We are Byrne-ing up the local music scene... p. 8 11 April 1990 Vol. I No. 20 What's shakin' : Readers, editor ad dress rape column letters and column ... p. 5 MSU's alternative and truly independent voice oWhat's Op .. ovour letters and comments .. . o Dr. Sex fires away yet again .. . o Howl at Dog Boy... oSteal linen from The Clydesdale... p. 7 . ooutstanding entertainment... - p. 7-8 p.3 p.4 p.6 p. 6 Walkout rocks · Sta·te News by TRESA BALDA$ and BRIAN MARSHALL uR·I Issues correspondents Allegations of sexual harassment at The State News grew late Monday, while minority staff members who walked ·off the job debated a proposal by the paper's management designed to meet their demands for an increased minority role at the paper. After a full Monday of meetings, Hamilton said she became opinion Without giving specifics, it editor because it was "a golden opportunity to get women and minority John Secor has become issues oh the opinion page." continues: "In that three-week period, But, she said, attitudes hampered her performance ahd led her to quit. "The tone was so negative .toward womeri that I could not interpret (women and minority) views," Hamilton address these concerns." said. "I found out I couldn't function there so I left." allegations. Though denying the allegations, discussions and conferences, strikers Secor said given the turbulent are "even more upset that John Secor said.there are no problems at The State News," said Darius Peyton, spokesman for the strikers. atmosphere he was not surprised by · the sexual harassment charges. He said he wanted to straighten out the paper's problems. unapproachable, and in fact has threatened, harassed and attempted to intimidate the sources of these complaints in order to prevent them · from voicing and attempting to · Secor, however, denies any such · He said: "I have not had one report . this year with sexual or racial harassment." Secor said that if minorities are having problems· in the workplace they can talk to him. "I am an approachable person and they can come to me," he said. But minority workers have opted to take their concerns to student leader Darius Peyton, who last May represented African-American students staging an eighH:lay sit-in at the Administration Building. "I ciOn't want to see this continue," he said. "Let's sit down and talk about it." The Beginning Alleging six months of being ignored, threatened and harassed, State News minority staff members on Sunday said they had enough and walked off the job. Photographer Kyndell Thompson - State News photo editor winter term That day, 10 of the 11 State News who participated .in the walk-out-said ' the group chose Peyton as its · minority staff members walked out in protest of alleged discriminatory hiring . spokesman because of his familiarity with representing minority concerns. practices by management. These employees also presented Secor with "He's good at it," Thompson said. a letter explaining their action and list of more than 20 demands designed to deal with issues affecting minorities in minority representative, said Peyton is the newsroom. The list begins by demanding the resignation of Secor an "objective, uninvolved voice" outside the newsroom who could . represent striker concerns. "He's dealt with this stuff before." Raelyrin Vorce, State News The accompanying letter states: "The feelings and opinions of the minority staff at the State News has reached a point of alarming concern over recent and consistent acts and policies of sexual and racial harassment, and intimidation by some ' members of the State News staff. . . "Our frustratio'n and dismay has grown by the lack of effort, concern, and sensitivity displayed by the editor in chief, John Secor." According to the letter, Secor has According to Peyton, concerns of The State News minority staff include: •bias coverage of minority issues; •Secor's 1ses trip to Israel funded by a Jewish group; · •lack of photos featuring minorities; •a lack of minority representation on the editorial board; •a minority staff representative position that carries no power; •minorities being bumped off stories dealing with minority issues; editorial p0sitions. ·and a lack of ethnic minorities in . "(Minorities) cannot reach a~y of . the editor positions," Peyton said. "No one can get past the position of minority staff representative." been approached with "at least a In response to Hamilton's charges, dozen reports of sexual and racial Secor said: "That's not true at all. harassment" during the last three There were a lot of women who loved weeks, but has done nothing to , The State News." resolve the problems. In addition to the charges of racial discrimination and harassment leveled at Secor Sunday, Peyton said striking staff members were "infuriated" that the editor was taking charges of sexual harassment "casually." However, Secor said· sexual harrasment wasn't a problem at The State News. "I have never, ever, been confronted with one single case of sexual harassment and that's just the way it is," he said. "There's no legitimacy to this at all." But Amy Hamilton, a former opinion and managing editor. at the paper, disagreed, alleging that sexual harassment exists at The State News both "technically and physically." She would not give specifics. Sec:Or said there was no sexual harassment at the paper, only a "touchie-feelie" atmosphere in the newsroom that has gone on for years. Later, he said: "I meant touchie- feelie in a positive way ... We're very close." - Hamilton also said she quit the paper because while opinion editor she was not taken seriously by male colleagues, despite her professional experience. She said of Secor: " John constantly supported the views of those men (on staff who discriminated against women)." But Secor defended himseH, saying: "I think I have a pretty good record of putting minorities in editor's positions." . While at the helm of The State News, Secor has appointed two minorities to editor