Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1981)
I 1 ' Page 12 THE BATTALION i , WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1981 I !. National Book ban case to be heard United Press International * WASHINGTON The Sup reme Court Tuesday agreed to de- W5AC MSC ARC GENERAL MEETING THURSDAY OCT. 15 7:30 P.M. 12TH FLOOR O&M BLDG. TOPIC: Austin swapfest & Aggie Cross Communication. cide how much authority school boards have to remove books they find objectionable from school lib raries. The Supreme Court will hear an appeal by a New York school board challenging a lower court decision that ordered a trial in a dispute over the board’s action to ban nine books from school courses and libraries. The controversy began in 1975, when three school board mem bers of the Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26, of Nassau County, attended a con ference sponsored by a conserva tive group called People of New York United. The three board members obtained “lists of books consi dered objectionable by some per sons, together with excerpts from them containing the more objec tionable material,” Board Presi- dent Richard Aherns said. Several months later, the board met with two high school princip als and told them to remove from libraries and courses nine books on the list described at the confer ence. Two other books were later added to the list. The books were: “Slaughter house Five,” by Kurt Vonnegut; “The Fixer,” by Bernard Mala- mud; “Black Boy,” by Richard Wright; “Soul on Ice,” by Eldridge Cleaver; “The Naked Ape,” by Desmond Morris; “Laughing Boy,” by Oliver LaFarge; “Best Short Stories by Negro Writers,” edited by Lang ston Hughes; “Down These Mean Streets,” by Piri Thomas; “Go Ask Alice,” anonymous; “A Hero Ain’t Nothing But A Sandwich,” by Alice Childress, and “A Reader for Writers,” edited by Jerome Archer. School Superintendent Richard Morrow objected to re moving the books and persuaded the board to establish a committee to make recommendations. The committee suggested five books be returned to library shelves, but the board voted to return only “Black Boy” and “Laughing Boy.” Several parents filed a civil rights class-action suit on behalf of pupils, challenging the ban. A federal district judge dismis sed the suit, saying previous Sup reme Court rulings have declared school boards have the right to re move books they find inconsistent with local values. But the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the first deci sion and ordered the district court to hold a trial on the case. Parents opposing the board argued: “This case presents fun damental questions regarding the capacity of a school board to im pose ideological and cultural orthodoxy through the control of school library materials.” TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE OPEN HOUSE for prospective medical students and all others interested in the medical program. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 14,1981 100 Heldenfels Hall DIETING? Even though we do not prescribe diets, we make it possible for many to enjoy a nutritious meal while they follow their doctor's orders. You will be delighted with the wide selection of low calorie, sugar free and fat free foods in the Souper Salad Area, Sbisa Dining Center Basement. OPEN Monday through Friday 10:45 AM-1:45 PM QUALITY FIRST Make the World Go Away Take a Break at I UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SNACK BAR | Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Basement of Sbisa * SPECIAL * | Buy a Hamburger or Cheeseburger & Fries Get a Large Coke Free ? P?ay a game while you wait (Offer good through Oct. 31, 1981) “QUALITY FIRST” - ?iiiiiiiiNiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiimiimiiiimmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiimiiil 16 Gial.StartiN6f ille J %21 u INCLUDES I\eg,Tu B, PuriP I ^ 100 If: bJ! Attention Student Organizations All 1982 Aggieland contracts must be returned to Student Publications Office Room 216 Reed McDonald Building by Friday, Oct. 16 NO EXCEPTIONS!! Students $2.50 All Others $3.50 Rudder Forum OCT 13 17 8 p.m. Curtain Time Tickets Available at Rudder Box Office and at the Door