE COLLEGE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate are pleased to honor and remember the thirtieth anniversary of the protest by students of the School of Engineering Technology at South Carolina State College on January 31, 2020; and
Whereas, on January 31, 1990, about two hundred of approximately four hundred sixty students who were enrolled in the School of Engineering Technology staged a sit-in, for the third year in a row, to protest outdated equipment and ill-equipped laboratories; and
Whereas, led by Eric W. Davis, a senior in the engineering technology program, the students pointed out a need for more and better computers, computer numerically controlled machines, a better student-teacher ratio, and a degree program that would enable graduates to qualify for the Engineer in Training examination, a preliminary step to full certification in the engineering profession; and
Whereas, the sit-in quickly transformed into a meeting between college officials and students, with the arrival of South Carolina State College President Albert E. Smith and Dr. Ashland Brown, dean of the School of Engineering Technology, who acknowledged the inadequacies of funding to the school; and
Whereas, the peaceful protest not only achieved a dialogue with college administrators, but also empowered students to pursue efforts in lobbying the General Assembly on South Carolina State College's Legislative Day, in order to bring these deficiencies of equipment and staffing to the attention of state lawmakers; and
Whereas, over the years, the South Carolina legislature has maintained a commitment to supporting engineering technology through legislation, including, notably, Act 58 of 2007, which was sponsored by Representative John L. Scott, who is an alumnus of South Carolina State University and now a Senator, and created the South Carolina State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate are pleased to observe the thirtieth anniversary of this student protest in honor of these passionate students and the progress they inspired. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the peaceful student protest at South Carolina State College, now South Carolina State University, where the student sit-in resulted in positive and great achievement for the South Carolina State College School of Engineering and Technology.
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