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Show yr-- , NAsr V,, ll Page 4 Tfte Thunderbird Tuesday October 22, 1985 Movie preview policy needs minor changes It wont take a lot, but a school policy relating to the showing of movies on the SUSC campus needs some alteration. Not major surgery, but a little here and there. The policy, as it currently stands, calls for members of the ASSUSC Executive Council to watch all movies, and then officially approve them, before they can be shown on campus. This topic became the subject of some mildly heated debate last week after one movie was apparently canceled because an insufficient number of Executive Council members attended the screening. Several council members said it went against their moral movies. Thats a perfectly principles to watch understandable consideration. These officers should not be chastised for their beliefs it isnt relevant whether or not the majority of students agree with those beliefs; those officers who do not wish to watch movies should not be compelled to. But other council members pointed out that, should enough officers refuse to watch the movies on moral grounds, they will be, in effect, voting against showing the movies on campus, thereby infringing on the rights of those students at SUSC who have no moral bias against such films. That is, of course, a totally unjustifable situation, and one which must not be allowed to exist. The dilemma has an answer, of course. According to Brad Bennett, director of student activities at the college and adviser to both the ASSUSC Senate and the Executive Council, the current policy simply requires that a majority of the council members seven people attend screenings and approve the movies. Even so, it seems to The Thunderbird that even requiring seven council members to view the films and vote on their appropriateness is a bit much. While there is nothing wrong with the council exercising its authority in such a manner, we wonder if this one policy requirement isnt somewhat excessive. Wouldnt it be simpler, and just as effective, for the Executive Council to delegate its authority to a body of perhaps three council members, including the officer whose job it is to choose the films in the first place? This change can be made, and it should be. While the policy isnt precisely under the control of the council, the administration representatives who do have the formal ability to amend it say they are open to logical arguments. As an afterthought: The Thunderbird hopes that whoever ends up making the decision realizes that only in the most extreme case should a motion picture be banned from the campus. After movies offensive are not forced to all, people who find view them. fine-tunin- g Che Chunderbirct Stp Ml 'TUDI NT M fts AND II Uv 0 N.H HULUN UTAH NTAEL COLLEGE VOLUME 80, NUMBER 4 Editor Doug Christensen Copy Editor Ken Roberts Thoto Editors James Howells Derek Miller Senior Staff Writers Kris Johnson Kon Kontogiannis Production Manager Kelli Foy Advertising Designer Gavtn McNeil Advertising Representatives Kellie Jensen Sports Editor Stan Kontogiannis Laura Wearing Entertainment Editor Tyler Jensen Assistant to the Editors Annette Grooms Faculty Adviser Larry Baker ts published each Monday of the academic year by and for the student The ThuruL-rFirhod of Southern Utah State College and is not affiliated in any manner uhatsoever with the Colleges department of communication. The views and opinions expressed in The Thunderbird are the opinions of the publications individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the institution, faculty, staff or student body in general. The unsigned editorial directly above is the opinion of The Thunderbird as a single entity. Letters to the editor must he typed and include the name, student number (if from a student) and phone number. Only the name will be printed. Names will not be withheld under any circumstances and the editor reserves the right to edit letters for length and to preclude libel. Letters must be submitted by noon Friday tor inclusion in the following weeks edition. The Thunderbird editorial and advertising offices at 524 West 200 South, Cedar City, Cedar City, UT 84720 (801) 586 7757, 7758. UT 847 20. Mail at SUSC Box Who has right to decide life, death? Kris Johnson is senior staff writer for The Thunderbird. Last week I stepped outside on my front porch to get the paper as I do every morning. Before opening it I thought to myself, How many people were killed yesterday? I opened the paper to find that an Italian cruise ship was hijacked by four Palestinian terrorists. In their attempt to take over the cruise ship they killed Leon American passenger Klinghoffer, a confined to a wheelchair. The hijackers shot and killed Klinghoffer, throwing his body overboard. His decomposed body was found a week later, washed ashore near the Syrian port of Tartus. I was a little disturbed by this incident, but I really didnt sit down and think about it. These kind of things happen daily and it really didnt matter anyway because I never knew Klinghoffer personally. Innocent people are being ruthlessly murdered in cold blood every day. Do we ever stop and think about these victims of violence and terrorism? Believe it or not, these people were real people, and they did indeed exist. These misfortunate individuals held jobs, had friends and families. I have never really sat down and thought about the people that have gone through these terrible experiences until last week, when an acquantaince of mine opened a package that was, in reality, his death warrant. Steven F. Christensen was the victim of a ruthless crime, one of the two people killed in last weeks bombings in Salt Lake City. I heard that one of the bomb victims was named Steven Christensen, but I didnt think it was the same Steve that I knew. Last week I opened the morning paper to find Steve Christensens name and picture was all over the front page. I was in disbelief and shock that somebody would actually kill my friend. Why would somebody want to murder him? Kathleen W. Sheets was another victim in the bombings. The bomb was supposedly meant for her husband Gary Sheets, a former business associate of Christensens. What if an innocent child had played with the package and set off the bomb? In this case it was Gary Sheets wife who was the innocent victim of this crime. What gives a person the right to decide who is going to live and who is going to die? Some sick person thought he had that right to make this decision. He thought he had the right to play God. This person was obviously very disturbed and decided murder was the only resolution to that disturbance. Many people didnt know the victims. They dont have any idea who these people were and what they were like. These were normal people like you and I. They had their jobs, they had their families, and they had their friends. They were basically good people. Steve Christensen was a successful man in every aspect of his life. Those who knew him would say that Steve was the type of man that would do anything for anybody. He was devoted to his family and his church. How many people knew Steve Christensen or Kathleen Sheets? What will happen to the children and spouses of these victims? What would you do if your mother or father was brutally murdered? It seems that many of us are blind to the reality and the seriousness of these crimes. Were so conditioned to block out what is really happening in our environment and are often unfazed when we learn that another person has been raped, mugged, stabbed, or murdered. Theres really nothing we can do about all of this crime and terrorism that is going on worldwide. I doubt it will ever stop unless society takes action to stop all of this. I think Ronald Reagan took a big step in the fight against terrorism when he ordered the interception of the Egyptian airliner carrying the same Palestinian hijackers that shot and killed wheelchair confined Leon Klinghoffer. We can only hope that Christensens and Sheets assailant will be punished severely for his crime. Two families are without a mother and father now, because some sick person thought it was his job to decide who lives and who dies. |