Vol. XX, No. 2
CABRINI COLLEGE, RADNOR, PA.
October 23, 1973
I'll Know It When I See It "Obscenity, What Is It?" was the title of a recent lecture given at Cabrini College. State and local legislators and courts, as well as ordinary citizens , are still looking for an answer . On June 21, 1973, the U.S . Supreme Court handed down five major decisions concerning obscenity . These rulings have given individual states the responsibility of defining obscenity and then taking steps to regulate its commerce. The decisions also assert that local jurors are to judge whether an alleged obscene material is indeed obscene according to sta te criteria . On October 1, in the Mansion dining room filled with curious listeners, Attorney Michael Seidman, Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney and Chief of the Obscenit y Divi sion , outlined legal steps leading up to the June 21 decision. The Court de cisions mentioned by Mr . Seidman em ph asiz ed t ha t "o bsce nity de mands subjective evaluation." For example , in the 1966 Memoirs vs. Massachusetts de c i s i o n , t h e Supreme Court held that in case s following, the prosecution must prove that the material in question is obscene ; that is, "utterly without redeeming social value. " According to Mr . Seid- .
man, it was almost impossible to prove the presence of obscenity when using this criteria. For example , Deep Throat was judged in one area of the country as having redeeming social value in that it "expanded the horizons of partners" through the sexually explicit scenes for which it is well known . The very nature of the ruling gave the pornography industry much legal leeway . Guidelines Set Up. In 1973, when t he Supreme Court again dis cussed obscenity , two basic contentions were involved . The first was that obscenity was "unworkable in the courts." This contention was rejected by an 8-1 majority. Only Justice Douglas voted to abolish obs cenity law s an d make way for a not her amen dment conc erning fr eed om of speech. It was stated in the second contention t hat the conce pt of an obscenity law was unconstitutional with respe ct t o co nsen ti ng ad ults. Th e vote was split 5-4 in favor of re st r ict ing obs cene m at erials. Reasons cited for the reaction of the Court included : (1) Belief that the First Amendment was designed to protect the exchange of ideas and a search for
by Lorraine Ostrowski truth, not to protect obscenity . (2) The ready availability of the material to children and nonconsenting adults. (3) The possible (though not scientifically proven) connection between the availability of obscene material and the increase in the number of sex crimes in recen t years . The Supreme Cour t proceeded to set up guidelines for defining ob scenity . At this poin t in hi s lect ure , Attorney Seidman empha si zed that these were indeed guidelines, not laws . This discounts any accusations of repression by the Courts , since the legislative power was put into the hands of the states . Mr . Seidman sta t ed t hat alleged ly obsc ene ma teri al mus t fail three tests rn ord er to be judged obscene.
s~ AP,
POW and
cording to the norms of an average person with cont emporar y " communi ty standards ." Att orney Seidman admi tte d t ha t a problem exists in defining community standards . F or example , in Albemarle Coun ty, Virginia, the local police force could not find Playboy or Penthouse legally obscene, but the county sheriff had the magazines seized and the owner of the stand at which they were being sold arrested. It has not yet been determined whether a "communi ty" defines a county , a city or a to wn. POW is the next test : Paten tly Offensive Way . This test requ ires that state legislators be very explicit in defining the types of sexual condu ct which will be con sidered obsce ne. The las test .
