Controversial Tarnhelm Ads Continued from Page 1 paign, depicting a quaintly cur tained “window of opportunity,” wasn’t working. “We only had two submis sions,” Bauer said. The new campaign had two different posters, both using the “Submit” theme. One poster depicted a person, presumably woman, in black- clothing and holding a bullwhip. The slogan “Submit to Tarnhelm” was beside the picture. The other poster showed a person’s legs. The person, also presumably a woman, is shown in high heels and also holding a bullwhip. The slogan read, “You Must Submit to Tarnhelm.” Submission information was provided on both posters as well as on separate sheets attached to the posters. The first ad was also used as a paid advertisement in the Feb. 2 edition of The Capital Times. Small flyers showing the per son’s legs were distributed around campus. The advertising campaign was approved by the entire Tarnhelm staff, which consists of co-edi tors Bauer and Eye and nine staff members. All members of the Tarnhelm staff are women except one man, according to Bauer. Bauer said she showed the posters “to our staff and our adviser in foresight of hypersen sivity” she expected from the general campus community. “I was anticipating eyebrows to be raised,” Bauer acknowledged. For that reason and as a means to save money, all materials used to create the posters were paid for out-of-pocket and not with the money budgeted to the Tarnhelm by Student Activities. The campaign was also approved in advance by Tarnhelm advisor, Dr. Victor Viser, as well as the Humanities office prior to its launch. Viser said that the editors wanted “to put a unique stamp on the Tarnhelm not only in con tent but appearance as well as to reinvigorate the journal as an artistic and literary medium.” He continued that the ad cam paign is “reflective of the culture of the editors but also of the larg er culture at hand.” For his part as Tarnhelm advi- sor, Viser said that he has a “light hand on it.” He said that most of the creativity should come from the editors and staff. Viser said editors showed him three different posters, including the two that were used in the campaign. The third, which showed a woman with her hands tied above her head, was rejected. This is Viser’s first year as Tarnhelm advisor. Previously the position was held by Dr. Theodora Graham, associate pro fessor of humanities and litera ture. Graham retired last year. The posters went up around campus last month. Since then, they have created an uproar among some faculty members and students, especially women. Jennifer Boger, a senior public policy major and women’s stud ies minor, found the posters very offensive. She said, “I understand that Tarnhelm is a creative-arts jour nal and that they use images to portray a point. But 1 feel Tarnhelm could have found another means of creative adver tising in order to get students to recognize their organization.” Nagele agreed with Boger. She said, “In the time I have spent at [Penn State Harrisburg], I have never encountered something so appalling, degrading, so lacking educational or artistic merit, and so against the spirit of the student body as the posters the Tarnhelm journal has chosen to use as ‘cre ative advertisement’.” Not all people found the cam paign in poor taste. Dr. Louise E. Hoffman, associate professor of humanities and history, said, “As a woman, a feminist, and an alter nate-year teacher of women’s his tory, I’m sensitive to the issue of how women are used in the media. However, in this case, I was amused, not disturbed.” Hoffman continued by saying she found the ads were “clearly intended in a humorous vein” and that the “mocking reference to domination, to me, clearly de fangs any violence implicit in its actual practice.” Bauer said that she wanted the humor to come across in the ad. She said, “It was never our inten tion to disturb anybody. I thought it was obviously tongue-in-cheek and most people agree.” The Capital Times conducted This flyer for the Tarnhelm is one of several ads by the literary journal that has created a furor among some people who view it as sexual harassment and degrading to women. a random survey of 18 PSH stu dents. Of those polled, 15 said they liked the ads. Ten people’s responses are published in the Student Speak Out on page 2. Dr. Margaret Rose Jaster, associate professor of humani ties, said, “I khow Patsy [Bauer] and Katie [Eye], so I recognized their sense of humor and know ing them, would never suspect a pro-abuse position.” Hoffman said, “Is all depiction of sexuality somehow degrading, or is it the hint of violence even tongue-in-cheek - that is per ceived by some as disturbing?” But neither Boger nor Nagele saw the ads as tongue-in-cheek. Nagele said, “In response to Louise Hoffman...the ‘mocking reference to domination’ is offen sive and is a classic example of the objectification of women.” She added, “To the students and faculty who continue to find this amusing, I would remind you that this so-called harmless depiction of women to call atten tion to the Tarnhelm organization is only a stepping stone, a first step to more offensive and vio lent images in the media which suggest that women are objects to be used and abused as opposed to women being recognized as human beings with thoughts, feelings and a will of their own.” Nagele does acknowledge that the Tamhelm’s editors intended the ads to be funny. “However, much of the student body feels that this depiction of women in the halls of an institu tion of higher learning is in no way humorous and falls outside the realms of appropriate,” she said. According to SGA President Roderick Lee, the ads did not violate any university policy. Alvin S. Black HI, SGA execu tive assistant for committees, said, “We, as student government, rec ognize through conversations with the Chief Council of University, that they [Tarnhelm staff) have a First Amendment right to choose material to attract ‘submissions.’” Black added, “We must also note that in no way does Penn State Harrisburg SGA, or its members, advocate punitive measures against Tarnhelm. The student government in no way supports or rejects the views of those with problems with the way Tarnhelm advertises.” Nagele agrees with Black. She is an SGA senator and speaking in that capacity said, “Neither I nor any other member of the organization has made a motion to censor this of any idea circu lated about Penn State Harrisburg.” Nevertheless, Nagele, a self described feminist, has made it clear that she dislikes the Tarnhelm ads and does not believe that the Tamhelm’s First Amendment rights were violated by the criticism. “I do not feel that the vocal group of students and faculty who have spoken out against this form of advertisement have attempted to violate such rights,” Nagele said. If there is a vocal group of stu dents who object to the Tarnhelm ads, they haven’t made their con cern known directly to the Tarnhelm editors, according to Bauer. Instead, Bauer said that there has been a lot of talk on campus about the ads and that the ads have been discussed in classes. No one has approached either Bauer or Eye to discuss the ads in any classroom. “If it’s being talked about in a classroom setting, we want to be invited,” Bauer said. According to Bauer, it has been rumored that some faculty mem bers have urged their students to withdraw their submissions to Tarnhelm or boycott the journal. Bauer said, “After hearing that individuals were asking students to withdraw submissions, I came up with the second ad campaign.” That campaign consisted of two new ads. One depicted a gagged woman with the phrase, “Don’t submit to oppression, submit to Tarnhelm.” The other poster showed the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. According to Bauer, she was the gagged woman in the ad and it represented her frustration that people on campus were rumored to be attempting to stifle her Continued on Page 7
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers