The Gateway ArchiveIn Throwback, we find interesting, fun, or just plain weird articles from Gateway past.
This article is taken from the April 7, 1976 issue of The Gateway. All issues from 1910-2009 can be found in our online archive.
Two law students are bringing The Gateway before the DIE (Discipline, Interpretation, and Enforcement) Board because of the controversial front page picture published in the April 1st issue of Gateway.
The photo in question depicts three men bending over, “mooning” the photographer, with their pants pulled down.
J.B. Wolsey and L.O. Stanford, the students bringing action against the Students’ Union newspaper, charged that The Gateway, editor-in-chief Greg Neiman, and photo editor Bob Austin have contravened an SU bylaw by acting “against the ordinary principles of good conduct and the best interests of the students body as a whole.”
While admitting that the picture in question is “not out regular material” editor Neiman maintains that as an April Fool’s joke it hardly warrants the attention it has received.
“Gateway has printed frontal pictures of nude women many times in the past without raising a whisper from readers,” said Neiman. “Why should everyone get so upset about this all of a sudden?”
The publication of this particular picture, he said, has evoked more reaction than any of the major issues of the past three years. “Perhaps this shows that the majority of students on this campus are more concerned about social taboos than about fee increases, housing shorages and student politics.”
Numerous phone calls and letters have been made to The Gateway offices, university public relations, and the Student’s Union General Office. The picture has been labelled crude, vulgar, disgusting, revolting, in poor taste, juvenile, unimaginative, and immature.
Neiman insists that the whole matter is a non-issue.
The maximum fine that can be imposed under this particular bylaw is $25 for individuals and $100 for clubs. Students’ Union privilegse (sic) can also be removed for a maximum of one year.
However, there are complications. DIE Board Chairman Larry Schaffer has said there is some question whether Die (sic) Board has the authority to deal with this specific case. Furthermore, it is not known what category The Gateway is classified under, because it is neither an individual nor a club. And because all fines are payable to the Student’s Union, fining the Students’ Union owned Gateway would be like making a man pay a debt to himself.
The DIE Board will meet Wednesday, April 7th, at which time the gravity of Gateway’s actions will be decided.
As for the identity of the three culprits caught in the act: “They are not, as some have thought, members of The Gateway, nor of the past Students’ Union executive,” said Neiman. He hinted that an even greater furor might be raised if their identities were made public.
