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- Editorial----

Epilogue at Stony Brook: The Year in Controversy

łt'a coming. And it'a błg. Finala week łs coming the course. or else that student would have know them having never seen a pornographic movie be

STATESMAN Wednesday. May 9, 1984

oraiesmcm .
-Spring 1664-
Qlenn J. Tavema
Editor-in-Chief
Isywond Ferxł	Tharaaa Lehn
vtansging Editor	Business Manager
Elizabeth Wsseerman	Helen Praewuzmen
Oeputy Managing	Associete Editor
Editor	DIRECTORS
H&mm Dfcoctor	Andres Roaanbarg
Am Dlrtctoct	Alin Golnie*. Psuł Motto
Sporu Dirac tor	Tir Mi HoyHi
ptK>to o*mm	Matt Cohen
Aseodste Business Manager	Cary Sun
Edłtorlal Diiactor	Mitch Wagner
	EDłTORS
Nawa Ecktor* MitchaB Horowitz. Barry Wantg
8 poru Editor*	Joff E utnhrt. Anty Glucofl
Photo Editor*	Doroon Komo&f. Goto* Vin ómr Lindo
OripłUci EdHoft	Kon Copol. Ambony Ootroo
Credit Manager	Dawa Owen
Nfttoml AtfwtWng Monogor	Mart ha BocWord
	ASSISTANT EDITORS
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AmBaOmM Am WHw	Scott Mu Hot VkH ■— ■ alka.
	Moarord 0nuor. M*i Oon.
	JYn Psaaano
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Staff

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resulted in photographic documen-tation of the major events ta king place at the Fina Ans Center during that \sjar. Budgetary considera-tions woukl have precluded the ex-tensńre work that was done at that time had not this practical expe-rienc« been incorporated into the regular studio course work. Both the Unrvorsity and the studems benefmed— a perfect exampie of the kind of quid pro quo of which everyone can be proud. Furt hor. from the ranka of Mr. Edeison s studems have come many of the pho-tographers actńre on both studem and non-studem publicetions; the guality of these publicetions has been enhanced greatly by their en-thusiastic contributions. These sorts of senricee are pleced in jeo-pardy by thecurrent scheduling decision. and force one to wonder what if any. senrice is being tender ed to the unhrersity ss a reeult of en history courses.

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Studsnts of photography will also have a senrice enetched from them— the eenrtce given by courses that provide practical expe-ńence in a choeen field. >Mth afl <fos respact >o the importance ofert history. an srt history

for us in fifth gear, in the passing lane, and it's going to leave us with bellies fuli of black coffee, sining on the beach, trying to forget the past, and our only thoughts of the futurę will be when we look on our rotten habits of the past, and say, "Never again."

This is a pity, because administrators don't have finals, nor do they have summer vacations They will be spending the summer—when not running the skeletal summer session—planning for next year. When we co me beck next September, certain issues of the 1963-84 academic year will remain front-page relevant, and the edministration will have had a three-month head start on the issues of academic freedom raised by accusations against Africana Studies Professor Ernest Oube, dormitory cooking, and freedom of speech issues raised by COCAs showing this year of Debbłe Dom Dallas

We should be prepared for decisions next year on:

•academic freedom. Last summer. Professor Ernest Dube allegedly linked Zionism and Nazism as comparable forms of racism, while teaching AFS/POL 319. Tha Pofitks of Rac*. His defente is that he did this preciseły for the shock value it achieved, as a way of sparking interest in the course materiał—and that the student who brought charges against him hardly ever attended

that the lecture and suggested research pa per topie that this linking took place in was only a few minutes of a busy six weeks.

The political science department has decided to drop affiliation with this course. Morę courage-ously, the Africana Studies Department has stood behind Dube What s at stake here is the right of a professor to use his own mind, to teach what he believes to be the truth. Dube has been labelłed anti-Semitic and a racist by his enemies, despite *he fact that he does not believe that all Zionists are racists, rather that some of the policies of the State of Isreel could be improved with regard to treatment of Arabs. Dube supports his claim with numerous echolarly treatments of the subject. His job and his life have been threatened over this. The finał outeome—whether Dube is granted tenure— will have a bearing on professors' rights to teach the un pop u lar throughout New York—not to men-tion its importance to one man: Professor Ernest Dube

•Dormitory cooking: The edministration wants to eliminte it in many dormitories, by Fali of 1986. As an interim measure, they want to put incoming freshmen and transfer students on a mandatory meal plan for their first year. A finał decision on this will co me down in October. The administra-tion ought to wait before closing dorms to dorm cooking, wait to see whether the one-year-mandatory meal plan has the desired effect of re-ducing dorm cooking by hałf. They ought not place restrictions on studenta without first making surę that the restrictions are absoluteiy necessary.

