Rhodes ' service on the President 's Commission on Campus Unrest in 1970 brought him to nationwide attention . This Commission was established specifically to investigate two incidents in 1970 in which unarmed student protesters were shot and killed by soldiers and policemen , one at Kent State University in Ohio and a second at Jackson State University in Mississippi . Rhodes was the youngest and least known member of the committee , and its only current student ; his selection for the commission is attributed to his longstanding relationship with John Ehrlichman , who was a prominent member of then President Richard Nixon 's staff . Shortly after his appointment , Rhodes gave a controversial interview to Robert Reinhold of '' The New York Times '' in which he said " If the President 's and Vice-President 's statements are killing people , I want to know that " and that California Governor Ronald Reagan was " bent on killing people for his political gain . " The following day , Vice-President Spiro Agnew called publicly for Rhodes to resign . Rhodes refused , and was a signatory to the Commission 's " Scranton Report " in September , 1970
Kent State University
Kent State shootings
Joseph Rhodes Jr.