tl19701113-000 "Rennie Davis tonight! Stephens Aud. 8 p.m. FREE Towerlight Vol. XXII, No. 9 Towson State College, Baltimore, Maryland 21204 November 13, 1970 Nader here Thursda Ralph Nader, often called the ""Consumer Crusader,"" will speak here Thursday, November 19, at 8 p.m. in Stephens Auditorium. As part of the Towson State Special Events Series, Nader will talk about ""Man's Environment: Man Made and Man Remedied."" Nader's influence has steadily grown over the past few years. His increased influence is due in part to the consumer, who has suffered the steady ravishes of inflation upon his income. The consumer is less willing to tolerate sub-standard, unsafe or misadvertised goods. As the self-appointed guardian of the interests of 204 million U. S. consumers, Nader has championed dozens of causes, prompted much of U. S. industry to reappraise its responsibilities and, against considerable odds, created a new climate of concern for the con-sumer among both politicians and businessmen. Nader is currently investigating the medical profession. Nader was given credit by many for inducing Henry Ford II to acknowledge the automobile in-dustry's responsibility for polluting the air and was able to force General Motor's Corvair off the market in 1969. Corvair's sales plunged by 93% after Nader con-demned the car as a safety hazard in his bestseller, Unsafe At Any Speed. That influential book and Nader's later speeches, articles and congressional appearances also forced the Department of Transportation to impose stricter safety standards on automobile and tire manufacturers. Given a number of labels, in-cluding ""advocate,"" ""muckraker,"" and ""crusader,"" Nader has been almost solely responsible for the passage of five major federal laws: the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (1966), the Wholesome Meat Act (1967), the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act (1968), the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act (1968), the Wholesale Poultry Products Act (1968), and the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act (1969). Nader was the first to accuse baby-food manufacturers of im-periling the health of infants by using monosodium glutamate, a taste enhancer that medical research shows can cause brain damage in some animals. The three largest producers of baby food have since stopped using it. In addition, Nader's repeated warnings about the dangers of cyclamates and DDT helped to nudge the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to press research that led to federal restrictions on their use. To many Americans, Nader, at :36, has become something of a folk hero, symbol of constuctive protest against the status quo. He has never picketed or occupied a corporate office or public agency. Yet he has cut through protective layers using the law and public opinion to achieve results. Nader earns nothing from most of his work and thus does not live in luxury. He supports himself by writing magazine articles and making public speeches for fees of $50 .to $2.500. When possible, he does not ride in cars and doesn't own one. Nader was born in Winsted, Connecticut, a town of 8,000. He was a student at Princeton, graduating magna cum laude and won a Phi Beta Kappa key. At Harvard Law School, Nader was passed over for the staff of the prestigious Law Review� but became editor of the school's issue-oriented newspaper. One of his articles was ""American Cars: RALPH NADER Designed for Death."" which was later expanded into Unsafe at Any Speed. The book, published in 1965. was dedicated to a friend who had It is a shocking indictment of the auto industry, engineering groups, governmental agencies, and traffic-safety organizations for failing to make automobiles more ""crashworthy."" Written by the then unknown 31 - year-old, the book did not make ,much of an impression at first. But G.M.'s investigation into Nader's life--and the public apology to him by the president of the company-- made Nader famous overnight. His workdays last 16 to 20 hours, often seven days a week. He has no secretaries, no ghostwriters, no personal aides other than his summer volunteers. The ""Nader Report"" is currently being telecast weekly by Channel 67 television. Ticket information for his talk at Towson State may be obtained by calling or writing to the College Box Office, telephone 823-7500, extension 624. Ticket prices are $3, students $2. Richard Kirstel Controversy Continues by Mike Dilworth Photographer Richard Kirstel, the controversial artist who was arrested here October 29 for trespassing, gave an informal discussion-lecture in Stephens Auditorium November 11 at 10 a.m. Kirstel's talk was sponsored by the Special Events Committee of Towsorl. Thirty-four years old Kirstel is a writer, photographer, and teacher at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. A former student of Ralph Hattersly, Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, Kirstel has published two books: ""Portfolio of African Sculpture"" and ""Pas de Deux."" Kirstel's photographs have ap-peared in the Village Voice, Evergreen Review, Infinity, and Popular Photography's ""Woman"" Annual. Kirstel's photograph exhibition of ""Pas de Deux"" was first exhibited at Exposure, a New York exhibition in 1969. An estimated 7,000 art enthusiasts viewed ""Pas de Deux"" in the six-week showing. The exhibit was the first instance in New York where explicitly erotic photographs were shown. No attempt at censorship was made in New York. Invited by Towson State's Art Department Exhibition Committee to show ""Pas de Deux"" here on October 29, Kirstel was arrested on two counts of trespassing and is presently out on $1,000 bail. Kirstel will be tried November 16 at 10 a.m. Kirstel claimed he had .not been informed of the College's cancellation of the October 29 exhibition. Kirstel plans to sue Towson State for breech of contract and sup-presion of academic freedom, but an administrative spokesman claims there was no official con-tract. The topic of Kirstel's informal discussion was explanation of his position on the censorship of his exhibit. Kirstel explained that no one on the Towson campus ever men-tioned that the photographs were obscene. He contends that ob-scenity is not the issue. The issue in question is, Kirstel feels, that the College thinks that people off campus would be offended; and, in turn, legislation would cut back on funds for Towson's planned Fine Arts building. Kirstel apparently feels that art and expression are more important to the College than any building. Shocked that he had not been told of the exhibition's cancellation prior to his arrest, Kirstel heavily attacked the administration, President Fisher, and Dean Shaw. The fact is, however, that Kirstel ' was informed on two instances of the cancellation by the Chairman of the Exhibition Committee, Jim Paulsen. Dean Shaw, although believing Kirstel was already formally informed of the can-cellation by the Exhibition Com-mittee Chairman, repeatedly called Kirstel, who was unavailable each time. He did leave a message, presumably with his wife, that the exhibition was cancelled and to please return the call. In response to the New York Times article by A. Coleman which sided with Kirstel, President Fisher has written a letter to the publisher of the New York Times. Dr. Fisher termed the Coleman article ""sensationalism."" Coleman distorted the facts, especially in stating that Kirstel had not been informed. Fisher claimed also Coleman quoted Dean Shaw out of context. It is in-teresting to note that Coleman wrote favorable reviews in the Village Voice of Kirstel's exhibition in New York. Citing President Fisher's booklet ""Opinion and Dissent,"" Kirstel quoted Fisher. ""It will be my in-tention to protect and preserve the right for all men to express any position at Towson tate College."" Kirstel did not go on to finish the quote which reads. ""At the same (Please turn to Page 5) Towson students exhibit Richard Kirstel's photographs along York Road, October 29, after his ,exhibition was cancelled. "
