8/6/2019 The Merciad, March 30, 1973

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T H E t i 1" N o t Everything

That is faced c a n be changed;But Nothing

C a n b echanged until it is faced."James Baldwin

VOL. XLV, NQ. 22 MERCYHURST COLLEGE MARCH 30,^1973

INTERVIEW

Security Chief Fisher AndkOff Campus Drug\Raids

\

b y B o b P a r k s , E d i to r

Last Thursday,I March 16, sixMercyhurst students werearrested in four raids conductedby Pa. S tate Police and the MetroErie Drug Squad. Although the 4raidswere conductedoff campus,Mercyhurst Security DirectorJames|Fisher was listed*as thesource for information used inobtaining allth e search warrants.

Fisher's*name on the searchwarrants seemed unusual tomany students, faculty and administrators. The most common

J I M F I S H E Rquestions were why was Fisher'sname on the warrants and howw as he involvedwith the raids? \

In order |t o answer thesequestions and |others, I interviewedM r. Fisher, DirectorofMercyhurst Security and DeanWilliamP. Garvey.

In at very open and frank interview, Mfr. Fisher stated thatthe State Police approached himand asked for information oncertain students. #m f IIS

Mr. Fisher felt that he was"obligated to cooperate" as acitizen | and becau se of? hisassociation with Law Enforcement. I f f:

He emphasized that the information hegave|to the StatePolice came from '"reliablesources".Sf& ] J ^

Also,"1 wouldn't lightly furnishor communicate mere rumor justto say thatI have cooperated."

Furthermore, Fisher statedthat! he didn't know "howl orwhen", they would use his information/if at a l l " . I

Thus, the reason Mr. Fisher'sname was on all of the searchwarrants wasbecause^be StatePolice fused someor all of theinformation he provided toestablish probable cause for theissuance of a searchwarrant.

Fisher -explained | that amagistrate determines whetherthere issufficient information fora probable cause; to issue awarrant. The State Police mighthave had other| information toadd. f I |

*whentasked how he obtainedthe information, Mr. Fisher saidthath e receivedit from telephonecalls and from students who stopin to see him;> y* H eemphasized thath e "doesn't

encourage students to be informers, but that he doesn'tignore information that hereceives." |When questioned as to thepossibility \ of an ^independentFederal or State informantprogram, Fisher said that hefeltit was a possibility,but? highlydoubtful.! It would be policecourtesyto inform him and that ifsuch an outside program existsnow,he doesn'tknow about it. Healso believes that there is "noanticipation of such*a programoccuring in thefuture."

Fisher emphasized thatMercyhurstj does not have anyinformant program. He closedthe -.interview by saying thatcollege students shouldn't feelthat they deserve* anyspeciallegal sanctions because they arecollege students. They should betreatedlike others,not in college.

Mr. William P. 1 Garvey,Academic Dean at Mercyhurst,wa&| also interviewed on thematter. *|

Garvey stated that"the collegemust cooperateI with the LawEnforcement Agencies of Erie ifwe want them to cooperate withu s . " M t | M

Also, 4'Mercyhurst can'tcondone the breaking of the lawby its fstudents. By refusing tofurnish information, we would becondoninglaw breaking.''

Garvey statedthakMercyhurstwon't;; take any? action until thecivil authorities have made adecision on the m atter.

Those | involved won't besuspended from classes.However, they will be suspendedtemporarily from publicassignments (student teaching,etc.) until there is a guilt or innocence determination.

"If they are found to be guilty,it will be up to Mr. Kennedy andthe Student Affairs Committee todetermine what action Mercyhurst will take ?' "$

Garvey ended the interview byemphasizing that "Mercyhurst isconcerned about those arrestedand is acting to help (them, butthat it can't condone thebreakingof the law".

BW

f ^ / r H T F l

'" Financ i a l !Aid B p i i iFa ces Po ss ib le ! Cu tbacks

b y A n n e I J M a s l i in i c

In th e pastfew weeks, there hasbeen c onsidera ble stalk circulating on campus concerningPresident^ Nixon's proposedbudget for 1973-74, that containsprovisions for cutbacks infederally ; funded jj education.However, according to SisterBarbara, financial aid director,cutbacks in these programs areat the present time onlyspeculative.

