Printers hold walkout
Employees at the University of Kansas Printing Service walked off the job for 30 minutes Tuesday morning in protest of alleged obscene material in the Black Student Union (BSU) newspaper being readied for publication.
William T. Smith Jr., director of the printing service said, Harambee, the BSU paper edited by Monte Beckwith, Chicago, Ill., freshman, and co-chairman of the BSU Communications Committee, was accepted by the printing service since the service printed a four-page BSU paper last year.
He said, "I considered last year's paper inflammatory but not obscene and I had no idea what they were writing this year so I accepted the job having no reason to assume it offensive."
The employees, however, after seeing the paper considered it offensive as most walked off the job at 10:15 Tuesday morning. After 30 minutes of planning their next action, they returned to work with the understanding that they would halt production of the BSU paper.
"I explained the nature of the material in the publication and he said the University had no policy concerning censorship and there was no choice but to print the paper. Balfour told me as long as we had a duly ordered service voucher we had no choice but to print it."
After looking at the paper, Smith said, "I noticed several things were obscene and immediately called the Chancellor's Office and talked with Dean Balfour."
Smith said that he then went back to the employees' meeting explaining his sympathy toward them about the propriety of the situation. The employees then agreed to try to solve their problem through normal channels of communication realizing the necessity to get their work done. Smith said "They felt more could be done with a formal attitude than had they taken a negative approach."
Harold Fox, a limotype operator at the plant and one of seven people chosen by the employee committee to see what could be done to halt publication of the BSU paper, said that they were going to ask for the opinion of the Kansas Attorney General and see if they were libel to work under those circumstances.
Fox then contacted Max Bickford, executive officer of the Kansas Board of Regents. Fox said, before Bickford would make a decision he wanted to talk to the Chancellor. Fox then said, they would hold off the walkout until
Alliance
(Continued from page 1)
Alliance hopes to replace with a system that would permit each student to take any or all of his non-major courses on a credit/no credit basis. Alliance would also emphasize the necessity of integrating the ROTC curriculum into the various schools and departments. Ebert said there would be an attempt to change the enrollment system to one of pre-enrollment so students could have necessary courses reserved
Support for the building of a new hospital is first on the Alliance's list of University Reform. Also included is a plan to oppose year-long residence hall contracts.
20 KANSAN Feb.18 1970
today.
Later in the afternoon Smith said he discussed the matter with BSU editor Beckwith and told him he thought the language was in bad taste. "Beckwith countered," Smith said, "that 'some of the material in the Kansan was in just as bad a taste.'"
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Employes halt production of BSU paper
"As far as I have been able to learn, no guidelines have been set up for these (allegedly obscene) words."
After the morning walkout several of the employees gave some reaction to the material in the BSU paper.
Photo by Greg Sorber
Jack Hurley, Lawrence senior and printing service employee, said, "I think the BSU should have a paper but you're dealing with subject matter of obscene words and ideas that not only contradicts human beings but our whole morality. If we print a paper like this then there are no moral or ethical codes to live by."
Calvin McAlexander said,
"Some of the material was kind
of raw to be on the street for
distribution. Even if my son
could read, I wouldn't want him
to read this."
Ed Rablowsky said. "I don't
Employees of the University Printing Service discussed what action to take to halt the publication of the Black Student Union newspaper which allegedly contained some obscene words. They walked off the job at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday morning and after forming a committee to get the opinion of Kansas Attorney General went back to work at 10:45 a.m.
Weather
Cold wave warning today and tonight. Turning much colder with strong shifting northerly winds 25 to 40 miles per hour and local blowing dust today. Much colder with diminishing northerly winds tonight. Becoming mostly cloudy today followed by clearing tonight. Partly cloudy and cold Thursday. Temperatures falling into the 30s and upper 20s by late this afternoon and evening and into the teens tonight.
think we have to publish this filth. They talk about cleaning up our streets and cities, why not clean up our speech?"
Beckwith, said the obscene material must have concerned three words contained in a poem in the paper. He said those words are "functional terms in the black community."
"This is our language. This is the language used in the black community." Beckwith said.
John Spearman, Lawrence sophmore, and president of BSU, said "This week's paper was composed only by official members of BSU though next weeks paper
will include articles from the community, including high school students."
Spearman said that he understood why this paper might be objectionable to "white middle class Americans," but Beckwith said the paper was for "blacks and the black community."
was singled out was 'because it happened to be a black publication.'"
Beckwith said since the terms used in the newspaper were the language of the black community, he personally thought the protest by the printing service was a "racist slur or adventure on their part." He said many papers have printed obscenities before and "The reason I think this paper
Spearman said that he was not sure whether or not the paper would be printed but, "If it is not printed by tomorrow afternoon, we'll take it some place else."
"What the employees do from here on out," Smith said, "is the employee's business. They want to turn this over to the legislature. I think its their right as citizens.
"I could assume that if we go along with the plan to print the paper they (the employees) will walk off again."
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