positions - photo editor and copy chief. So why all the controversy? Minority staffers believe that correcting the interrial problems minorities face at The State News will result in improved coverage of minority issues, which benefits everyone on campus, Peyton said. "What (the minority staffers) are trying to_ do is something long overdue," Peyton said. "I think they're very serious. They are putting their jobs on the line. "They feel that the change will make it fair for everyone," he said. "They're just making a fair campus paper." Minority Leaders React Prominent minority leaders shared the feelings of the minority staffers who walked out of The State News in protest of alleged discriminatory processes by management in the newsroom. . Jeffr~y Robinson, president of · MSU's NAACP chapter, said The State News is insensitive when covering minority issues. Citing Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan's February visit to campus, he said one could see "insensitivity jumping all over the pages" in the paper's coverage. "Because the Hillel Jewish Center sent the editor-in-chief to Israel ... a lot feel that he is biased or was biased (in covering ·Farrakhan,)" Robinson said. "(Secor) was returning the favor for a favor." Seoor said while The State News' overall cov~rage of Farrakhan "wasn't satisfactory," he made a "conscious effort" to remove his biases. "I'm not going to deny that i have any biases," Secor said. "We all have our biases and we can't let ourselves interject our biases into our news." But when covering minority See WALKOUT, p. 2 .;r.11111nvtm1~mt1~1:xa1a.1;11;mmr=1~M'·'tiw11a.uoim.11114.ur.11m1.1;1gm __ . . . , - . - . ' . . . .. - ·, . . . . . .. - - - - : . - - . . . 2· university Reporter-Intelligencer From WALKOUT, p.1 events on campus, Robinson believes The State News prefers to focus on · negative issues instead of the agree. positive. "They're good on focusing in on anything controversial relating to minorities," Robinson said. "But when it comes to anything positive (about minorities), it's a 70-30 (against the chance that) The State News will be there." Chris Murray, former editor-in-chief and current graduate advisor-for Focal Point, MSU's minority newspaper, said The State News does a "very poor job" of covering minority issues. He believes that the newspapers staff members "don't particularly care about what minorities think. "They're basically a bunch of white kids raised in suburbs who don't know about different groups," Murray said. "They're a bunch of narrow-minded people who when they get behind closed doors, they'll say anything." Though SN Reader Rep. Bob Helbig believes The State News does a "good job" at covering minority issues, he admits there is room for improvement. "I don't ·think anybody could say that The State News is a racist newspaper," Helbig said. "But we probably could do a better job (at covering minority issues. - "It's a learning process: Minorities Want Secor Out Biased reporting and unfair treatment of minorities - the pri.[Tlary accusations leveled at The State News. these are And minority staffers believe Secor is to blame. His resignation, they have said, would solve the internal and external problems of the paper. And others . "(Secor) was in a position to change things and he has not," Robinson said. "I'm not one for second chances when it comes to racial issues. - "His track record isn't good ... He hasn't satisfied his minoritiy staff," Robinson continued. "I feel he is a force that has to go." Victoria Lyles, president As One, the student group responsible for bringing Farrakhan to campus, agrees. "The State News has been unfair to its minority reporters," Lyles said. "I think (minority staffers) are very fair in asking for (Secor's) resignation." Murray, recalling several incidents in which African-American State News reporters COfll>lained to him about problems at work, said he supports the demand for Secor's resignation. "I really don't blame (thEi minority staff) for walking out," Murray said. "I'm glad they did it. "(Secor's) the man in charge. So if they're asking for his resignation, I'm in full support." But Secor says he's not leaving. "They can demand all they want but I'm not going to resign," Secor said. "I have eight weeks left in what's otherwise been a great year. "This is an in-house incident and · will be treated as such." What's Next Peyton says he plans to take the group's concerns to The State News Board of Directors, which unanimously voted to make Secor editor-in-chief last spring. Bill Cote, MSU professor of journalism who serves on the State News Board of Directors, said Monday that the board had not yet heard from Peyton nor received a list of the . staffer's demands. "We had not heard anything about these problems before," Cote said. "It .still seems very vague to me." Cote , who briefly discussed the walk-out with Secor on Monday, said he does not believe Secor will resign. Secor and the other editors, he added, "have gone out of their way to include minorities (on the staff.)" State News General Manager Allen Swartzell, who works across the hall from Secor in the Student Services Building, agrees. "I think (Secor has) done a pretty darn good job over there.," Swartzell said. "He's gotten a lot more minorities." He said he sees no reason for Secor to resign. But photographer Kyndell Thompson believes his resignation would do the paper some good. - "I think (his resignation) will benefit the paper because he's recently gotten a lot of bad press," Thompson said. A meeting with Secor, Peyton, · Swartzell, State News Staff Representative. Todd Moshier and ·participants of the walk-out was scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the situation. Late Monday, Peyton said it was too early to tell what the meeting might bring. Thompson said she expects the strikers' demands to be implemented as soon as possible, but remains realistic "I expect to lose some demands," she said. "I'd like (Secor) to leave, but I don't expect anything of people because you don't know what you're going to get." Residence Halls Sign Up for Fall 1990 . DURING SPRING TERM 1990 SIGN UP LOCATIONS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN EACH RESIDENCE HALL RESERVE CURRENT ROOM OR APARTMENT Mon. April '16 and Tue. April 17 8:30 am.