Today marks 50 years since the infamous Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Students Afro-American Society (SAS) rally at the Sun Dial.

The gathering kicked off a week long student protest primarily focused on the construction of a new university gym on public land in Morningside Park and university ties to the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA). The week included the take over of five buildings on campus, cancelled classes, counter protests, many meetings, press conferences, and much media coverage.

The week ended in a violent police bust that then led to an end of semester strike by students — an organizing strategy that still echoes today on campus?

Dramatic times indeed.

To see these events unfold as they happened 50 years ago, please follow @1968CU – a special project created by Columbia University Archives to mark this anniversary year.

No Twitter account? You can also follow the feed on the Columbia University Communications and Public Affairs 1968 website.

And if you just want a run down of what happened on campus 50 years ago, you can always browse our online exhibition.