tl19711217-000 "toliverlight Vol. XXIV No. 15 MERRY CHRISTMAS! Friday, December 17 Towson, Maryland 21204 Charges against Kent State students have been dropped, ye they have taken away twenty miles and given two inches.- Implications, pages 6-7: demonstrations calling for justice persist. One of the freed students Bill Arthrell said, ""I cannot he too happy because Kent State charges dropped by Debbie Shryock Ravenna, Ohio (CPS)--On a recommendation from the Attorney General of Ohio, William Brown, the remaining twenty indictments of the Kent 25 have been dropped due to lack of evidence. George Jenkins, assistant to the Attorney General said, ""The indictments were dropped on a legal basis, not on a moral or emotional one. The decision in Mary Helen Nicholas' trial has a sub-stantial effect on the decision."" Nicholas was acquitted Tuesday, December 7, in Ravenna court. ""There is nothing we can do in relation to the five trials that have taken place. People that have been found guilty or have pleaded guilty are obviously guilty. Any more actions concerning them will be up to the defendant and the court,"" he continued. The five who have been tried are: Jerry 4 I-tupe, charged with arson, assault on a fireman, in-terferring with a fireman, and first degree riot--he was convicted on interferring with at fireman ; Peter Bliek, charged with burning an uninhabited building and first degree riot-- acquitted ; Mary Shub, charged with first degree riot and attempting to burn an equipment shed--found guilty of second degree riot; Thomas Soglesong, charged with first degree riot and interferring With a fireman--found guilty of first degree riot; and Mary Helen Nicholas, who was charged with interferring with a fireman and acquitted. Reactions to the Tuesday, December 7, announcement were for the most part happy or hopeful. Arthur Krause, father of Alison Krause, killed at Kent State May 4, 1970, said ""I thank the Lord those twenty people will no longer have to live under that umbrella of fear. I hope and pray justice will have mercy on those who have pleaded guilty. This proves the judicial system does work."" Bill Slocum, Kent State student body president, commented ""We are beginning to turn the tide of unjustice. Dropping the indictments made sense in view of actions in federal court. The next issue is con-vening a federal grand jury to.. investigate unresolved questions."" Tom Lough, KSU sociology professor and one of the Kent 25, expressed his joy saying, 'It is very good news. After eighteen months of being in an unpleasant state of mind and situation our task now is to continue to set things right. We Constitutional amendment approved must start to mend the scars this travesty of justice has created.** Bill Arthrell, a KSU senior and one of the 25 indicted, said, ""I amnaturaily happy with the charges being dropped, but I still cannot forget all they have taken away: 4 dead, 9 woun-ded, 25 indicted without suf-ficient evidence, indictment hanging over our heads for over a year like guillotines ready to come down. I cannot Lw too happy because they have taken away twenty miles and given back two inches."" Rut to summarize most students' feelings, one sophomore said, ""I am too happy to talk. I didn't think justice would ever really happen."" Ed. Note: For continued, in depth coverage concerning the Kent State killings in-vestigation see pages 6 and 7. SGA Treasurer Van Dyke resigns by Jud Almond Neil Van Dyke resigned from his post as Student Govern-ment Treasurer effective Friday, December 10 at 5 p.m. The resignation was accepted by SGA President Steve Murphy on December 16. Van Dyke was not available for comment before Towerlight went to press, but informed sources say that he resigned because he felt that he could not abide by the financial policy passed by the Senate on December 2. As of the resignation -date, the SGA financial books were backed up to last August. Also missing were more than $3,000 dollars in printing bills and at least one student loan request. President Steve Murphy hopes to have a temporary appointee at the post by early January. His choice will be subject to temporary con-firmation by his executive cabinet, with the condition that the confirmation will come up at the first Senate Meeting next semester. Murphy said, ""It is my hope that all the inefficiencies which have occurred over this past semester will now be corrected as soon as possible."" Photo by Mattingly Neil Van Dyke Murphy commented that he had several people in mind to fill the vacancy, but em-phasized that he would be most willing to hear from anyone interested in the position. Interested parties are urged to contact Murphy in his office, Newell Basement. A formal amendment to the Constitution of the Student Government Association, which would reduce the size of the Senate and provide for the direct election of the students who would serve on the Academic Council, has been approved by the student body. In a General Meeting held December 13 in Smith 140, twenty-four of the twenty-six people who attended the meeting voted in favor of the change. Of the 26 in at-tendance, a majority of those were people who are already active in student government in some way. Ten SGA Senators attended the meeting, as did four SGA Executives and one class president. Twenty-six people constitute less than one half of one per-cent of the student body. REWARD! SEE STORY PAGE 5 Towerlight Editor, George Mattingly and SGA President Steve Murphy have pledged $100 in reward monies to be awarded anyone offering information leading to the arrest and conviction and of the persons responsible for the theft of one of the sofas from the New College Center Call 823-7500 ext234. "
