Page 12 Thursday, November 1, 1984 The Capitol Times Colleges snub p (CPS) -- Several campuses once again have opted to ap prove using campus funds and facilities to run pornographic movies during the last month. Most recently, University of Virginia President Frank Hereford refused a National Organization for Women (NOW) invitation to view the movie "Deep Throat." NOW wanted to enlist Hereford's support in banning the film from UV, where it was shown as a fundraiser for the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity two weeks ago. Hereford, in a letter to Cyn thia Taylor, president of the Charlottesvillle, Va., NOW chapter, said that while he "personally abhors this kind of thing," he feared banning the film would violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Con stitution, Taylor reports. Also fearing it'd quash free speech, an Indiana University dorm student government last week approved a motion to let students keep showing X-rated movies in the dorm. The week before, 25 Univer sity of lowa protestors tried to disrupt a campus showing of a movie called "Peeping Tom." The anti-pornography forces have won a few times as well. The manager of a University of Texas at El Paso campus pub recently ordered the pub's pay TV channel turned off at 10 p.m., when SelecTV switches to blue movie programming. And soon after the Indiana dorm council approved show ing pornography, the campus wide Indiana University Stu dent Association passed a resolution condemning por nography and offering to work with the dean of students to teach students "about the ef fects of pornography on our society." Generally, however, students and administrators reluctantly go along with the screenings, which are usually staged by fraternities or campus film societies. "This situation," observes William Fishback, an aide to Hereford at Virginia, "is not a winner in any respect." Classified Earn up to $BO per month. Donate plasma at Sera-Tec Biologicals, 260 Reily Street, Harrisburg. Open 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mon - Fri 232-1906 Is it true you can buy jeeps for $44 through the U.S. government? Get the facts today! Call 1-312-742-1142 Ext. 3501 ADDS Computer terminal for sale. Operate on PSU computer system from your home or dorm room. $290 or best offer. Modem not in cluded. Contact S. Folland - 948-6056 Fishback says Hereford finally decided that "we're talk ing about an issue of freedom here. We will not ban movies because this could lead to book burnings and such." "This is a very complex issue of values," NOW's Taylor replies. "Hereford claims the school won't do anything that is against community stan dards, but in Charlottesville, this is against community stan dards." She maintains "the cost of human dignity is too great to show this type of film on public grounds of a state school, especially as a fundraiser." Taylor also sees the issue as "the last bastion of men against women at a university." The courts, however, have been quick to rule against those who would ban movies, books or other forms of popular culture. In a May, 1983 landmark case, a Michigan federal judge forced Grand Valley State Col- orno flicks lefe administrators to pay the $250 rental fee for an X-rated film a student group wanted to show. The college routinely had paid film rental fees in the past, but didn't want to fund a por nographic film. Even student groups have shied away from outright ban nings. In the last six months, student politicians at Penn, Hawaii, Arizona State and even Virginia rejected measures that would have barred X-rated Hoping to steer a middle course, the Cal-Santa Barbara student government in 1983 voted to allow showing por nographic films, but to require they be preceded by a 10-- minute educational program on the subject. Private Marquette Universi ty last fall banned "Porky's" because it included "excessive sex" and "Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life"because it was "anti-Catholic."
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers