The Towerlight, December 5, 1975

tl19751205-000 "Ky continues while heckled. � LXVIII, NO. 13 Ky discusses Viet defeat by Mary Worobec Amid shouts...of ""liar, traitor, assassin,"" Nguyen Cao Ky, former premier and vice-president of South Vietnam, told a Towson State College audience why his country ""had to accept defeat."" The former commanding general of the South Vietnamese air force and staunch anti-communist spoke calmly, despite repeated interrup-tions, to a crowd of about 600 people in Stephens Auditorium last night. The 45-year-old general, now living near Fairfax, Virginia, cited a ""no-win policy"" and the difficulty of establishing ""a stable economy and a democratic political system"" while at war as the main reasons for the Communist takeover in Airtr,t Vietnam. Appearing as part of the student - government (SGA) sponsored ""Celebrity Speakers Series,"" Ky outlined 20 years of Vietnamese history. He asked for economic aid to ""go back and recover Vietnam"" and free his people from a ""Communist regime."" Ky, whose country received the ""support of four American Presi-dents,"" stated, ""American in-volvement has not been a mistake. The free world accepts the leader-ship and protection of the United States."" He claimed the United States now is, ""unfortunately, unwilling to accept this responsi-bility."" Security provided by both cam-pus and Baltimore County police, was tight during the 30 minute TOWSON STATE COLLEGE DECEMBER 5, 1975 Anti-Ky demonstration flares by Steve Haas Culminating an unsuccessful onth-long effort to prevent Ngu- en Cao Ky from being paid to Apeak at Stephens Hall November the Coalition to Oppose Ky 10 tlataged a demonstration at the ituditorium in a final effort to make rsithernselves heard. 1 The demonstration, which had 01)een threatened by one of the d koalition members in their Novem- ter 11 meeting with S.G. A .Presi- ent David Nevins, was relatively !routine as only several minor riisruptions occurred through the 4ctions of the Coalition and others nraptured by their cause. 0 The demonstration was a multi- ceted protest, as one group stood d chanted in a vocal picket line, bile others were dispersed among e crowd to scream epithets at the Peaker during his presentation. Accorded significant attention by he Baltimore media, in addition to he increased security supplied to eep the event as routine as it ltimately was, the picketeers archers in a circle with brightly- olored picket signs. John Young, pokesman for the Coalition, ex- lained to a representative of one altirnore television station that 'They wouldn't listen to us when Ye presented petitions, so our only course was to call a demonstra- on."" Inside the auditorium, the protest as more diversified. In contrast to Le rhythmic slogans chanted by e members of the picket line, the idely -separated Protestors were nocontented with trying to shout down XY when he entered and began ospealdng. ti As the speech progressed, flur- leries of hissing, booing, and ioshrieked n amecalling frequently emerged from scattered sections of hie audience. One particularly retroa-..6 voiced woman maintained an ouninterrupted onslaught of bristling ijapithets throughout the 45-minute `;f ,isPeech and through much of the ollowing answer session. 1� Two minor uprisings occurred mside the auditorium. During the speech, many of the picketers managed to enter and congregate at he rear of the hall. Their Subsequent chanting brought the ikieech to an immediate halt and did not continue until they exited nt Demonstrators try to gain entrance to auditorium during Ky lecture. upon the firm suggestion of a moderator on stage and rapid approach of numerous security guards. The only physical altercation emerged at the outset of the question period. One vehement spectator raced down an aisle, shouting his question, and, as he became more heated in his urgency, three burly security men physically returned him to his seat, prompting further shouts from Coaltion members. Doorpounding on one entrance to the right of the stage marked the only other outbreak attributable to the protest. Security inside resembled a battle zone immediately prior to Ky's arrival. The planned entrance was kept secret and countless chlehr takes over as owson's new SID by Bill Stetka Pete Schlehr started work Mon- y as Towson State's new Sports formation Director, returning to alma mater after seven years of bwaPaPer work. 'lePlacing Kathie Burns, who signed at the end of October, hlEhr feels he is stepping in at a Ce when Towson's athletic pro- am is making tremendous owth. ""I know what the media people nt and I can react to all the jugs I've always looked for as a wsPaper person,"" Schlehr said. He spent. the last two and a half ars as a sportswriter for the altimore News -American, evieusly writing for The Aegis in 1 Air for more than four years. e served as Sports Editor at The gis for two years. He graduated from Towson in 71 as a political science-history ajor after spending time at ePherd College and Harford nununity t. �liege. ""I like the academic atmosphere to Work,"" Schlehr said. ""I was always in newspaper work, but I had a desire to be an SID. That way, you can concentrate on one school. At a newspaper, you have seven or eight schools to worry about,"" he said. ""All the coaches here are highly respected by the newspaper people for their candor. You couldn't ask for more as a journalist."" As for his job, he feels that with his competent