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EDITORIAL]
Experience
Teaches
Responsibility
In the past issues this year, we have used this space to
talk about freedom of the press. Now, we should talk about
the responsibility that goes with that freedom.
Both the editors and staff of the Reader have learned
something about the responsibility of the press as a result of
our Feb. sth racial tension story and the letters to the editor
that followed. j . . . .
Let’s get it right out in the open: We made a mistake in
printing that story as it was written.
First, and probably most important, we apologize for our
inflammatory and incorrect headline: Campus Racial
Tension Exposed, McDermott Calls Bigots ‘Crackpots. We d
like to say we knew better. Obviously as deadline
approached, we lost our common sense and failed to read
the story carefully. We offer this not as an excuse but as an
apology to those that were hurt by that headline.
Now, to the story and the three incidents noted in it:
We labeled the three as “racial incidents" and gave a
description of each. Unfortunately, we failed to attribute the
term “racial incidents."
Except for the sign incident, the story, as it appeared in
the paper, was not about racial tension. One incident was a
roomate disagreement with one of the students being black.
The other involved a dispute during a basketball game.
Again, one of the students was black. Perhaps, there lies the
key for all of us. . .
Just because two students in two separate incidents
were black, can we and should we label them as racial
incidents? We think not. If there were any racial overtones to
either incident, they didn’t appear in the story.
To those students who were directly involved in both
incidents, your side of the issue should have been included
in the story. We thank you for taking the time to do it in
letters to the editor.
As student journalists, we are learning and applying our
journalisitc skills on the Reader. In this ease, we
learned--the hard way-about the responsibilities of the
press.
Letters Have to Be Signed
The editors and staff of the C.C. Reader welcome letters for
publication. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, and
must contain the writer’s signature and telephone number.
Anonymous letters will not be accepted. However, if the
writer requests, a pseudonym will be used in publication.
The editors reserve the right to edit letters for style,
grammar, and good taste.
On March 2nd, The
Reader received a letter to
the editor signed “A
concerned Active Student.”
Our editorial policy pro
hibits us from publishing
anonymous letters.
We will publish
The Capitol Campus Reader
The Pennsylvania State University
The Capitol Campus
Middletown, Pennsylvania 17057
ph. 717-944-4970
The C.C. Reader is published by the students at Capitol
Campus every two weeks during the fall, winter and spring
terms. Printing Is done at the Middletown Press and Journal.
The Reader office is located in W-129, Main Building.
The opinions expressed In this newspaper do not
necessarily represent the views of the students, faculty or
staff of Capitol Campus or The Pennsylvania State
University.
Paid advertisements in the Reader are not necessarily
endorsed by the editors or staff.
Phylll* Schaeffer
Edltor-InChtof.-. o»ny Achanbach
AM.oclato_Ed.ltof John Stanctiak
Assistant Editor..;.. Mark Switzer
Photography Editor
Advertising Manager t”**" Bennett
sta( f jam Beatty, Randy Fee, Rebecca Rebok, Deborah Young, Virginia
Lehman, William Kane, Vam Martin, John Laianapf, Mika Barnett,
Cliff Eshbach, Ron Baumbach, Pattis Stanchak, Ray Martin, Mark
Appleby,
Hot Lion Coordinator.
Faculty Adviser
Typesetters
It’s Only Policy
letter, signed as it is, if the
writer will contact The
Reader editor and identify
himself /herself. This infor
mation will be kept confi
dential.
We urge the writer to do
Office Hours Spring Term
4th period 12:15 to 1:30 p.m,
and
6th period 3:05 to 4:20 p.m.
Paul Bailie, Social Committee Chairman
Dr. Mehryn Haber
Oaborah Young, Mika Barnett,
Karan Pickens, Robert L. Fisher Jr.
C.C. Reader
Silent Generation
Faces New Silence
A disturbing silence has
fallen over the American
college campuses. Many
welcomed it at first as a
needed respite from the
frenzied activity of the
1960’5. It is a respite,
however, that may become
permanent.
Since the tragedies of
Kent State and Jackson
State, one can go through an
entire academic year on
many campuses without
witnessing a single major
political rally. The genera
tional gap seems to be
closing but not in the
direction some would have
hoped.
In fact, according to a
Gallup Poll of December,
1975 our conservative presi
dent, Mr. Ford, has more
support from the voters
under 30 than from those
over 50. Students are
thinking about education
solely in terms of their
careers and future jobs.
Fraternities and sororities
are back with a flourish.
