t• Wushmgtnn and Let Univer I I\ VOLUME LXXVII LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, MAY4, 1978 NUMBER 27 Gallagher's Fate Uncertain Pub Board EC Votes to Retain Fires Gallagher Tuesday Editor Mon. by Randy Sm1lh said that the editor has a The Executive Committee responsibility to his adver­ by J1m Barnes has taken the in1tial step toward tisers. the subscribers, and the Six members of the Publica­ reversing the Publications students. lions Board voted to remove Board's decision to remove J. "The Rank-tam Poon was a Mike Gallagher as the Ring­ Michael Gallagher as editor of 'humor magazine' not a tum Phi editor at a meeting on the Ring-tum Phi. The Pub newspaper'' which represented Monday Two members sup­ Board fired Gallagher Monday a "major change in format, " ported Gallagher's retention for Cor his "irrespons1b1hty" m Potter contmued. "Money was the one more Phi he was to put printing the April 20 Joke issue, obtained from advertisers out before Gray Coleman the Rank-tam Poon. under the false pretense that asswnes his responsibilities as At a specially called meeting their ads would appear in a the new editor-in-chief. One Tuesday afternoon, the EC newspaper," he said. member abstained. The ballot voted 8-4 to reinstate Gallagher He charged Gallagher with was cast in secret. as editor of the student "fiscal irresponsibility" and The two-th1rds majority re­ newspaper. The vote reflects said the editor "cost the Ring­ quired to remove Gallagher as the two-thirds majority re­ tum PhiS300" with the lampoon enator m lrv1n the editor was ach1eved after quired of the EC before they can issue. "The Publications Board the Pub Board debated the issue overturn the Pub. Board's can no longer accept respon­ for over two hours in an open removal vote. sibility for the actions of meeting on the lttird floor of However, a second vote is re­ Michael Gallagher," Potter To Speak May 16 quired before Washington and Tucker Hall. concluded. The Contact Committee an­ The motion to remove Lee's student government can educated first at The Univers1ty constitutionally overrule the Gallagher refuted the nounced yesterday the signing of North Caolina at Chapel Hill Gallagher was presented by charges by saying, "don't of former Senator Sam J Irvin Parker Potter and seconded by Pub. Board's decision and and later at Harvard Uruversl­ reinstate Gallagher. The EC blame the $300 loss on me." He Jr. to appear in Lee Chapel on ty, where he received hts Jaw Jeff Bird. Potter based his reminded the Board that the Tuesday, May 16. The an­ resolution primarily on the has delayed the second vote un­ degreein 1922. til next Monday night. decision to refund the adver­ nouncement, made by co­ Irvin's Senate activities go all grounds that Gallagher had tisers for ads placed in the chairmen Billy Webster and "radically changed the format the way back to his Involvement Rank-lam Poon issue bad been Walter Granruth, marks the on the Select Committee to In­ (of the Phi) without talking to made by the Pub. Board last end or Ws year's Contact the Pub Board." Potter said vestigate Censure Charges '"I don 't beliet"f' in l(idng Pf.->opl.­ Monday, before any advertiser presentation Against the late Senator Joseph that as the publisher or the Phi, thl'ir money b.t ~k until lhf')' a11k reaction had been registered. Irvin is best known Cor his roll the Pub Board should have been McCarthy. At rus ret1rement, he for it." "I don't believe in giving peo­ in the Senate hearings dealing was involved in the work of a informed of the contents of the ) .M.G. ple their money back tmtil they with Watergate. He chaired the lampoon issue, because they couple of committees, including ask for it," Gallagher said. "I Senate Judiciary Committee the Goverment Operations ultimately must asswne the didn't slur Cthe advertisers') and presided over the televised responsibility for the articles in Committee, of which he was Jim Underhill, president of names or hurt their business." Watergate hearings. He retired chairman, and the Judicary the.Ring-tum Phi. the EC, urged the six day wait ln fact, he added, "that paper from the senate in 1974 after 20 Potter also charged that Committee, of wh1ch he was the "to give Gray Coleman (next bas given the advertisers more years of public service in that second rankmg Democrat. advertisers bad been "delraud­ body. year's Ring-tum Phi editor) exposure" because of all the The May 16 presentation by ed" when their ads turned up some experience putting out the controversy. Irvin was born in Morgan­ along side lampoon stories town, North Carolina on the former senator will begin at paper" and to give the students Potter said the Rank-tam 8:00 in Lee Chapel. rather than