Forums About Tarnhelm Ads Produce Little Results
Continued from Page 1
discussion. Nagele said the event
took roughly three weeks to plan,
but added that most of the details
were finalized in the last days
before spring break.
According to Nagele, the
Diversity Committee and the
SGA co-sponsored the event.
“The problem is with the rep
resentation,” Nagele told the
group of 30 to 40 students and
faculty attending the noon ses
sion. “Once you have an adver
tisement and put it in the media,
then it becomes political.”
One attendee expressed con
cern about the motivation for the
campaign. She said the images of
a person, presumably a woman,
clad in black and holding a bull
whip, evoked thoughts of
females as submissive slaves.
Another participant comment
ed that symbols are a strong,
cross-cultural communication
that can mean different things to
different people. She sought a
calm, rational response to the
reasoning behincLthe posters.
Dr. Robert Russell, who
teaches in the business school,
supported Tarnhelm’s right to use
the provocative imagery.
“If anyone should be offend
ed,” Russell said, “it should be
men because women are in a
dominating position.”
PSU’s Newest Treasure Is Dedicated
Continued from Page 1
make the library a reality. He sin
gled out the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania for being “broadly
supportive,”
As each successive speaker
rose to the occasion, glowing
praise for the library, thanks to its
creators and recognition of the
Campus Board of Adviser
Kathleen A. Smarilli
Tarnhelm staffers at the debate
were willing to address concerns,
but said they had not received
any concrete complaints about
the posters.
Nagele believed an open, stu
dent-driven discussion would
provide the best opportunity for
each side to present its case.
Though all parties involved
supported the general idea of
holding a forum to air griev
ances, members of the Tarnhelm
staff questioned Nagele’s
approach to publicity.
Nagele said she informed
WPSH and The Capital Times of
her forum, and she also claimed
to have printed a notice in the
weekly PSH news bulletin, but
nothing ever appeared.
[The Capital Times was not
informed of the open forum.
Nagele told a communications
student who indicated he was hop
ing to have the story published in
the newspaper about the forum.]
According to Nagele, flyers
were created to advertise the
forums, but they were not posted
"utitil the evening before the event
because of printing problems.
Furthermore, Nagele said she
asked a humanities professor to
invite all students and department
members, but did not mention fol
lowing up to make sure her request
had been carried out. When asked
to identify the professor, Nagele
new library’s role in Central
Pennsylvania flowed.
“What a difference a day
makes,” Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania Secretary of
General Services Gary Crowell
quipped.
According to Crowell, the
library construction came in on
budget and a day ahead of sched
ule. “Penn State put together a
great team,” Crowell continued.
Harrisburg Campus Board of
Advisers Chair Kathleen A.
Smarilli called the new library,
“Penn State’s Newest
Treasure.” Capital College
Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Omid
Ansary even thanked the taxpay
ers of Pennsylvania for their role
in the creation of the library.
Following the scheduled
speakers, ceremony guests
toured the library and mingled
over cake in the Morrison
Gallery and Reception Hall.
Library Director Shill was
beaming as he accepted the con-
declined to answer.
“No staff member, co-editor,
or faculty adviser of Tarnhelm
was notified of the event,” said
Bauer.
“We had heard rumors before
spring break, but never anything
confirmed. The Tarnhelm mailbox
is well-marked and directly below
Lisa’s. A simple hand-written note
would have done just fine.”
Bauer said the Tarnhelm Staff
received an unsigned letter from
the Diversity Committee that
protested the ads, but when she
responded, the chairperson, Dr.
Robert Scott, said he knew noth
ing about the correspondence.
Tarnhelm adviser Dr. Victor
Viser condemned the publicity
strategy. “It was obviously some
sort of ambush tactic,” he said.
“I can only speculate that they
either didn’t know what they
were doing, or they did it inten
tionally. I’m not sure what per
spective these people are coming
from that they’re so intolerant of
divergent views.”
Viser and Bauer agreed that
the controversial Tarnhelm ads
are no longer an issue.
Though he attended neither
fomm, Viser said he did not under
stand the opposition’s continued
displeasure, nor the poster wars
which ensued after the initial set of
Tarnhelm ads appeared.
One set of posters asking
gratulations and thanks of well
wishers. Dankanich was also
enjoying the moment, but men
tioned the break in construction
was brief.
“The housing construction
starts soon,” he said.
Julian was impressed with the
dedication. She felt honored to
be asked to greet the trustees and
advisers.
“The Marketing Department
coordinated the event well,”
Julian said.
In contrast, Communications
major Robin Rissmiller thought
the event had been “overrated.”
“It was a lot of hoopla,” she
added. Rissmiller did enjoy the
music of the jazz band that enter
tained guests gathering for the
ceremony.
Schuylkill professor Paul
Miller lead the trio. “I hope they
invite them back,” Rissmiller
said.
“Where are Patsy and Katie?”
was glued on the walls of
Olmsted’s third floor. Some had
tacks bordering them.
“I viewed discourse and give
and take as a step toward female
solidarity on the campus, as well
as the best means of resolving
the issue in a civil manner,” said
Nagele of the forum.
But Viser believes Nagele’s
actions were anything but civil.
“After a while, the whole thing
got to be very juvenile and high
schoolish. The opposition sunk
below the levels of protocol in
their response.”
Although Bauer only learned
about the forums when she
received a phone call that morn
ing from someone who saw the
flyers, she and Eye attended the
5 p.m. session.
Bauer said the forum was a
good idea, but felt it should have
occurred in January when the ad
campaign began.
“At no time has Lisa or any
other student approached the
Tarnhelm editors with com
plaints. This was the first we ever
met face to face,” Bauer said.
She added that the concerns
Nagele and her supporters
expressed were very vague. They
mostly dealt with the opinion
that the ad campaign was “inap
propriate” since people from out
side the PSH community could
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see them and form a negative
impression of the university.
“I don’t really understand this
logic,” said Bauer. “As far as I’m
concerned, the students pay out
rageous tuition and fees and
should have freedom of expres
sion in the halls they support
without taking into account what
campus visitors might assume.”
Nagele and other critics also
contended that the ads were inap
propriate because they were
provocative.
“I agree; so what?” Bauer
responded. “[Lisa] should be
jumping up and down with joy
when she sees images of powerful
women in complete control of
their sexuality. The fact that these
women are sensuous and attrac
tive is secondary and irrelevant.”
In response to the charge that the
ads encouraged violence against
women, Bauer assured the audi
ence that Tamhelm has never con
doned or promoted this practice.
In fact, one Tamhelm staffer
shared the ads with a friend who
has experienced spousal abuse.
That person was not offended.
Bauer described the ongoing
controversy as “very surreal,”
and Viser agreed.
‘Twenty-five, thirty, or maybe
even 50 years from now,” he said,
“people will look back on this,
see the intolerance, and see what
a brave thing the Tamhelm did.”
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