student staff, Ray Feldmann, Steve Murfin, and Kathy Dudek, settling in won't be much of a problem. ""The material going out is much improved with Ray,"" he said. ""I've known Ray for a couple years since he worked at the News American."" ""The door is always open here. Anyone can come in and rap awhile."" ""I think Towson State is about to take another leap forward,"" Schlehr said, And I'd like to grow with it . campus security guards, administ-ration staff, and FBI agents were scurrying around each entrance, carrying walkie-talkies and speak-ing in battle terms about their ""positions."" The numerous cam-eramen and photographers camped in one corner and awaited his emergence. During the speech, Ky was protected by guards behind the curtains at the rear of the stage, at both sides of the stage, and onstage with him. The abundant security was successful in intimidating any possible violent actions planned by the protestors. The protest, intended to per-suade those in attendance not to go inside and later attempting to thwart Ky's attempts to speak, Pete Schlehr TL photo by Kathy Dudek incurred the wrath of the spectators and evolved into a self-defeating effort. Many of the public season-ticketholders began turning on the screamers and urging them to let Ky speak. The question period brought almost as many apologies for ""rudeness"" as it provoked questions. The questions supplied by the Coaltion to all people entering the auditorium were often asked, but answers rarely were completed, as screams of ""Liar"" accompanied many of the respons-es. The television coverage generally treated the protest as ""another protest by college students"" and the picket line outside quieted down at about the same time that the television cameras left. speech and the question period which followed. Outside the audi-torium about 40 protestors, mem-bers of the Revolutionary Student Brigade, a Communist student organization, marched and chanted. Inside, the demonstrators repeatedly drowned out the speaker and carried a banner giving Ky the ""Nazi of the Year Award."" The group was protesting the payment of a $2500 fee to a man who they said ""continued to profit from the misery (he) inflicted on the world."" He blamed ""limitations on the military"" and bombing restrictions for making North Vietnam a haven for Communist troop deployment. The general said that while South Vietnamese action was limited, the . North Vietnamese received more than $1.74 billion in aid from other Communist countries and put it into the war effort. He said his country's hands were tied and the armed forces even-tually lost their will to fight. It was then, he claimed, that a political settlement became necessary. He blamed poor leadership under President Nguyen Van Thieu for the fall of South Vietnam. Ky refuted charges that he had assumed power illegally. He stated that though Thieu and he received less than a majority of the vote (32%), it was more than any other candidate got. Most of the evening, Ky, a 1954 army draftee, ignored the interrup-tions from the audience. But at one point he did ask hecklers, ""I beg your understanding. Tell me waht errors I commit?"" This was followed by more catcalls and an accusation of South Vietnamese war attrocities. Ky replied that in war such things happen on both sides and are ""deplorable"" - a word he also used to refer to Hitler's massacre of Jews during WW II. Not everyone condemned the man. One woman stood and apologized for the ""rude behavior of the students."" Another woman, who paid $3 to hear Ky speak, said she admired his ""calm confidence"" in the face of such opposition. ""It's a shame they (protestors) have the freedom to scream and yell and interrupt him so I can't even hear what he says. If they're so concerned about freedom, why don't they let him say his piece?"" When Ky was accused of allowing the use of chemicals which allegedly caused birth defects, one man who had served in Vietnam in the U.S. Army said he would rather be born defective than a Com-munist. Later the college staff had to ask for quiet when Ky chided hecklers saying, ""The 100,000 refugees know why and what they have fled."" Mike Hill, chairman of the College Affairs Committee of the SGA said he was disgusted with the actions of the Student Brigade."" This will give the whole nation a bad impression of Towson, he claimed. Ky, who entered and left the auditorium by a heavily guarded side door, at one point - when loud banging on an outside door near the stage began - had twelve guards around the stage area. About ten protestors with tickets were inside the auditorium, accord-ing to Michael McFall, an usher and SGA director. He said one of them rushed the stage, but was subdued by Baltimore County plainclothes police and allowed to sit down. He said no one was arrested. The demonstrating stopped at about 9:15, as soon as film crews from three Baltimore TV stations left the auditorium. Ky was quickly escorted from the stage and out a side door when he finished speaking. None of the audience was allowed to use the side doors to exit, and all were kept from the area by a solid line of security personnel. Ky was sped off to an undis-closed location for the night. An SGA spokesman said the college uses it for all controversial speakers and making the information public might endanger future visitors. A bomb threat, warning that an ""explosive device"" had been planted in Stephans Auditorium, was received in