HE MILT SKIFF Volume 73, Number 36 Texas Christian University . Fort Worth, Texas 76129 Tuesday, November 5, 1974 Forums votes to invite klansman By ROBERT BOBBINS been signed by 280 students. the best value for our money," he reject this speaker without Committee member Karen The Fofums Committee voted Mike Stephens, Brite Divinity said. rejecting other radical Bachman said "it means 6 to 5 Thursday to invite David School student, said since the Stephens suggested money be speakers," he said. something for two different Duke, Grand Dragon of the Klu Forums Committee has sole spent on speakers who would be Palmer suggested abolishing groups, the NAACP and students Klux Klan, to speak at the responsibility for selecting more acceptable to the majority the general University fee where from Brite Divinity School, to University despite pleas from speakers without administrative of the student body. all students are forced to pay for express opposition to a speaker. speakers which they may various students that such a visit dictate, members should make Gearhart said the Creative Since they did vocally respond, would cause disunity on campus. reasonable choices. Programming Committee had disapprove. He said it was more we should be considerate and not "We feel that spending $800 on requested financial assistance reasonable for the committee to allow Duke to speak." Committee Chairperson Linda a speaker implies the man has from Forums to bring Duke, and sell tickets to each speaker to pay Before voting by secret ballot, Gearhart opened the meeting to value and his views h?ve value. it was not her committee's their fees. Gearhart reminded the members allow students to respond to the But because a view exists, we are original idea to invite the klans- Gearhart then asked non- that Duke's visit had become a proposed invitation after a not responsible for airing that man. committee members to leave the very emotional issue and that petition against Duke's visit had view. This man is not giving us "Our criteria (for spending room but said "we will probably they should consider the con- funds) is what we want to give decide not to invite Duke to sequence of any decision. money to—not necessarily a speak." Once the votes had been worthwhile cause but something Once non-members had left. counted and the decision to invite that the students want to hear," Helen Snyder, chairperson of the Duke had been made, several she said. Creative Programming Com- members expressed concern that "We want to bring speakers for mittee, said her group was not the administration might Forums that have novelty in- endorsing anything Duke says • reconsider (he present speaker terest and are educational in that but was simply trying to give a policy and take away the com- they present their views in sampling of opinion. mittee's right of selection. person and students won't have She said college students Sally McCracken of University to rely on myth or stories alone," should be mature enough to hear Programs and Services said it committee member Harry speakers with possibly radical was the right of students to select McClintock said. views and yet not necessarily speakers and that the ad- Nancy Gallagher said that the accept those views. ministration approved of the purpose of a university is to Snyder said the Creative concept. "We are trying to leave broaden horizons. "There is Programming Committee had il a""5tudent issue." she said. freedom of speech," she said. sent Duke a card offering three After the students who had But Ezekiel Tolbert, director of dates in November for his ap- waited outside the room were Upward Bound, responded that pearance but had not yet notified of the committee's vote. Duke would damage any sense of received a reply. Bronaugh Bridges, president of community or camaraderie on McClintock said Duke's visit the University chapter of campus among black and white would be educational for him NAACP. said he would ask^Vice students. He said the violent since he had not been exposed to Chancellor Howard G. Wible to attitudes which characterized the Klu Klux Klan. He said the review the University speaker the 1960s still existed and the committee should sponsor a policy. committee should be sensitive to speaker with opposing views in Stephens said the committee the feeling of others. addition to Duke. decision showed "intense Palmer said should the com- disrespect for the opinions of the COULDN'T BEAR THE SUSPENSE—Winners of the Homecoming Committee member Jim mittee decide not to invite Duke students who were opposed to Personality competition were finally announced at the pep rally Palmer said not allowing Duke to it would set a precedent for any Duke's i <sit." But he said that it Friday. Brad Nutter and Kristi McLain captured top honors and were speak would be inconsistent with group to apply pressure in order should remain the right of the presented at the Homecoming game against Baylor Saturday. past policy to invite speakers Forums Committee to accept or Baylor's mascot also got a chance to entertain the crowd. with diverse views. "I think it to keep speakers from coming to Photo by Cheryl Thornton would be a double standard to campus. re jecj-speakers. Motorists take heed City to install crosswalk signals By MARSHA WEBB conjunction with the signs should be sufficient to advise Dr. Wible said he has long been trying to get action The Traffic Engineering Department of Fort Worth has motorists to watch for pedestrians crossing the street. taken before more near-accidents occurred. He said many consented to place flashing amber signals and He said the logical procedure to follow would be to use solutions have been offered to him. but they were not "pedestrian crossing ahead" signs in advance of three pedestrian signals, but they would be a waste of the tax- always practical. crosswalks on University Drive, said Vice Chancellor payers' money because pedestrians refuse to heed them. Dr. Wible said he twice asked the city to reduce the Howard Wible. The letter stated, in addition to the flashing signals on speed limit to 20 m.p.h.. and to install a walk light in three : The Traffic Engineering Department said the University Drive, the signals at Cantey Street and locations. He received no reply. procedures would be carried out some time during University Drive will also be revised. December. Pedestrian signal heads and left turn signals will be He said an overpass would be too expensive. Also, it Dr. Wible said lie is "very pleased" the department is installed at left turn lanes on University Drive. They are would not solve the problem because the overpass would taking some action on the matter, and wishes it could have going to re-stripe University Drive making two lanes on only be wide enough to service a small portion of the been sooner. each side of the street instead of three. crossing. Students going to Winton-Scott at one extreme, Gary Santerre, director of Traffic Engineering for the A department spokesman said he feels the only per- or to the religion building at the other extreme would be city said in a letter to the vice chancellor it was proposed manent solution to the problem is separation of the inconvenienced by an overpass in front of the library. the signal on the south end of the campus would be in the pedestrian traffic from the vehicular traffic. This can be The department suggested small bushes be planted center median,.just south of Bowie Street, and the signal done only be depressing University Drive through the close together along the curb to discourage students from on the north end would be in the center of the median north \ campus area or the installation of a pedestrian overpass going through. of Princeton Street. with a barrier to prohibit pedestrians from crossing ex- However, the property on which the bushes were to be Santerre said hit department feels flashing signals in cept by way of the pedestrian walk-up. he said. planted is owned by the city and not the University. THE DAILY SKIFF Tuesday, November 5,1974 Klan speaker "E poses paradox •M The invitation of Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon David T Duke to speak on campus presents a paradoxical question of what is appropriate for an academic community. E The closed-minded bigotry and hatred that the Klan represents should not be given a forum on this campus or it in any academic community. However, it also seems inappropriate for an academic community to prevent a TH=. person from speaking solely because of the views he holds. There is no easy solution to the problem and no right or wrong side. Is it more wrong to give a free forum to someone who espouses the closed-minded hatefulness of ft the Klan or to prevent someone from speaking on campus simply because of his radical views? Though we recognize the legitimacy of the reasoning that diverse points of view should be heard, the historical stance of the Klan and Duke's own public statements seem to make his appearance on campus most inap- propriate. The Klan has established a reputation of immoral, inhuman and bigoted acts which continue to discredit human dignity. The Klan's stated objective is to see that the white Protestant "race" achieves superiority over all other minorities, which the Klan regards as inferior. Any reasonable person who saw Duke's appearance on the "Tomorrow" show knows the absurdity of his arbitrary expenditure of student money to support his The Forums Committee should re-examine its arguments.