The recent pepper-spray stupidity at UC Davis has caused me to remember when this campus was faced with a similar situation in the 1970s.  The first time our students peacefully sat in at the Administration Building, I was one of several faculty who were called upon by then-Provost Cliff Craven to consult about what action, if any, should be taken.  There was an "advisor" at the meeting from SUNY Central Administration, and I clearly remember him pointing his finger at Cliff and saying, "If you don't call in the State Police and have all those people arrested, I will have you fired."  Cliff responded quietly, but firmly, "These are our students; we will not treat them like criminals!"  As a young faculty member I marveled at Cliff's willingness to risk his job to protect our students.  I remember feeling proud that I worked at an institution where an administrator could take such a risk.  The threat from SUNY Central turned out to be little more than hot air, but there was no way for any of us to know that at the time.   I hope that as we marvel at the stupidity and cowardice of the Chancellor of UC Davis, we remember that there are many other administrators who are still doing the right thing, even if there are professional risks involved.  I am happy to point out that we are fortunate to have had more than one such administrator here.