•Pornograp hic movłM on campus. For the past oouple of years, COCA s been showing a porn movie once a year. Last year. it was Deep Throat. This year, it was Dabbie Do*s Dallas. Mostly. what happens is, a lot of people go to the flick. most of

~Letters

Studio Art:

Quid Pro Quo

To the Editor:

As a former employee of the State University of New York at Stony Brook (assistant to the di-rector of the Fłne Arta Center) who hed daily contact with many mambers of the An Department and their studenta. I was utterty ap-pelled to heer that Micheel Edelson has been reassigned to conduct an history coursea during the Fali 1984 semester, and that there will be no studio coursea in photo-graphyin the An Department Schedule until at leest the semester following.

Al a time when institutiona of high er learning are being cel lad opon to hutbend their reeources mora carefulły than ever before. and at a time when studenta are expecting to receNe the typa of practical eduestion that will leed to aucceee in the wortu ng world (a job upon greduation. if you’d rather). the above- mentioned decision etrikee me as being. at beat. iłf-coneidered. It eeemecłeer that eer-vice to nekher the unfcersity communhy nor to the studems themeehee has been oonsidaredl

The studenta in Mr. Edeteons studio oouraee heve tradltionety been of outatanding senrice to the unhrersity community. For ex-ampie. a cooperethre project orgen-toed by Mr. E da Non and his

adranoed studenta during 1660-81 fore, and curious to find out what theyre like. Many łeave the film earły. because they re bored. The rest usually giggle a lot, and yell out off-cołor commentary to the action on screen.

This year, though, the edministration tried to błock showing of the film, citing an "unwritten policy" against showing of soch films unless part of a legitimate educational project. In the eleventh hour, they decided Dabbie was part of such a project aft er all, and should be shown, along with two feminist documentaries.

The question ariaes, what is a legitimate educ-tional program? Are we to succumb to "expertitis" at the university, and conclude that only a professor can teach? Morę im porta nt, who decides? The edministration contended that, sińce State fa-cilities were being used to show the movie. the edministration would have to justify itself to taxpayers.

In a way, the edministration was "only following orders." That didn't work so well at the Nurenburg Trials.

Each of these issues, and others, that have ap-peared in the headlines morę recently. has a bearing on the futura of Stony Brook, on what studenta will be thinking and how they will eating for as long as there is as universłty here. Over the next few months, and in the course of the next academic year, decisions will be madę that might. if the university survives so long, have an impact for centuries to come.

But, you can't have an affect on thoee decisions if you don t pass your classes. So, eat well. sleep as much as you can, don'tdrinktoo much coffee. and. when finals are done, if you decide to have a few beers to celebrate, atay of1 tha roadsl Keep healthy, happy and sane, and we ll see some of you for summer Statesman. and the rest next year.

got anyone a job in a photo-grapher s atudio. On the other hend. Mr. Edelaon's students sre regularly employed upon greduation— In many cases. even before— in the photographic field. Studio courses in photography. es-pecialty those taught by Mr. Edefaon, hołd out the hope of futurę practical employment for those who are serious. and routinely ciosa out early. Cen the same be seid for art history courses?

Accountability for both fiscal and academic decisions is being de-manded mora and mora often latały, eepecially in public institutiona. In light of the above argu-ments. it is elear that Mr. Edelson. en aedaimed and accomplished studio photography teecher. must be reassigned to the courses that he is so w«U-equipped to conduct. and that thoee courses be rem-stated in the Fali 1984 schedule Tnoee reeponsible for thie unfortu-neta decision muet reełize that this ia SKactly the kind of weste of re-thet mey no longer be tol-from thoee who daim to heve et heart the beet imerests of both the Unhrersity and lt»

Correction