the College Center minutes atter Nguyen Cao Ky began his speeeh in Stephens, according to campus police. The female caller warned that the device would explode at 8:45, three-quarters of an hour after Ky began to speak. A police spokesman said security was tight and they were certain that no bomb had been planted in the auditorium. He said Stephens Hall had been sealed at 5:30 that day and that Maryland State Police searched the building with a ""bomb-detection"" dog. The build-ing was then locked and heavily guarded. The ""bomb-detection"" dog is a specially trained German Shepherd who can detect explosives by smell. State police at Pikesville brought the dog to aid in preventive security measures, according to the same spokesman. There were 14 campus police on duty that night, as well as two Baltimore County police crews and a back-up squad specially trained in crowd control. There were no arrests or injuries in conjunction with the lecture, Towson hosts Mencken tourney Towson State will be the scene of the Forensic Union's Fifth Annual H.L. Mencken Tournament Friday, and Saturday December 5 and 6 in Linthicum Hall. The tournament is sponsored by the Baltimore Sun-papers and will include both debate and individual speech events. The national debate topic, ""Re-solved: That the Federal Govern-ment Should Adapt a Comprehen-sive Program to Control Land Use in the United States,"" will be used in Junior Varsity and Varsity Debate. Informative speaking, impromp-tu, and radio announcing are just a few of the speech events offered. More than 40 colleges and univer-sities will be represented at the tournament which is considered one of the largest on the East Coast. Towson students, faculty and staff are invited to attend. Mike Hill resigns Mike Hill shocked SGA this week when he announced that he is resigning as Senator. With the departure of Mr. Hill, SGA loses one of its most active and courageous members. Hill cited personal problems as the main reason for his resignation, but admitted that dissolutionment played a large role. ""Problems at home, coming on top of a lot of things that happened in � Student Government in the last 4 or 5 weeks"" led him to resign. His accomplishments were im-pressive. In September, he intro-duced a bill to reduce conflict of interest by making senators be-longing to an organization abstain from any vote concerning that organization. The bill was passed, but a companion bill, the Disclosure Bill, which called for members of SGA to reveal their organizational affiliations, was defeated. Later on, he introduced the bill providing money to Day Care. ""Thankfully, that passed,"" he said. Hillis most proud of his investi-gation into Food Services. The inquiry was thorough and got results. Just recently, the admin-istration announced its intention to lower next year's meal plan prices. ""But I made a lot of enemies in the process,"" noted Hill. Mike Hill was a respected and hardworking senator. He will be sorely missed. *** This week SGA Senate voted to confirm Joanne Finegan as Vice President in place of Ann Marie Lowe, and Mike Hill submitted his resignation. The vote to confirm Finegan was expected to be unanimous, but some Senators questioned the legality of the vote. Of the 10 senators present, only 5 voted in favor of Miss Finegan. 2 voted against her, and 3 abstained from voting. This, they charged does not constitute a majority of the vote. Mike Hill summed up the confusion by announcing, ""Today, Senate did or did not confirm Joanne Finegan. On this issue, we have definite maybe."" Nevertheless, Finegan is expec-ted to be confirmed for sure next week. In addition to this event, Forensic Union members have attended both debate and speech tournaments held by other colleges this semes-ter, winning a total of five trophies in collegiate competition. Members of the debate team have participated in four tourna-ments this semester. The first tournament took place at Johns Hopkins University. The team of Steven Verch and David Dawson made it to the octo-finals with a record of five wins and three losses. This was the first time that a Towson team got to the finals at Hopkins since 1956. At the University of Delaware, the team of Verch and Dawson won four out of six rounds of debate, taking fourth place. David Dawson also received a second place speaker's trophy. St. Vincent's College in Pennsyl-vania was the third stop for the debaters as the team of June Fabula and Sharon Foster took fifth place with a record of four wins and two losses. At Catonsville Community Coll-ege, members of Brenda Taylor's Argumentation and Debate class competed in a Novice Debate Tournament. The novices received two trophies for their debating skill. This year the Forensics Union has added four new members to its speech team. They are: Peggy Meyer, Bob Robertson, Agnes Butler, and Ellen Werner. In their first collegiate speech competition, the freshmen traveled to Shippensburg College where they competed in informative speaking, impromptu, and persua-sive speech. They received a first place trophy in persuasive speaking and they took third place in informative. Meyer, Robertson, Butler, and Werner have also competed in the Allegany Individual Events Tourna-meni. at Frostburg State College. Though the Forensics Union members anticipate a busier spring semester, Forensic president Robyn Seymour said they are concentra-ting their current efforts to insure a successful Mencken tournament. "