LAPS
The first test is SW AP - Sex Whol e W ork Appeal o Prurien Interests. H ere '"sex" · defined "the ultimate sexual conduct," and it mus t be t he ma in subject of the material in ques t ion . Lo ca l judges and juries decide whether there exists an "appeal to prurient interests ." This is to be judged ac :
"What Is Obscenity? "
these . delines. i . - no necessary for indmdu o make a few decisions in terms o pornograp hy. Mr. Seidman has submi t ted a proposal for a bill to the Penns ylv an i a St at e Legislature . He is ma inl y co n- _
Three
A New Connoisseur
by Beth
by Marybeth Senkewicz someone doesn't like Cabrini's version of Kentucky Southern Fried Chicken this year, who does he complain to? Take notice of a new face constantly hanging around the front of the cafeteria, because he's the man to finger. He's Joe Fleming , Cabrini's new Food Service Director. He can be seen at nearly every meal strolling around the cafeteria and conversing with people at the tables. "I want to be totally available to the students ," he says . "If there's a problem I want to know about it so I can fix it. I am here to please them." Joe wants to know what the students like and dislike - he encourages feedback . He has a bulletin board up so students can post their opinions, but so far he says that "people are coming to me personally more often than using the board ." He is glad they are doing this, because he wants everyone to be satisfied with the program. "I want good communication between students and management," he mentioned . "I can't stress enough that I want student satisfaction. I try to cater to the wants of the students ." In the beginning of the year, Joe will be working seven days a week
to make sure things are running smoothly . So far he has had only one day off. Assisting him is Michelle Perna , the Studen t Manager. "I can 't give Mi chelle enough credit," he remarked . "She's been just great, doing a fantastic job." At every meal, either Joe or Michelle is present. Joe likes to cook, likes to deal with people, and enjoys the management angle of running a food service. There is a lot of work to be done. Purchases are made once a week, but goods aren't Instead of hiring dishboys, he uses delivered till the day before they girls on work-study instead . To are needed, so there is constant him, there is no distinction betmovement. He buys only from ween a boy 's job and a girl's job. reputable government-approved "Why shouldn 't I use the student establishments and according to help available?" he asks. " I don ' t company (Saga) specifications . He have to get outside help when also said that anyone can go into the back and inspect the quality of there's all I need right here at the college." the food and the sanitation Joe grew up in a tradition of anvtime if they would like . There are some new things in food service . His father has been a effect this year, instituted by Joe. baker for 25 years, and has owned He has a bakery _ program with his own bakery since Joe was ten . While he was in high school, Joe Rosemont, fresh-baked cakes and also went to a technical school for pies arrive every day . This was baking for three years . After high done to increase the quality and school , he attended the Culinary variety of desserts . Also the radio Institute of America in New plays over the intercom during There he meals . He has I.' new chef, in fact a Haven, Connecticut. whole new crew working on meals. _ completed a two-year course and
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Gain
Introducing Cabrini's New Cafeteria Manager
If
cerned with going right to the t op in making arrests . "Arrest the owner of the theater . . . t he owner of the bookstore ," not the guy sweeping floors and the gir l selling tickets . He also finds it necessary to " pierce the corpora te veil " in t he pornograph y en terprise . Mo st bu si ne ss es distribu t ing pornograph y are run by co rp or a tion s which m ake sizeab le contri bu tions to politic a l parties during election time. Th us we find the pr oblem of politic a l philanthrop winding its way into influencing legisl a tion. pecial Defense Obsc enity E xperts a lso maintain a lucra tive 'b1siness due to the expans ion of pro aph; ind _·. A•idman,
gradua t ed i n 1969 with an Associa t e Degree in Special Studies. In add i tion to being a manager , he is a chef , waiter, baker , and bartender . Upon graduation, he worked for Lidden 's Food Service (a company which services Holiday Inn) for two years in the restaurant division. In 1971 he was employed by Saga, starting at Bryn Mawr College, where he worked for one semester, and then he went to Rosemont College, where he stayed three semesters. At Rosemont he was the Food Service Manager. His transfer to Cabrini brought with it a promotion to
(Continued on page 3)
hweitzer
Campa ign '72 Revi "ted - Its Aftermath Retardat ion: Mild, ere and Profound . Do you ha ve a favorite course or topic that ha s never been offer ed ? Here's your chance to not only take a course that ·ou'll enjoy, but to get credi t for i too! Cabrini College · consi deri ng offering cour ~ like the two mentioned abo ve during Christm as Intersession extending from J anuary 2-18. Thi s time i open for each departmen t to offer an enric hment program , project. or r egularl y concentra ted course for an y interested person. All of the departmen ts are welcomin g any sugges tions a dent m ay have. Should lnte ·on plans succeed , ea ch department may offer a maximum of thr ee credits per course or project. During this period a stud ent ma y gain up to three credi The r egul ar tuit ion of $50.00 per credit hour will remain in effect in addi tion to an y special fees pertaining to the individual program . Cabr ini i now in the process of making arrangements to ha ve hous ing ava il able, for those who ma y be interested, at ei t he r Cabr ini or Eastern and a hous ing fee will be charged.