Hastings Law News Vol.13 No.3 UC Hastings College of the Law
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University of California, Hastings College of the Law UC Hastings Scholarship Repository Hastings Law News UC Hastings Archives and History 10-8-1979 Hastings Law News Vol.13 No.3 UC Hastings College of the Law Follow this and additional works at: http://repository.uchastings.edu/hln Recommended Citation UC Hastings College of the Law, "Hastings Law News Vol.13 No.3" (1979). Hastings Law News. Book 112. http://repository.uchastings.edu/hln/112 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the UC Hastings Archives and History at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Law News by an authorized administrator of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. San Francisco October 8, 1979 Volume 13, No.3 Boalt axes student newspaper By Larry Bobiles sprang-up on bulleting boards," fired Boalt Hall's student newspaper. The editor Andy Loomis recalled. Suspended Sentence, ceased publica· Holding in his hand one "open let· tion last week after its editor was fired ter" denouncing the paper which and funds frozen. LoomIS said was posted on bulletin Citing "outrage" at "patently offen· boards, he added that Boalt "is kind of sive material" appearing in Suspended like Peking Students like to use this Sentence's first issue of the school year. medium to get their views across," a unanimous resolution of the Boalt "My editorial policy is not to edit Hall Student Association (BHSA) anything." Loomis told the Law Neu}s vacated the editor's position. em- Loomis, a second-year student at bargoed funding. and asked newspa- Boalt, is a former public affairs officer per staff ュセュ「・イウ@ to surrender keys to with the U S Navy, their offices. "I just thought that students should At the bottom of the controversy have a place to publish where some- were an advertisement and a column body wasn't standing over them telling run by the newspaper hyping devices them what good thought is ." which shape the male or female der- Loomis, who lost a bid last year for riere and a set of underwear designed a seat on the BHSA, decried his firing to "cure" women of "penis envy" by as "censorship" and said he would ap- providing them an "insta-bulge." peal to Boalt Hall's Student Court. The paper. which is partially According to Loomis. he cannot be student-funded. also was condemned fired over the content of the paper. for running a "Sample Bingo Card" "It says so right in BHSA's by-laws. for use during class session games of Those by·laws were drafted two years "turkey bingo." ago to protect the paper when this In place of numbers. the card lists same thing came up," Loomis added names of selected Boalt students Spokespersons for BHSA could not Among those listed were two members be reached for comment. of BHSA. the president of a national Suspended Sentence has published Black Law Students Association. and intermittently over the last ten years, four Suspended Sentence staff mem- Continued on back page bers, Following publication of the tabloid format paper September 12. about 'Darkies'remark 100 angry students packed a BHSA meeting demanding that action be Stark, grey walls of AIcatraz Prison tember 22. Details, more photos on taken against the paper. ires students administration building greeted stu- page 5. "The paper was condemned as rac- By Lorie :Eber dents as they toured the facilities Sep- ist and sexist. Posters denouncing us Angry students demanded and received an apology from Professor Arthur Sherry September II after Sherry made an alleg· edly racist remark in a class lecture earlier Freitas, Silver bring campaigns here that day, o Imagine the old south " there was the white mansion with the pillars and the Silver raps incumbenfs record Freitas defends "darkies singing in the fields Sherry told his Section E Criminal Law class By Dana Drenkowski paign to Hastings Sept. 18 with a call White handling Startled students weren't sure that they for reorganization of the district at had heard correctly, accordingly to persons Carol Ruth Silver. the San Francisco By Mimi Lavin torney's office to place more import- attending the class. When they verified supervisor who is challenging embat- The Dan White case keeps following ance on reducing violent crime. that Sherry had, in fact, u.5<'d the word tled District Attorney Joe Freitas in the Joseph Freitas around. "darkies," some students started talking _Nov. 6 election. brought her cam- Contmued on back page Just before the incumbent district about circulating petitions registering their attorney arrived at Hastings Sept 25 discontent with Sherry's choice of words, for an appearance sponsored by the Immediately after the class ended. seven Hastings