Watergate, the “Mayaguez”
incident and the Church
Committee revelations have
come and gone without so
much as a whimper from
American students.
Are we then back to the
1950's when, as historian
William O'Neill explained it,
“The decline of politics as a
serious enterprise was ac
companied by the privati
zation of everyday life." la
Ford our Eisenhower? TM
our substitute for bridge and
the PTA? Sex therapy the
replacement of the baby
boom? Have the 1960 s come
and gone without even
making a dent in our national
psyche?
Another Response To
Racism Story
The newspaper article ol
February sth on racism did
not give the complete story. I
am being confronted about
the issue, but I am not
allowed to reply to charges
and accusations which eve
ryone else seems to have
overlooked.
Since I was not given the
meeting I requested, I found
it necessary to put this letter
in the paper. Jerry South
refused to grant me this
meeting to clarify the news
article and put everything in
its right perspective.
The first thing I would
like to do is state I never had
any intentions of having
this article placed in the
paper.
A girl came to the office
where I was working and
asked why I moved. I never
said “My roomates were
ganging up on me.” I did say
“I was not given the same
respect in turn that I gave
them.”
The reason for this
statement was not to say my
roomates were racist nor
was it meant to hurt or injure
The parallels, while far
from simple, can be quite
illuminating. We of 1950’s
generation accepted the
world as a given fact and, as
Prof. Keith Nielson de
scribed our attitude, “It was
irrelevant as to whether this
was the best or worst of
possible worlds-it was the
one to be lived in.”
Our style was not to pass
judgements on what was
presented to us. We decided
to figure out how to ride first
class rather than how to rock
the boat. We were more
likely out to beat the system
rather than change it. Social
conventions and inhibitions
were not to be flounted but
simply to be circumvented.
But more than anything
else our generation of the
1950’s had no reason to
doubt our own or our
country’s destinity. We
blandly assumed that having
a college degree would
assure us economic security
and that being an American
would make us immune from
the tragedies of history.
The college generation of
today operates under no
such illusions.
Their generation has not
experienced any of the
patriotic exhiliration of our
victory in World War II nor
have they known the moral
certainty of the early Cold
War years and the struggle
against Stalinism.
Today’s college sopho
more was, in all likelihood,
bom during the Sputnik
crisis and its challenge to
America first. His first
historical memory may be of
Dallas. The Vietnam War was
a constant backdrop to his
youth. He may have watched
any party that was involved.
The newspaper classified the
article not me.
I do not feel my feelings
were wrong about the
incidents in my house, but
the fact of my personal
affairs was not the matter
and should not be con
sidered. It is irrelevant and
immaterial. The issue here is
a interpersonal difference. I
feel that there was an ill
feeling towards me whether
it was my race, or a personal
dislike or maybe both. But if
someone acts their gestures
in dislikefui ways I think one
would be able to tell.
Perhaps, the slurs made
were racial or personal, but
they still existed.
The thing I can hardly
believe is that Ms. McLeod
has been caught in the
middle because she cared
enough to try and prevent
either side from being hurt. I
know she always tried to be
fair with all students; black,
white or other.
Pat Murphy is the one
who sent me to see Ms.
McLeod, and in trying to be
April 15, 1976
older brothers and sisters
drift from protest to rebellion
to experimentation and then
just watched them drift.
His high school years
were filled with talk of
Watergate and crimes in
high places. He looked with
Ja^uU^Foruw^
a sense of futility at the
choice between McGovern's
ineptitude and Nixon’s cor
ruption. There were no
Franklin D. Roosevelts or
John F. Kennedys to inspire
him to think of public life as
a calling and a service.
Added, then, is the
greatest economic uncer
tainity to confront a college
generation since the depres
sion. This uncertainty has
deprived them of much of
their right to make any
demands on the world, even
if they were so inclined. In
fair and honest, she sent me
to Jerry South to discuss the
problem. He then sent me
out of there with no
solutions to the problem or
help. I felt more upset then.
So I turned back to Ms.
McLeod. She then insisted
all my roommates and I
should have a meeting, but I
refused because I felt I did
not want to make a big thing
out of it and nothing would
be resolved.
All I wanted Was some
peace of mind so I could get
back to my studies, but here
I am still haunted with the
situation. The only peace of
mind I have is when I go to
the Village.
This is why Ms. McLeod
offered me a place to stay
and nothing more. If I had
known it would come to this,
I would have found some
where else to stay.
I hope this clears up all
the misconceptions about
this issue. And I hope the
administration can now get
back to the real issues here
on campus.
Sharon Lee Henry
Bth Term