{"id":1678,"date":"2025-06-27T16:33:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T16:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/musiclegacy\/?page_id=1678"},"modified":"2026-06-25T13:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:34:50","slug":"class-of-1989","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/musiclegacy\/class-of-1989\/","title":{"rendered":"Class of 1989"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Times<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time Cortland students were studying for their midterms in October 1988, Mikhail Gorbachev was both the General Secretary of the Communist Party as well as the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet giving him power over his party as well as the state. Through Gorbachev\u2019s policies, the world learned two Russian words\u2026Perestroika, a reforming of economic and political systems and Glasnost, a policy of increased transparency and freedom of information. By December 1988, Gorbachev\u2019s speech at the United Nations outlined his \u201cnew thinking\u201d in Soviet foreign policy and world cooperation forging a path to end the Cold War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world was stunned to learn of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. On December 21st<\/sup>, 1988, the tragedy hit close to home for Cortland students as 35 Syracuse University students were among the 270 people killed.  The students were returning home for Christmas break from a semester of studying abroad in London and Florence. The bombing was determined to be a terrorist attack orchestrated by Libyan intelligence in retaliation for the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by the US Navy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By January 1989, President Ronald Reagan had given his farewell address and Iran\u2019s Ayatollah Kohmeini issue a fatwa, calling for the death of Salman Rushdie for his book \u201cThe Satanic Verses\u201d which was deemed blasphemous.  In April 1989, five Black and Latino teenagers, known as the Central Park Five were convicted of the brutal assault and rape of the Central Park Jogger, 28-year-old investment banker Tricia Meili.  Thirteen years later in 2002, the Central Park Five who were now young men, became the Exonerated Five after they were cleared of charges and released from jail after a serial rapist came forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning in April 1989, Beijing university students gathered in Tiananmen Square for a series of protests calling for democracy, free speech, and a free press in China.  Their demands drew wide public support, and millions joined the peaceful demonstrations that took place across China.  As tensions escalated, martial law was declared and on the night of June 3rd<\/sup>, 1989, heavily armed troops and hundreds of armored vehicles moved to Tiananmen Square to clear the pro-democracy demonstrators. The next day, Chinese troops opened fire on the peaceful protesting students and workers, killing thousands and arrested tens of thousands across China.  As of today, the Chinese government has heavily censored the incident, effectively erasing it from history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notable Events<\/p>\n\n\n\n