Dickinson holds Ground Zero Day

April 22, 1982, marked Dickinson's participation in Ground Zero Day, a nationwide event wherein 450 colleges and universities sponsored awareness of the potential threats and results of nuclear war. Ground Zero Week, which started Sunday, April 18th and led up to Ground Zero Day, was organized by Roger Molander, a former analyst for the National Security Council. At Dickinson, Dean Peggy Garrett headed a committee of 25 students and faculty members to organize the three week preparation for the program, including drawing up a radiation map, planning seminars, film showings and a candle-lit march to Carlisle square.

Ground Zero Day also marked the rise of Dickinson's chapter of United Campuses to Prevent Nuclear War, or "UCAM". UCAM was a national organization that sought to voice student disapproval of the nuclear arms race and the war it could have triggered.