-4:30 a.m. RESERVE ANY UNRESERVED ROOM IN CURRENT HOUSE Thu. Apr11· 19 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. RESERVED FOR INTERNAL DISPLACEMENTS Fri. Aprll 20 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m .• RESERVE A DIFFERENT ROOM OR APARTMENT IN OWN HALL Mon. April 23 and Tue. April 24 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ON-CAMPUS STUDENTS Planning to change halla Pick up transfer card• from your current houelng clerk Thu. Aprll 28 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. RESERVE ANY UNRESERVED ROOM OR APARTMENT IN ANY HALL ·Fri. April 27 and Mon. Apr. 30 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. OFF-CAMPUS STUDENTS AND UNIVERSITY APARTMENTS STUDENTS Sign up for Residence Halla on Wed. May 2 and Thu. May 3. Appllcatlon muat flrat be made and a houelng application fee of 525 paid at the Residence tialla Aaalgnmenta Office, University Houelng Building on Service Road 355·7460 8:30 a.m.·4:30 p.m. The Houalng contrect la In ettect for the entire ec•demlc Y••r. Retumlng atudenta muat algn the houalng contr•ct when m•klng • room reaervetlon. Spring-term gr•du•t•• ere ellglbl• to r•••rv• • •P•C• In Owen Or•duete Center. Roommate requeata: On·c•mpua roommet• requeets muat h•v• paperwork completed by Mey 1 !5·. Roommate choice• of atudents currently llvlng ott campua or new to the Unlveralty wlll be honored If their houalng application• are on file In the Realdence Halla Aaalgnmenta Office by May 1!5. Cance/ling a rese1Y1t/on automatically cancels 1ny roommate request. Voluntary trlplea c•nnot b• reae..Ved during sign-up. Space cannot be raaerved In more then one hall. Applicants m•y maka a changa after cancelllng tn• first reaervatlon In pereon . · Buying, ••lllng or algnlng over houalng apaca le• vlolatlon of th• houalng contract and the Unlve,.lty reaervea the right to c•ncel eny reaervatlona mad• In this m•nner. Cancelletlona of fell term raaervallona and contrecta muat be med• bf Au9. 1. Student• thet do not cencel their raaltn'ellona bf that det• end enroll for cle•H• wlll be flnenclellf raaponelbl• eooonlln9 to the term• of the ~ueln9 conteot, 11 April 1990 the Peanut Barrel •Great Burgers and SandWiches 17 Years as East Lansing's Best Neighborhood Bar and Restaurant ' I I I I Bagel Fragefoeli r----------, 1/4 lb. Ham Sandwich, fragel, I I I I medium pop, and I bagel chips : : $3.85 : '- - ~~ll! .l.8-.1.,29,.2 _ J r-------- --~, 2 Fragels · I Be I Small Regular : Coffee I I : : $1.00 I I '- - ~1!~ !.?:..1!9~ --' I I I 'U'fuft§ 'ilf@@~a§S ~m@§~®ffi:! Does MSU's Athletic Program Have a Steroid Problem? a. Yes. Hercules. b. No. Pencilneck. c. Mandarich just eats his Wheaties. d. If there was, we'd have won the Big 10 . . To obtain a ~agel -ballot, redeem · one of the above coupons. 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Undeniably, there are problems here, and MSU has been forced to confront the ugliness of racial discrimination. Now, however, it appears that charges of just that kind - and of sexual harrassment - have been leveled at The State News, a leading proponent of erfding such discrimi nation. This is truly sad, but the chargas of racial and sexual harrassment being hurled at the paper's student managers, namely editor-in~chief John Secor, make it difficult to conclude anything but that the interests of both the minority staff mem bers and the daily's minority readersh~ have been blatantly - perhaps deliber ately - squelched. Sunday, a list d 21 demands, topped by the resignation of Secor, were pre sented to the editor. Accompanying those demands was a letter citing a break down in channels of communication between staff members and the paper's heirarchy. Minority staff members said they had enough and walked off the job, hoping to draw some of their white peers with them. Their move was a bold one, and many of the points they raise are valid and worthy d consideration and implementa tion. However, we are disturbed that, as of press time, specific incidents leading to the walkout are few and unconfirmed. These incidents that so disturbed a significant portion of the staff must be made public. Without disclosure, the walkout appears to be little than in-fighting between State News factions. We are also concerned that, at the outset, partiC~nts in the walkout were hesitant to have their names released. We recognize, however, that thiS may be the product of previous dealings with State · News management - and if that isn't evidence of intimidation, we'd like to know what is. But there is more here than a few disgruntled employees;the issue of minority hiring policy is by no means a new one. In fact, many newspapers across the country have some program for minority recruitment and retention, as part of affirmative action laws in their states. And · we must complement The State News for the percentage of minority employees in their editorial department -which · actually is greater than the overall percent age of minority students at MSU. But there's apparently a problem What minorities at the paper seem to be saying is that they want opportunities to advance there, not to be a token or · statistic dragged out to say: "See, we are helping our minority brother and sisters." The point is that in most instances, minorities who are hired often are tracked into positions with little or no chance for advancement. The number of minorities in starting positions has improved of late, but the number receiving promotions com pared with those of their white colleagues shows woefully inequity. At The State News , several editor positions now are filled by white females. But no Afric;:an AmeriCan