Publishing photos of streakers:The recent firing at EastCarolina University of the student media advisor baffles me if the reason hewas fired is because he didn’t stop the students at the student newspaper thereto publish photos of a man who streaked at a home football game last fall.There has to be more than that to the story, though the University, withoutbreaking any law, could give reason for his firing. That the now former mediaadvisor will not allow public view of his personnel record is indication enoughthat there must be more to the firing than the photos of the naked man runningacross the football field.
In the early 1970s, TheTechnician, NC State University’s student newspaper, published photos of campusstreakers—students in the buff except for tennis shoes running through campusas onlookers laughed at what they saw. No media advisor was let go after thefirst or second time photos were published. No reprimand was given to thenewspaper editor for publishing photos.
Probably worse than those photoswas one published in the April Fool’s edition in the spring of 1975 whenthe centerfold of the paper was a nude depiction of United States Senator JesseHelms, lying on his side, his head propped up on his right hand. The picturedidn’t show a completely nude senator Helms as a well-placed hat was present. And, obviously it wasn’t really Senator Helms but that of a studentwho posed for the photo in the basement of the University Student Center. Thephoto editor of The Technician pasted the face of Senator Helms over thestudent’s face. (That was the extent of Photoshop at the time.) No one was fired because of that. As a matter of fact, then Chancellor JohnT. Caldwell, without a doubt the best Chancellor ever at NC State University,found humor in the photo and the accompanying interview and article that saidSenator Helms would replace the soon-to-retire Dr. Caldwell. He believed in free student expression, especially in The Technician.
From the first day that college students have written,edited and published student newspapers,some administrators unnecessarily have tried to control the content, but that should stop.Administrators need to back off; student newspaper editors and writers—whiletrying to maintain good judgment—should rebel againstadministrations that try to control what the students do. A good advisor should give advicebut not make demands or censor the content. The flack over the photos at East Carolina University does little to enhance the University and a lot to destroy relationships between administrators and students, especially student newspaper editors.
NC State University’s Bottom 100 Professors
The NC State faculty andadministration wanted to find out how student felt about professors andinstructors across the campus, so the students were asked to complete a survey which contained only multiple choice answers. When thesurvey was completed, a huge report was compiled. Remember, this was the early1970s and the computer language of choice was FORTRAN so the data was put onpunch cards and the NC State computing center in the basement of Nelson Hallran the report, some four or five inches thick of continuous form paper.
A committee of faculty, staff,administrators and one student were given the report and met to discuss it.They were told not to share the report or the results with anyone. The studentmember of the committee stashed her copy in the trunk of her car and neverproduced it at meetings. No one questioned her possession of the report untilthe findings were published in The Technician, the student newspaper. It seemsthat the student with the report misplaced it into the hands of one of The Technciain's associate editors.
Printed in the newspaper was a listing of the Bottom 100Professors at NC State University. The students at the newspaper combed thereport to find the faculty listed in the last 100 positions in the report. Thearticle explained this was the result of the students input with the survey andthat it was the duty of the newspaper to warn fellow students of the bottom 100professors on campus as rated by the students.
The list included many professorshighly respected by peers across the campus, the state and the country. Several on the list had PhD degrees and were well-published. Some were Masters Degree holders. Some were distinguishedprofessors, at least in the eyes of their peers and administrators. There wasoutrage on the campus from the faculty and the administration, but no one coulddispute the list. The administration demanded to know how the newspaperobtained the list, but the students refused to reveal sources. When the smokecleared, the administration decided to never again ask the students theiropinions on the professors. Any such ratings would only be done by departmentheads and other higher ups on campus.
This brings me back to the NCDepartment of Public Instruction report which is laughable at best because it’sobviously self-serving. Principals are charged with hiring of teachers. And, a principal only reluctantly will give a bad public report to one of its hires. The NC Department of Public Instruction doesn't list the names of teachers, but it should. Possibly it could shame a few to get better or leave the system. Possibly it could encourage our educational leaders to weed out the bad teachers (if the NCAE will allow it) and hire good teachers.
Maybe? What was he thinking?“Maybe” was Mitt Romney’sresponse when he was asked last week if he would release as many tax returns—eight—ashis father, George, did in 1968 when he was running for President, trying towin the Republican Party’s nomination over eventual winner Richard Nixon whowent on to defeat Hubert Humphrey in the general election that year and laterresigned over a bunch of stupid stuff.
Actually, from a public relationsviewpoint, Romney’s answer, in which he seemed to be trying to come across as humorous,was stupid at the very least. When it comes to his taxes, Romney is getting badadvice which hopefully doesn’t come from within his own mind. If that’s the case,Romney, who took a beating from Newt Gingrich in last Saturday’s Republicanpresident primary in South Carolina, is not the person who should be the GOPnominee and definitely shouldn’t be president. You would think that a personwho built a small fortune through hard work would have more “10 level thinking”as my mother-in-law and others say.
His battle with his taxes—the subjectof intense pounding from his opponents even though exit polls show that’s notthe reason for his distance second place finish in the Palmetto State—is ahindrance to his campaign. He made his bed; he wrestles with himself in it. He’s hisown enemy, especially when he reveals paying a tax rate of about 15% on hisincome. Perception is reality in this case, and the general public perceiveshis 15% paid as his ability to shelter income when in reality he’s doing whatthe law allows.
As Ari Fleischer, former presssecretary to President George W. Bush, suggested recently Romney needs to knowwhat every line on his return means and should step forth and explain that he’ssimply following the complicated United States tax code which includes too many ifs, ands and buts contributed by members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike. Releasing his tax returnsfor a several years should not do him harm in November, especially if releasednow…maybe. What may hurt him is if the reports of his wealth being stash inbanks in the Cayman Islands are true and that he is sheltering his income andtax bill by doing that…maybe. It all depends on the appetite Americans willhave for change in presidential leadership come November…maybe. If Romney isthe nominee…maybe.
“Into the Wolves’ Den”Last week, my nephew Jordan—Rogers not Pomeranz (I have a nephew Jordan on each side of my family)—attendedthe NC State-Boston College basketball game with me. It was in the RBC Center,the Wolfpack’s home away from home. The Jordan that went with me is a UNC-CH graduateand fan so it was a little unusual to have him there. I’d probably never invitehim to the game when UNC-CH comes to NC State University to play a basketballgame though I did invite his uncle, Rusty, another UNC-CH graduate and fan, toattend last fall’s fifth straight Wolfpack victory over UNC-CH in the footballgame played at Carter-Finley Stadium. Never say never.
Anyway, Jordan is a journalist ofsorts with his own website, a pretty darn good one at that. He went home thatevening and penned a post about his first basketball game experience at theRBC where he had previously attended a hockey game and a concert. His websiteis called: TheBlackFalcon.Net, where you can read about his experience “Into the Wolves’ Den” that night as well as a bunch of other good stuff he’s written,even a piece about Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried: "The GottFather"
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