Sister Barbara pointed out thatin 1972, Congressproposed? andpassed >a new federal grantprogram which designated theBasic Opportunity Grant (BOG).The BOCLalong with the threepresently existing programs-theNational Direct (Defense)Student vLoan (NDSL), theEducational Opportunity Grant(EOG), andftne Work-studyprogram, comprised the federalgovernment's educationbill forth e 1972-73j year. ^PresidentNixon's I proposed budget,however, eliminates all but thenewly instatedB O G . I

Sister Barbara views thesituation as a switching ofprograms. She explainedthat;ifthe programs are not refunded,the BO G would replace the EOG,and theState GuaranteedLoan orfederally 'insured loan wouldreplace the NDSL. The thirdprogram, work-study will mostlikely remain intact. Due to anincrease of 500 universities andcolleges initially applyingfor lit

SR .B A R B A R A |^Financial Aid Director

this year, the college willprobablyreceive less money. $

5If this elimination of program s.occurs, there will be a definiteeffect on Mercyhurst, wherestatistics show that at present27 5students are on work-study, 120are receiving NDSL, and 78 arereceiving EOG. In addition, in

coming freshmen will be affected; thus, a letter from theFinancial Aidoffice j explainingthe school's proposals was sentout. The letter stated that eachstudent would receive anestimated financial aid packageincluding the existing programs.If these programs are eliminated,other alternatives, the BOG andthe state guarnateed loan, mightbe I open but the estimate ofproposed aid will hopefullyremain relatively stable in eithercase.*j| !; *

When asked w hat compensationMercyhurst might offer, SisterBarbara said that the collegewould attempt to supply her withsome increase in institutionalfunds. If the necessary funding infederal programs is not definiteby this summer,Mercyhurst willwaive tuition fees fori affectedfinancial aid students in the fall,

with th econdition that payment isreceivedJ by the end o f thesemester. | 8 | J I Again Sister Barbara ., wasexplicit in | stressing thatelimination of NDSL, EOG andwork-study is only speculativeand that if they are eliminated,other programs are designed totake their place. Sister stronglysuggests tthat ^Mercyhurststudents!- -write to ^ theircongressmen in order to expresstheir desire forth econtinuationofthe | existing I financial aidprograms.!

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PLANNING STAGESCampus Food Co-op

MIKE ERI&MAN

Among the v arious projectionsdirected at improving the futurestudent |i ifef at MercyhurstCollege is included the plan for acampusFood Co-op. f: .

T hesuggestion wasdrawn froma group called "The Task Forceon Philosophy and Objectives ofthe Student Center." This taskforce, one of the severaldelinating the importance,ofMercyhurst's physical and socialexpansion,; was initiated on therequest oflDr. Shane| Presentlyall of the v arioustask forces areoperating under the collegesenate. | |

The concept of a Food Co-op atMercyhurst is"just [ in the ideastage," said Michael Erisman.Mr. Erisman is one ofthe*eightpeople manning thattask'forcewhich is recommending the FoodCopop project. It is a mixture ofstudents, faculty and administration, many serving onalready existing senate committees. | J ) ^ i J

Technically, the proposed FoodCo-op: would be modeled afterthose already in operation,particularlyi those in the central

areas of Erie* It would serve only

b t S h a ro n Wa r n e r

those attending this college, bothresidents and non-residents."Food," said Mr. Erisman,"wouldb e sold at cost o r at a veryminimalprofitg *

Mr. Erismanalso citedsome ofthe reasons motivating theforce's support of the program."With tuitiongoing up the way iti s , " he commented, "this sort ofprogram would cut costs as muchas possible.'? Also for thosestudents who areobliged-to payroom and board fees, this cost isalso expected to rise.

Allegedly, theCo-op would notsufficiently interfere with thebusinesses of neighboring foodstores to warrant any complaintsfrom them .| | j ;|fe

Assuming that, as part ofMercyhurst's 10-year expansionprogram, a new Student Unionwill b e built, the comm ittee hopesto house the Co-op in| thatstructure. i& Yet, even if this structure is notcompleted,on if it J is not givenpriority in the lO-yeari period,some committee members stillsee i tspossibilities. ? ?

Alexis Walker, one of the

student members, as well aschairwoman,of the committeebelieves that the Co-op could beset up in the existing studentunion,or some otherbuilding.

At theMarch8th meeting of theCollege Senate, the taskforceformally recommended theinitiation of the Food Co-op.Support for it by the committee

was on the basis of how well itappliedto the three philosophicalstandards ofth e force :

l) . is jthat which is* beingproposed serviceable ?

2 ). is its primary function toserveth e school first ?

3 ). does it avoid duplicatinganything already existing?

Satisfied with the manner inwhichth e Food Co-op has fulfilledthis philosophy, the task forcewill continue to recommend andplan.11 \ i MS&

Mr. Erisman also suggestedthat students from the variousbusiness departmentsof theschool could establish a sort ofinternship for their course ofstudies and t he ! change ofbusiness and financial matters ofoperation.

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PAGE 2 MERCYHURST COLLEGE MARCH 30 , 1973

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DRUGSandlDISTRUST.

Ques t ionof Conscience

b y A l M e s s i n a

Another change has occurred at Mercyhurst. No it's not the addition of an athletic team ora change in the curriculum.This time itis achange in theoperation of the Mercyhurst security department,a department which has become increasingly professional in thelast year. Perhapsto o professional.