or Hispanic or Asian student has held an desk editor p0sition since at least 1987, probably since before that. And although an African-American woman recently served as photo editor, that position has traditionally been decided by the photo department and their nominee chosen by editorial. It was her colleagues who recognized her qualifications, not management. There is yet another pitfall minorities at the The State News are plunged into. Minority students regularly are shuffled onto the Minority/Women/Handicapper beat as soon as they become full-time staff members. While it's true that it's an important beat and that sometimes minorities request that beat, too often the position is viewed as the obligatory turf of non-white females. And while minorities can bring sharper awareness and sensitivity to such a beat, minority talent should be tapped into for added insight to all issues that confront a newspaper, be it tuition increases, the cost of living, or abortion. An individual's ~city for highly attuned observation and .analysis is not limited to that with which they are familiar. This campus and this country are too racially and culturally See OP, p. 5 4· university Reporter-Intelligencer 11 April 1990 mi®ffl@®!lf0 fYll!llff ft®~ Barclay rape column wrong I am writing to express my outrage over the recent article written by Dr . . Andrew Barclay, "Honest Dialogue a Key to Ending Rape." There are many different aspects of this article that concern me. First, and foremost, is the appalling fact that Dr. Barclay never made a distinction between sex and rape. throughout the article he suggests that "date rape is a grey behavior ... that sometimes is an act of rough intercourse and not rape at all." It is insane that someone of his position, and supposed expertise, can equate rape with sex "Where only one partner enjoyed the sex.• Acquaintance rape is not sex. Rape, whether committed bya stranger or an acquaintance, la an act of force, vio lences and hatred.:.... not an act of loving that has somehow gone wrong. To suggest otherwise is unconscionable. It is just this line of thinking, this refusal to take responsibility for one's actions, that all01Ns teh practice of rape to continue. To claim, as Dr. Barclay so eloquently does, that "he (the rapist) has no idea of why he did what he did, but he's hurting too,• is ludicrous. Certainly, men have more control over their actions than this statement implies. Men rape. Men are responsible for rape. Men can stop rapel Barclay's analysis of the cause of rape is also sickening. While I will agree with him that men do not have an innate desire to rape, that rape is a learned behavior, the manner in which Barclay suggests this learning takes place is atisolutely unfounded. "Men, remember all the times your grandmother, a teacher, or someone else's mother made you sit still? Made you feel shitty ... humiliated you ... (women are responsble) Rapists feel rage and hatred for those who remove parts of us (men) we enjoy." This is pure psychob abble. What advantage does Barclay gain by refusing to address this issue from a vantage that takes into account the inequities between men and women in this society- a society that systematically encourages men to incest, batter and rape. Blaming the victim is an age-old misogynist tool used to brainwash women into taking responsibility for the abuse of power and control that is not theirs. Come on Barclay, do you really believe that if women had such power.in this society, then they would raise rapists? Ord~ it simply serve some other purpose, perpetuating a misogynist system, to ignore the issue entirely? I am demanding that Barclay's article be discontined. I am aware that this paper is funded entirely by advertisers. Therefore, I am sending this letter to each . advertiser and will "girl"cott their places of business until something done to remedy thissituation. ' - Dawn E.R. Kirby Mathematic ;,inior You are walking through the parking lot at night when you observe someone breaking into your car. You yell, "No ... Stopl" but to no avail as you watch the stranger speed wer and oppression. - Susan Yeich Ecological Psychology grad Because we print all the letters we receive in their entirety, it was necessary to use a slightly smaller type size in this week's letters section. Normally, we use 10 pt. Helvetica, this week we used 9 pt. H you experi enced any difficulty reading these letters, please contact us for copies of the letters or com puter printouts of them. Back copies of Dr. Andrew Barclay's column are also available from the uR-1 at our 142 Gunson Street address. We look forward to receiving more qf your· letters. Please keep in mind that letters should be kept to about 250 words, should include your name and a phone number we can reach you at, and should be typed, or written neatly. We do not want to receive unsigned letters - we're not your pen pals. H you feel strongly enough to write us, let everyone know what yol1ve got to say. See you next week ... 11 April 1990 university Reporter-lntelli encer • 5 Barclay writes, readers write, · wlt!?.~m!