Later, Savio and a few others received a letter from the university saying that they would be charged for their role in the earlier standoff. Realizing the regents did not want to give in to the students, Savio organized a sit-in in the administration building. Again, police were called, and after given the chance to leave, 800 students were arrested and hauled away (Youngs, 285-287).
Awhile after this incident, the university wanted to reconcile. An outdoor assembly was organized. Kerr announced his plans for free speech and faculty control of disciplinary policy. Shortly after, Savio took the stage where he was attacked from behind by a police officer. A fight broke out among the crowd, and the incident proved to be a big public relations success for the students (Youngs, 289-290).
Kerr had one idea, but the regents did not always see eye to eye with him. They rejected his plan, but did endorse freedom of speech as guaranteed under the 1st and 14th Amendments (Youngs, 290).
The events at Berkeley were watched across the nation, and many more incidents followed that would question the university's rules and authority for years to come. More schools such as Yale, St. John's, Princeton, the Universities of North Carolina, Washington, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Notre Dame faced a series of rash revolts concerning alleged administrative abuses (Heirich, 283). In all, there were over 450 demonstrations on over 200 campuses nationwide. Many students wanted an expansion of roles, particularly political, and questioned whether the university should be state-run or an independent subsidized institution (Heirich, 282). Still, many college students were unsure themselves how much freedom they should have. It wasn't until US involvement in Vietnam escalated did more students join the protests. Events like the Vietnam War March attracted over 500,000 to the Golden Gate Bridge. Similar protests occurred at campuses across the nation (Youngs, 295-297).