regular stories. time to react to the Executive September 2:1, 1896. He was Bird said that when he and Pub Poon ''was not a newspaper" Committee's action. and that Gallagher had Board President Ryland Owen Parker Potter, editor of Ariel took the Rank-tam Poon to "drastically altered the format Students Arrested and the Pub. Board member of the Ring-tum Phi. "It's as if those who advertised in the who initiated the vote for on Drug Charges issue, the advertisers claimed we bad charged you with the du­ with the exception of one, they Gallagher's removal Monday, ty of printing a newspaper and Three Washington and Lee cording to police. stated the Publications Board's didn't want their ads in the you printed a roadmap," he students were arrested for The names or the students pos1tion on the firing. said. sales of marijuana, after a were released to the press Poem, and would not have "The editor of the Ring-tum advertised in the issue had they "My contention is that (the Rockbridge county grand jury shortly after the arrests. The Phi is an agent of the Publica­ April 20 issue) was a sent out an indictment last Mon­ three students were Spencer known beforehand of the nature tions Board" and is thus of the lampoon issue. newspaper, and the Rank-tam day afternoon The arrests oc­ Jackson and Christopher Reid, " responsible to the Pub. Poon was a feature section or curred Monday night, _ ac- both seniors, and James Randy Sm1th, Phi news Board," Potter said. He also editor, disputed Potter's ac­ Ccontin ued on page 2) McElroy, a junior. Two other cusations that important stories local men, John Keller and were sacrif1ced at the expense Strong Awarded Fulbright James Nash, are racing similar of Legitimate news stories. charges in the aCCa1r Smith said that the stories that The hearing for the case is were not included in the non­ A Washington and Lee national leadership society. He scheduJed for May 1J ; all the lampoon section of the Phi were University senior, John S. is assistant head counselor in accused are presently free on not "time relevant." Strong of North Wales, Pa., has the university's freshman dor­ bond. Last year's Calyx editor, been awarded a Fulbright mitories th1s year He is also ac­ There has been no official Chris Volk, wanted to clarify Grant for graduate study in tive With "Contact," the student statement as yet from the W&L the basis of the motion calling Europe body's annual speaker series, admmistration about the mat­ for Gallagher's removal as and as a member of the Student ter. However, the Student Con­ Strong wiU pursue studies in trol Committee has been predicated solely on hjs fiscal urban planning in Stockholm , Recruitment Committee, an ad­ irresponsibility. The Pub Board junct of the admissions office. notified of the alleged ofCense, Sweden. He is taking an In­ and has been directed to begin reimbursed all of the adver­ dependent major at Washmgton He Is a student-body IJsers in the lampoon issue. representatJve to the faculty an investigation as soon as and Lee in urban planmng and possible. With respect to the content of admuustralion. Courses and Degrees Commit the Phi , and Gallagher's tee, and parhc1pates in the local removal, Volk said "You can't Strong, a consistent Honor B1g Brothers program and m Reminder dismiss an ed1tor for something Roll student, the highest patient-service programs at an subjective " <\new race ror the threalrt' ... academic designation at area men~ I hospital as well. ODK Keg Party Friday Volk claimed that Gallagher set story on page 3. Washington and Lee, is a Strong is the son of Mr. and cost the Phi about $300 in reim­ member or Phi Beta Kappa and Mrs. John Strong of 'JJ11 East Lewis Hall, 4-7 p.m. <conlinuedon ~ge7 ) photo by Chris Volk of Om1cron Delta Kappa, the Prospect Ave., North Wales. Page 2, Ring-tum Phi, May 4, 1978 EC Votes To Reinstate Gallagher 1contmued from page 11 "That's why the dismissal although Gallagher's failure to thai newspaper.·· Gallagher motion was confined to fiscal tell his business manager about responded responsibility," explained Dave the lampoon was "irresponsi­ Jackie Boyden, law school EC McLean "None of us want to ble." representative , asked put ourselves in a censorship ' 'I'd hale to see him kicked off Gallagher. "To whom do you position. " because it would set a precident o" e a duty to print the ln his closing statement where we can't manage ourselves and our newspaper," said Andy Bodenstab, sophomore representative. Jim Davis was not worried about the precident of removing an editor, but was "concerned with Mike Gallagher's bad Mike Gallagher and Temp Web~r listen to tht> Pub Hoard's judgement'' and "his attitude." r easons for Gallagher's removal.