~!JhO ka9ws who is right? M.L. · Elrick Freedom, peace, understanding, truth, love, opportunity, fairness. These are some olthe things I believe in, and though it may be a only partial list, I think it lays appropriate groundwork for this week's column. And let me preface what comes next with two other convictions I hold: Rape is wrong, and everyone has a right to say what they believe. Unfortunately, thos~ two beliefs met head-on last term when our Dr. Andrew Barclay, Dr. Sex to most readers, grabbed hold of one of the most sensitive issues of our time and placed it under the weird light that illuminates his examination tabl·e. A table where a variety of issues are examined and dissected. And, as usual, when Barclay - through that bizarre glow - his subject for the week, he sees it in a way most - no, make that all - people wouldn't see it. looks at That didn't sit well with a lot of readers. Understandably so. I won't t,.Y and tell you that some of . my best friends and parents are women. That should be obvious. And without a doubt, I won't try to say that rape is not that bad and something that we should learn to live with. I.don't think Barclay was saying that either. So where does that put me? Really in a tricky sP<>t. because after working with Barclay for over a term and a hatt, I still don't know where satire and his desire to create outrage or be provocative ends and serious commentary starts. And after listening to the concerns voiced by our female staff members and reading your letters, I find it impossible to disagree Points like Ms. Kirby's: "Acquaintance rape is not sex. Rape, whether committed by a stranger or an acquaintance, Is an act of force, violence and hatred - of loving that has somehow gone . wrong." not an act or Ms. Schillo's parallel of car theft and rape, constructed using Barclay's reasoning: "Perhaps this incident is simply the result of miscommunication. After all, you did leave your expensive sports car out in a parking lot in full view of others, as if yoo were 'asking tor it' to be stolen. Even though you did scream, 'No,' the stranger was obviously .confused with the mixed messages he was receiving. It is really not his fault that he is stealing your car. If you did not want him to steal your car you should not have been driving it around." and her later declaration that: "Rape is not sex, nor is it a · miscommunication about sex: Rape ls an act of violence against a woman's entire being." . or Dr. Sullivan's clear definition of rape: "When a man 'knocks her to the · floor and has sex with her,' that Is rape. When he 'tears off her panties,' that Is rape. When a man has sex with a sleeping woman, that Is rape. When she asks him to stop and he keeps going, that Is rape. (Barciay) may be confused about when an act is rape, but women are not. . or Ms. Yeich's sound advice urging "all readers to not simply absorb · the ideas put out by 'experts' on this issue, but to critically examine the issue for themselves. One does not need a PhD to understand the dynamics of power and oppression." or Ms. Wordes' plain and simple: "When someone forces sex on you against your wishes, IT IS RAPE." So; clearly rape is a sensitive subject, and one clearly defined for a vast majority of people. I share the position of the women writing in on what constitutes rape. I won't try to speak for anyone else on what they But there is something else I believe, and that is that no matter how bizarre, strange, or inflammatory something is, people have a right to say what's on their mind. And people have a right to disagree. I suspect that few people agree with Barclay's column of a couple weeks ago, but I hope we'll all agree that he had a right to say what he said. Not because it was right, but because he wanted to say it. Without freedom of speech, we lose so many things. The right to dissent, the right to protest, even the right to sing a song someone may not want to hear. If Barclay isn't allowed to shoot his mouth off in our paper, who can? And if no one can, who will be there to print your ·1etters that are serving a very important purpose this week, namely discussing the problem of rape and tossing some hard thought out for debate? We are the only paper I know of in which you can write the whole damn thing, if enough of you get worked up. Already we've run an all column issue, comprised of columns submitted by readers. And f certainly invite anyone to · write a column for us - our only criteria is that submissions are interesting and fairly well-written. Oh, you must give us your name and a photograph (preferably black and white). Care to talk about rape? Gun control? Abortion? The baseball strike? Eating with your mouth open? Go ahead, have at it. That's why this paper started; to publish what you can't find elsewhere. Barclay, the Provocateur, what have you. And now you, too, can be an author. But to get back to our starting point. I do believe that rape is a terrible and heinous act that ruins lives and has no redeeming value or aspect. And I do believe that freedom of speech is a precious gift we all should exercise whenever possible. So why did we print this column when no one really was all that hot about it seeing the light of day? ' · Because it was written, and if nothing else, was interesting enough to draw your attention and, consequently, your letters. I have a saying: Tolerate the extreme to protect the routine. As long as we are able to print some of the mad reflections of Dr. Barclay, we will be able to print stories about town meetings and essays from nuns. And, who knows what will happen when someone will decide that there is no redeeming value to what you want to write about? But until then, we'll be here. EAT CHEAP Dirty Dog Deal $1. 99 Coney Basket Includes One Coney Dog, Fries and Cole Slaw. Evervdav 'till 11 nm r--~-FREE---, I CONEY BASKET I I I wfien you buy one I I basket and two pops I I with this coupon. \. Everydav 'till 11 o.m. I WE DELIVER 332-2381 , ___ ._ __ .