Democrats, someone scrawl- students (who chose not to be identified) ed on the blackboard in room B. "If confronted Sherry in his office, you're White, it's not called murder," Sherry 71 told the Law News that he was "taken aback" by student respon.5<' to a sardonic reference to the fiercely his remark, Darkies. he said. was a friendly controversial mamlaughter verdict term in his day. handed down to the former supervisor After being told by students that the for the murders of Mayor George Mos- term is not acceptable nowadays, Sherry cone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, said that he was sorry. that he hadn't in· The graffito was erased by the time tended to offend anyone and that it Freitas arrived for his appearance, but "wouldn't happen again." it provided a look at what is obviously Several students, unsatisfied with one of the biggest issues in the race for Sherry's apology. talked with Associate District Attorney. and probably Frei- Dean Jane Peterson about the incident Sep- tember 12 tas' leading albatross. They explained that the atmosphere in Freitas made no mention of the Sherry's class would not be conducive to White case during his prepared speech learning and that lhey refused to be sub· to an audience of about 40, but it was, jected to more comments of this nature not surprisingly, the first topic of ques- from Sherry in the future according to stu· tioning after the speech, dent sources. The 39-year-old District Attorney. Peter;on made arrangements for two of whose seat is under challenge by a the students who requested a transfer to number of contenders, concentrated enroll in Professor Vivian Wilson's on revie,,;ng his performance in office Criminal Law class. student sources said Peterson would not comment on the in· and pointing out that changes called Joseph Freitas: students quizzed cident becaU.5<' , 'I never discuss my deal- Carol Ruth Silver: supervisor calb Contmued on back page Continued on back page him on Dan White case handling. for changes in DA's office. Oc:tobu', IW111 PaK<' 2 HASTINGS LA W NEWS Opinion_and_Commentary--- Who should control 1M' mヲエGoセG@ aRCI. student newspapers? By Larry Bobiles seen fit to sanction its newspaper. Last week's sacking of Boalt Hall's The Boalt Hall Student Association student newspaper staff raises an on- (BHSA) was not similarly confronted going question that has never been when it chose to axe the Suspended fully resolved: Who should have final Sentence's staff. It based its dismissals say over what goes into a student- upon "patently offensive material" ap- funded newspaper? pearing in the newspaper, notwith- Student journalists would like to standing a provision in their own by- think that however their paper is fund- laws prohibiting staff dismissals over ed, no one except themselves should the paper's content. But the by-laws have editorial controL provision aside, BHSA's action is de- On the other hand, students who plorable. help pay for the paper can claim justi- BHSA should have employed less fiably some right of editorial control drastic means to respond in this situa- since they are in essence the newspa- tion, such as encouraging students to per's publishers_ write to the editor or to join the staff. TWE M Really, both sides are right. But if By basing its decision entirely upon one must make a choice, it should be its "outrage" at the paper's content, on the side of the newspaper's staff. BHSA sets a dangerous example for Child Care A student publication like this one is other student governments. Will there different from an archetypal metro- now be open season on student-funded politan daily_ Its sole aim is to inform, newspapers which print materials Center 'airs' gripes and if it is lucky, to provide some guid- "patently offensive" to the student gov- By Janet Gray-Sutherland serious." To this the official response ance based on its attempted objectiv- ernment? Moreover, BHSA has blown The Hastings Child Care Center has stated, " ... while we wish to help, the ity. Produce a profit? Attract big ad- its future chances at a newspaper con- been an important element in the suc- best we can do is give you moral sup- vertisers? Quite unlikely. taining fresh accounts of people and cess of many single women students port in your efforts." Working without the added pres- events at Boalt, since serious reporters and student families by providing The Administration has discussed sure a profit-minded publisher might will be reluctant to work for a paper high-quality child care, especially to relocating the Child Care Center at apply, the Law News staff employs its whose editorial policies are clouded by those with low incomes. However, the some future time. Time estimates have best judgment to editorial decisions.