After the Kent State shootings , the Northwestern student body and faculty senate voted to suspend classes starting May 6 and join a nationwide strike in protest of the Vietnam war and violence at Kent State . The student protesters demanded that campus security be disarmed , the university endowment divest itself from " war stocks " , and Northwestern 's NROTC program be stripped of academic credit and its facilities turned into a childcare center . Much to the consternation of Evanston residents , student protesters also erected a barricade at the major intersection of Sheridan Road and Chicago Avenue , both major thoroughfares in Evanston . A May 8 rally at Dyche Stadium that attracted approximately 5,000 students and community members prompted Evanston city officials to request activation of the National Guard , but this potential conflict was avoided after the Guard were diverted away from the stadium . The Rebecca Crown center , Vogelback computing center , and Lunt Hall ( housing the NROTC program ) were closed following disturbances by student protestors . On May 13 , a group of at least 33 students vandalized the NROTC 's headquarters , but this was the only violent episode of the strike . The strike ended and campus re-opened for class on May 13 , the longest span of time Northwestern has ever been closed
Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
History of Northwestern University