__,,,, i-0~0~ From OP, p.3 dynamic to be deluded with the opinions of a few. And if it the paper is looking for heightened awareness and sensitivity on minority issues, let a rrinority member assign the stories and edit the copy that will bring that goal to fruition. Since editors play a crucial role in a paper's coverage and presentation of events and issues, why cannot a minority member rise higher than minority issues reporter? And on the subject of beat reporting, we also have a problem with the walkout reporters in their choice of a spokesman. That State News erfl>loyees went to outspoken African-American student leader Darius Peyton only confuses.the issue even more. While charges of biased coverage during recent campus visits by the son a the late Elijah Muhammed and Louis Farrakhan may be valid, and Secor's staffing d8cisions for these events apparently were misguided and unfortu- nate, the fact that reporters choose a source for representation brothers us considerably. After all, when - and if - these students resume work, won't th~y have to call on him from time to time? Perhaps Focal Point Editor T rabian Shorters or his predecessor Chris Murray - both African-Americans...:..._ would have been more prudent. But the bottom line is this: There is trouble at The State News. It is important for State News manag ers to take the walkout reporters demands seriously and to judge each one independ ently and by its merits. There are qualified . minorities, and they must be given editor positions. Hiring drives should encourage minority participation by younger students, who will hopefully remain on staff to one day become editor-in-chief. Reporters should be allowed to cover stories that fall under their beats regardless of their race or sex, unless there is a blatant and obvious indication that their coverage will not be objective. That simply means giving all reporters a chance to prove themselves before drawing conclusions about their objectivity. Almost no one is stupid enough to believe that all African Americans are pro-Farrakhan or that all Jews are pro-Israeli. Finally, should John Secor resign? If reports of racial and sexual harrass ment are substantiated, he should · definitely step aside. If the walkout reporters' charges are substantiated, we fail to see how he will be able to effectively manage the paper for the next eight weeks. And though he says he knew nothing of the problem, we wonder how he could not have known what was going on with a staff of only 60 people, many of whom he is good friends with and almost all of whom he interacts with socially. It is in conceivable that in working everyday with these people he could be that out of touch with their concerns. And if charges that he threatened reporters who have approached him are true -which he has denied - a liar clearly cannot run an institution of truth. Richard Milhouse Nixon, whose book ironically has recently grabbed headlines, . learned that lesson over a decade ago. The State News- or any other agency-must have a credible head. Remember, this is an important campus institution. A paper that levies a tax on students. A paper that dozens of students devote most of their week to in order to enhance their journalistic capabilities. A paper that 40,000 people read five day$ a week to find out what's happening in the world. • Should one student be allowed to tarnish these things? We think not. John S. Knight said it best: Get the facts and print them. What remains now is for the facts to come out so this mess can be straightened out and the problems solved. That process must begin yesterday. teaches little kids how dirty sex is when we are little. Now, ten to twelve years later, by even getting close to a threesome, you are pushing the outer limits of your moral structure. H youkeep on in the situation, ride the explosive rush of feelings to their climax, you will approach the maximum physical experience a human being can feel. No drug on earth can touch it. By reducing the anxieties triggered by the possibility of breaking your norma tive code, as well as the anxiety of having to perform in an unknown situation, you will be able to reduce the pressures pushing you away from the experience while maintaining maximum excitement. Goodluckl Additional information on breaking norms and threesomes : Once you discover how exciting it is to break ingrained childhood inhibitions, there is no end to the excitement you can have. Whenever your sex-life gets boring, break a norm; try inter-racial sex, esi:>e cially if your family has always warned you about bringing one of ihem• home. H you are homophobic, try a same-sex partner as an experiment. Watch out, though, for previously-formed twosomes where you're the outsider. - For all the people who read Matt's letter, my answer, and are excited about going out to the bar to get picked up by a couple looking for a third, WARN I.NG: this type of sex can be unstable· an explosive. Some men have fantasies about watching their wife have sex with another woman, some about watching her have sex with another man. He may be OK with what's going on, right up to the point where you're climbing on and she is wrapping her legs and arms around you or going down on your or whatever. H they're going to freak out, that's exactly where they're going to do it. Then they show up waving a gun and threaten ing to shoot both of you. Barclay's First law of Threesomes is: Never argue with the person holding a gun-, grab you things and split while he is figuring out (in that same rush of feeling Matt reported) whether they want to shQOt you, fuck her, · or what. Dear Dr. Andrew Barclay: Normally, I think your columns are a hoot but.what you said about rape was so stupid, I hadtowriteforaretraction. What kind of idiocy is it to• Just Say 'No'," to a rapist? You said that a woman need only say "Stopl" to the man, and then he would back off. That is bullshit. Men do not back off, not until a woman hits them hard enough to get their attention in a place that really hurts, •if you get my drift.• Assum ing you know anthing about sex at _all, how could you have beer. so simplistic about a C01T4>licated problem?? Can we ever take you seriously again? Julie Dear JUiie: Anyone who knows me will tell you it is always a mistake to take me seriously, but I think you mis-read what I was saying about acquaintance-rape. This behavior stems from a group of men who are "insensitive assholes who think they deserve to be let into a woman's body without a foundation in intimacy being es tablished." I said this to a group of men: "H a woman says she doesn't want to have sex, men, stop. Back off. Talk about your feelings to find out what went wrong with your perceptions and communication so you do not make the rristake again.