COMMENTARY
By Patricia Bauer
The posters are down. Over
200 submissions have been read.
The journal is at the printers. An
exciting and successful cam
paign. Over?. Apparently not.
We’re still hearing rumors of
open-forums and still reading
the ill-informed words of
women on campus. As co-editor
of Tamhelm and the creator of
the “submit” concept, I wanted
to thank eveiyone who submit
ted and leave it at that. However,
in the wake of ludicrous accusa
tions and extremist self-serving
fabrications, I hope to finally
clear up at least a fraction of the
multitude of misconceptions this
concept has generated and con
tinues to generate. (C’mon, this
has to be the most misunder
stood ad since Calvin Klein
came up with kids, jeans and
wall paneling).
For instance, as referenced in
the latest Cap Times commen
tary, the dismembered, female
objectifying images were not
part of my campaign, but were a
visually enthralling and innova
tive attempt on behalf of the
campus feminist underground to
solicit sympathy for their
Tamhelm boycott. Another re
occurring presumption is that
incorporating attractive, sensu
ous women as sexual subjects of
art automatically ensures that
Library Noise a Distraction
Dear Capital Times Editor,
One of the differences I have
noticed between things at
Capital and the PSU Campus I
came from is that here the library
has not seemed to be particularly
quiet place to study and work.
Now the old Heindel was a
cramped and crowded affair with
offices thrown in here and there
just for good measure. I guess
that, over time, people (students,
faculty, and staff) just got used to
it and the idea that continuous
conversations, telephone calls,
etc., were just things you had to
deal with.
Tarnhelm Editor Responds
these models are sexual objects
of art, thus contributing to gen
der oppression. (How this was
even an issue in this case is
beyond me since it was the
women yielding the whips.) And
equating my whip-yielding dom
inatrix with domestic violence is
not only distorted, but just plain
embarrassing.
And, -speaking of attractive,
sexy models, the woman in the
second ad campaign was a self
portrait. This gagged image was
my rebuttal to the anonymous
opposition ripping off posters
and attempting to stifle students
from submitting their work. It
also got a message to the stu
dents who might have otherwise
succumbed to such
intimidation: "Don’t submit to
oppression." (We certainly
weren’t going to). Given that so
many women on campus didn’t
get the first ad images, the First
Amendment was included on the
second set of posters to ensure
that the concept was understood.
Guess what...
It gets better. In addition to
those clever flyers encouraging
students to boycott Tarnhelm as
a result of our obvious endorse
ment of violence against women,
a few equally National Enquirer
But now with the opening of
the new facility, I think it is time
for a change. I’m not saying that
the library should be a cathedral
of silence with grumpy old
librarians shushing every utter
ance, but I do think that a certain
level of noise is inappropriate.
There are numerous rooms
where groups can meet to study
or work on projects. There are
doors on the photocopy room
that, if kept closed, would keep
noise at a minimum. There is a
caf6 where people can sit and
socialize, exchange phone num
bers, etc. And, once the novelty
wears off, the VIP tours will
abate.
Personally, I find it really dif
ficult to read and study with a lot
ish rumors surfaced. Therefore,
let me assure you that I have not
wrecked havoc on my co-edi
tor’s home, stealing her from
her husband and seducing her
into a lesbian affair. Nor have I
contaminated the campus water
system with hallucinogenic
drugs, re-arranged the library
books to an inverted Dewey
decimal system, planted an irre
versible virus in the computer
lab or sabotaged the vending
machines.
I’m an artist. I don’t expect
artistically challenged individu
als to get it. If somebody is
intrigued, fine. If somebody is
disturbed, fine. Art does that to
people. Any reaction is better
than no reaction. If I saw an
intricate mathematical formula
posted on the bulletin boards, I
would immediately flash back
to memories of trembling and
stammering in front of my 4th
grade peers struggling to recite
my multiplication tables. I
wouldn’t like those formulas. I
wouldn’t like those formulas
one bit. I wouldn’t get it. So
what. Move on.
It’s ironic to note that the
young people responsible for all
this hoopla and slander were
crawling around in excrement
enhanced diapers when I was
burning my bra and fighting for
the simple choices they take for
granted. Talk about offensive
of background noise, and I get
the impression from the reac
tions I have seen from some oth
ers in the new library that I’m
not alone in this.
Any time there is a new start
is the best time to make
changes. So I think this is the
time to try and see if, with
everyone’s cooperation, this
new library could be a quieter
place to work and study.
Sincerely,
Tony DePietro
Information Systems
pieces of literature, I recently
came across my W-2 form from
1978. My total secretarial wages
for six months was a whopping
$2,137.50. I was also raising a
daughter on my own. Help from
the sperm donor? Forget it. But,
unless a girl was a child prodigy
or had wealthy folks, college
was not an encouraged option,
and a Woman’s wages were sim
ply adequate enough to get you
by until a good husband came
along. (I’m still waiting for that
one.)
I was there. I was there when
a woman’s social, intellectual
and occupational choices were
limited. I was there when a
woman’s sexual and reproduc
tive freedoms were suppressed. I
was there when a girl had to be
ushered across the state line to
obtain an abortion. I was there
when the only sex education
available was a 10-minute movie
in gym class. I lived a lot of what
you’re learning in your women’s
studies classes. I was there.
After so much progress for
women, it’s very disconcerting
that my ad campaign is even an
issue on a college campus in the
year 2000. It would seem imper
ative that in a fight for equal
rights there would be no room
for oppression. Yet, as evidenced
by the past few weeks, it seems
women have come this far only
to begin oppressing each other.
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Advisor: Crispin Sartwell • Editor: Matthew McKeown
Business Manager: Serena Silverman • Sports: James J. Gadinski
Layout: Cathie McCormick Musser • Nicole Burkholder
Graphic Design: Alice Potteiger Wilkes
Writers & Contributors: Patricia Bauer • Nicole Burkholder
Edward Capozzi • Daniel McClure • Brad Moist • Paula Marinak •
Sexual freedom doesn’t mean a
new set of rules established by a
select few and enforced upon the
rest of us (I’ll think for myself,
thank you very much). I fought
too hard and lived too hard to
submit, er, I mean yield to any
form of oppression - especially
when it comes to my artistic and
sexual freedom.
I have learned something
from all this. I now understand. I
understand why young women
in class refuse to identify them
selves as feminists. The militant
few and lack of solidarity among
all women within the feminist
movement has always been a
problem, and now it has become
a real turn-off for the X-genera
tion. A sense of humor is vital in
any cause. Without it, the mes
sage becomes aggressive and
intimidating. We are seeing this
happen on campus right now.
So, as yet another successful
and controversial Tarnhelm hits
the press, I’m left to wonder
how my whip-yielding women
ever crossed the feminist agenda
in the first place. And I’ll never
get the warped connection
between Tarnhelm and domestic
violence.
But, I’m an artist, not a fun
damentalist. I’m not supposed to
get it. Move on,
Cathie McCormick Musser