• I stand by my observation that acquaintance-rape and date-rape are different form rape and should not be called "rape,• because it only clouds the issue. Rape is a violent action (not a sexual act) perpetrated by psychopathic males. Only a small percentage of the male population is damaged enough by being ignored in their infancy and demas culinized in later childhood to use rape as a weapon against women in general. There will always be a small percentage of violent males because we are talking about a genetic or severe developmental problem which occurs with a specific frequency in the population. We cannot do much about preventing this problem through raising consciousiness. However, we can do something about errors or misperceptions.in communication causing sexual acts where only one partner enjoys the sex. Women need to speak up immediately when they do not like what is happening, not be silenced by feelings of intimidation. Men need to be more sensitive to their partner's feelings. Both women AND men are injured by these insensitivities. Raising conscious ne~ increases the probability of creating an honest dialogue within the couple; thus, reducing the chances an unhappy sexual act will. occur. Rape is not (excul sively) men's fault, nor is it women's, but we must share responsibility for communi- cating our likes and dislikes equally. . I'm looking forward to a future time when 90% of the women are not afraid to be out at night on campus. Dr.Andrew Barclay :+:if'\.i"!ht +1 I'".!!? )ll:l:[!l::tlil\llt\::\\l!l\lll!l:::l::::::::::l:i:::::::::::::.:i:::.:i:::::::::~[[:::\::::::[::_ Three's no it's just right crowd - Dear Dr. Sex: Here's my problem: My roommate and I are good friends with a woman who wants to have sex with both of us at once. My roommate is really tu med on by the idea, and I think it is a big turn-on myseH. The trouble is that every time we are just about to get down to business and start taking off our clothes, I panic and have to leave. This has happened three times. I've tried getting a little drunk and a little high but that hasn't helped. Every time I just lose control and have to get out of there. I really want to do this. I get hard as a rock thinking about it, so why can't I go through with it? Any suggestions? Matt Dear Matt: This is a perfect example of how the spirit may be willing but the flesh is subject ·to weakness, if you get my drift. You are turned on in your (mental) fantasy of the '9Vent but the true reality actually includes all the turn-ons, tum-offs, and conflicts you are feeling simultaneously. This combina tion of feelings is so exciting, you are oifer amping your body and it is blowing you out of the situation before you pop a mental circuit-breaker. You will be much better off if you drink a bit more alcohol (to reduce super-ego control) and avoid getting high. Part of your problem is due to smoking Cannabis, a substance which has been known to induce paranoia and/or panic reactions under the best of circumstances. Although ~and hash are reputed to be mild tranquilizers, they can backfire in situati osn where you are unsure about what is happening because all you will get is the increase in anxiety or paranoia. Moreover, grass has no known aphrodesiac effect. You obviously do not need to feel more of yourseH or your feelings at the point where you are leaving the situation. I also recommend doing a one-on-one with the woman to get some idea of where she is corring from as well as gaining some knowledge of her sexual responses. Have you thought of remaining in the room while your roommate is humping her? You might also try hiding in the closet and watching them to get.turned-on enough to push yourseH to the -point of no return.• I would be remiss not to point out that part of your body's uncontrollable reaction is due to your early childhood experiences with morals artd ethics. The best Part of our sexually messed-up culture is that it 11 April 1990 university Reporter-lntelligencer,.-7 Reviews -1 Love You to Death a killer ~ of sorts by SUZANNE WIMllER uR-1 cinema correspond8nt /_Love You to Death bores me to death. Surprised? Yeah, me too. How could this film lose? It packs Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, River Phoenix, and Keanu Reeves Into what seems to be our escape from the aftermath of the Oscar nominated re-releases. Granted, I may have expected a hit - but not in the face. This true story first introduces us to Joey (Kline), an Italian Immigrant and Rosalee (Ullman), his Yugoslavian wife. They are the stereotypes from hell. Joey cheats on Rosalee. Who cares? He's Italian! And Rosalee? Well, Eastern Euro pean women are most happy when they are slaves to their rude and unfaithful husbands. Joey owns a pizzeria and an apartment build ing. He continually finds mistresses in the pizzeria and takes them to the apartment building to woo them into a bedroom. Rosalee is oblivious to the ~~~f.~~~(gpgp~~:p~~i' ......... ...... ·.·.·.·.·.•.·.·.·.·.· ·.-.·:·:·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.· entire situation, until she finally catches him In the act. Instead of confronting him, she tries to kill him. Rosalee first seeks the help of her mother. When their attempts are unsuccessful, she brings a busboy from the pizzeria (Phoenix) in on the scheme. In love with Rosalee, the busboy sees this as his opportunity to entice Rosalee. He realizes that he can't perform the act himself, but as a last resort he calls on his friends, Harlen and Marlen. A spark of hope for this film is Naclja (Joan Plowright), Rosalee's overbearing mother, as well as Harlen and Marlen (William Hurt and Reeves), two drug-addicted space cadets . . Plowright's acting is impeccable, even under the · restraints of a poorly developed storyline. She brings humor to her character through her lack of facial ex pressions and her sassy one-liners. "In America people kill each other left and right, it li~e national pastime," she explains in her near slavic accent. Reeves plays his usual disassociated air brained character with his typical flair, while his e us ·now:::: ::::: •Wh9t·¥o~m1•$6.M• i#iJ.:IJJ8PttilMl@O#/ :'©@rt©i~©{attfie ',•• :.tikYi.61.ili:itmint ·~ll!fi!j~f P49•t sk:lekick, Hurt, matches the performance. As Marlen and Harlen, the pair steals their part of the show. Their lack of comprehension completely overshad ows Phoenix's attempted awareness. Phoenix, as a sixties-dad mystic, hides behind his hippie image. His performance is not even com parable to those of Uttle Nikita and Stand By Me: His acting lacks its usual depth and his words don't come from his heart. He tries to be cool, but In reality he's only luke warm. Ullman and Kline prove to be the low point of I Love You To Death. Kline tries to relive A Fish Called Wanda, whileUllman is just plain sappy . . Her acceptance of domesticity and blindness to her husband's infidelity is repulsing and, frankly, out dated. Overall, the story was poorly written. Its circular motion allows no one to grow or change. It's not very funny, and its sexist undertones are annoying. If not for the performances of Hurt, Plowright, and Reeves, I Love You to Death would be a complete disaster. Instead, it's just a bore. dlcWi II MeM? Let Us Help You Out-Come To . GARY'S CAMPUS HAIR SALON $9.00 Uni-sex Hair Styling "II e"1 ~ 'lfei P'liced ~" 351-6511 • 549 E. Grand River (next to Confection Conneetion) M-F 8am-7pm •Sat 9am-2pm Proud To Co-sponsor "Houses In Motion". Coming Soon To Local Bookstores THINK EARTH Inttoducing the environmentally ·friendly way to enjoy great coffee to-go! .._. ioHolds all of our large or small drinks. '--"•Comes with lid and dashboard mount. •Most imponantly, you can use it forever! fl ,..., \. THE GUil.T -FREE TRAVEL MUG From Espresso Royale 226 Abbott Rd. near Beggar's open 7-mid. The Clydesdale HOLD IT RIGHT THERC PAPPV!!f The HOT TUB HOT LINE 332-6318 (Located corner of Grove & Linden, near Dooley's) r-------~---, . I $2.00 Off I Your Next Hot Tub Rental 1 1 I I (with Coupon) I I ~xp. MAY 11, 1990 ----------- L Limit One Discount Per Visit .J Greater Lansing's Best Hot Tub Experience Featuring 3 Indoor & 4 Outdoor Private Tubs • Gift Cer_tificates & Part Rates Available • Tanning Booths & Tanning Accelerators byJONT Sl'M Alj K%1WP1 WITT'( ••• ;:[ WANT TO l"IAARV TH%$ LADY. \ New. Wednesdays Reggae Night All Rum Drinks $1. 7 S Feature This Week: Ras Sha 101 E." Grand River Home of The Shark bowl! LET1.S FACE :IT, IP' THOSE sn WAVE IEEN AT ROO"' TEl"IP. THXS LOftlQ THEY'RE PA08ABLV JN THERE SITTIN 1 ON LAIJIJ CH"rAS SIPPrN'MARTrN:rS. 8EIJDU1 HATCH S"ID THI!: COOLER RAN OUT t1F F'REORI. IVO CJNI. COU&.D HAVE PAIVEIVTED THAT. %T '.S NOT VOUA Fl'U • ~/ Putting their best, er, foots forward are WATER 4 THE POOL, East Lansing's rowdiest band. From left moon to right, Don B{own, Brian Stout, Mark, and Dean Vanston. Water 4 the Pool cranked into rousing versions of R.E.M.'s "Stand" and "Get Up" there was a larger than usual throng whirling it out on the dance floor. Along with duplicating selections from such college favorites as the Replacements, The Smiths, and Elvis Costello, the band was able to grab into other musical bags and produce tunes that aren't as likely to be showcased at a bar like Rick's. A harder-edged rendition of Young Me's •Bust a Move· got favorable cro\W response, and so did "Dancing Queen,· the band's homage to the · masters of Australian pop, Abba. The band was joined during the final set by the Hannibals' drummer. Brown came out from behind his six piece drum set to sing lead ahd to coax the eroWd Into having the kind of fun the band seemed to be having. Some original material also snuck Its way into the last set, and the band indicated that they are presently at work on more of the same. With the addition of Mark a few months ago, the band says they now have four members who are inter ested in writing their own stuff. None of them seem really sure what direction their writing is going to take them. But Mark said he feels the band's energy level and love for playing and creating music translates into huge potential. "As long as the give and take necessary for every band takes place, it could be really interesting; he said. It could be. Water 4 the Pool rulineth all over by STEVE BYRNE uR-1 music correspondent The florescent green, yellow, blue and orange paint splotches splashed on the walls made a fitting backdrop for Water 4 the Poofs energetic performance last week at Rick's· American. Ca!e. Both the wide range of cover tunes and the irreverent stage rompings brought visions of a sponta neous wall-decorating jam session. The band played almost entirely covers, from XTC to Young MC. Their musicianship, along with lead singer Brian Stout's ability to imitate the mannerisms and voices of the bands they were covering, allowed them to pull off most of their selections with flying colors. Stout Was backed by a thumping rhythm section with drummer Don Brown, and the band's most recent addition, who prefers to be known just as Mark, on bass. Guitarist Dean Vanston slashed his way through a variety of guitar styles in t.he three-set performance that went until the bar closed. Brown said the band draws on influences from "The Beatles to the Pixies." This was certainly apparent, though the song list leaned a little to the Pixies' side. And one could image a Public Image Ltd. invasion of East Lansing with Water 4 the Pool's superb cover of •Disappointed: Stout's Lydon-like wan was a near replica and the instrumentation was equally accurate. Some of the quartet's most inspired playing had them in a Red Hot Chili Pepper style frenzy, Stout stalking stage ala Anthony Kiedls and Mark popping out the bass lines , with the ferocity (if not the slappiness) of Flea. Loud as a jackhammer, the show was fast-paced, top. The sound only suffered occasionally on some of the more guitar-oriented songs where Vanston's playing was not up front .·enough. Although the Thursday night cro\W was sparse at first, ·by the time