At this point it's not startling news that security director Jam esFisher's name appearedon the search warrants which resulted inthe arrest of several Mercyhurst students on drug charges.Everybody seemsto know. Yet it is still importantto ascertain why.

In an interviewfwith Fisher, he'stated that he provided informationto state and local police at their request. He s tressed the

f: fact that he didn't take the initiative; they came to him for the information. % ' H jF %

Fisher also statedfthat in his legal opinion he had sufficientevidencein each individual (residence) caseto insure the probablycause necessary for a warrant. The question that immediatelycomes to mind isthis: why didn't he go to the police with the information? Did he have to wait for their request? By temporarilywithholding the information, Fisher is at least in a moral senseguilty ofcomplicity.

Fisher is likely to reply that since these students lived off campusit wasn't his position to take the initiative. Another question comesto mind. What aboutth e commitment professionallyand as a citizento uphold the law, a com mitment F isher spoke of em phatically inth e interview? There seems to be a contradiction. *

Here's something more substantive. About a month ago thesecurity department, acting upon reliable information, apprehended a student for trafficking drugs. This student is no longerin school; he was asked to leave. But he was never turned over tolocal authorities.!;Whether or not thisy shouldj"have been done isirrelevent. Whatis importantis that accordingto Fishers standardsthe student should have prosecuted.| Another contradiction? ^Obviously. And it is a contradiction to which Fisher readily admitted.

But where did Fisherget 1 his information? From a highlyorganized informant program? That's doubtful. In fact he deniedhis initiation or involvement ina campus informant program.Rath er, he said his department is open to reliable information forreliable sources.This is obviously yielding results. .?

And it is this openness to information that is a cause for concern,becausein a theoretical sense each individual is either a possible ortangible investigative extension of the law enforcement department. It seems to me that in order for an atmosphere of freedomand trust to exist, the separation between theindividuals and theinstitutionsin which they operateought to bemaintained. s

Then thereis theissue ofalcohol regulations. Here again F isher'scommittment to enforcementis in doubt. Not more thantw o monthsag o an RA from McCauley told m e aboutth e beer partiesbeing heldin that dormitory. Underclassmen, most of which are not of legalage , participated. There w as no bust. It is this kind of professionalacquiesenceon the part of the security department that causes meto believe th e laws on campus are enforced selectively.

In addition,the whole matte r received very little publicity in Eriepapers, fa stan dard procedure in drug raid s. But there is oneproblem.Why was noreferencemade to Mercyhurst College?All ofthe students involved are from Mercyhurst, even though they liveoff* campus. Is it because of a verbal agreement with thenewspapers to delete the name of the College when the story isconstrueda s detrimentalto the PR image.

THE MERCIADYears of Service

The only publicity Mercyhurst seems to receive is that of apositive nature. Yet for people to fully understand the nature andcharacter of the college,tneylmust be given access to all in-formation, even if it indicates that there a re people at Mercyhurstaccused of possessing dru gs. |After all, should an institutiondedicated to free inquiry purposely or conveniently suppress unfavorable publicity in order to maintain a positive image? Theansweris obvious. Certainlynot. i *

Then why not protest the matter? A number of students havesuggested this. However, at this writing no significant action hasbeen taken because of aparticular" administrator touse!his influence to either get the charges dropped or have them lessened. Idisagree. If the administrators help is contingent.upon the suppression of dissent, then maybeit's not worth having. He should beable to fulfill h is committment if he is sincere, and at the sam e timelisten to thegrievances of dissidents. $|g

From a tactical standpoint, an organized protest seems logicalgiven the sensitivity of the College to adverse publicity. Pressingthe issuesj; of selectiveenforcement,,Fisher's professional contradictions, and the danger of institutional openness to voluntaryinformationgathering,a protest-, might cause the securitydepartment'(at the request of the Administration) to be less inclined to accept informationin thefuture ifit results in bad PR .

I have been associated with the College for almost five years,both as a student and employee. I have been able to see how theCollege has changed.Inmany respects I'm disenchanted.

When I cam e to M ercyhurst in1969the security wasn't astight,nor w as i t asprofessional.Somehow th e atmosphere was freer. Andit wasn't because thereweren'tJany "f reeks" on campus. Therewere. I knew many of them. But then people with different values,different life styles, different ideas, were able to co-exist withoutany serious encroachments. Mercyhurst was closer to a free andopen community where people had the opportunity to grow withoutth e encumbrances of suspicion, distrustan d even cultural hatred s.

I'm not asking that Mercyhurst provide people with an imm unityto law. I ask that the College be honest about its image and thesecurity department reconcile its contradictions.!Most importantly,I ask that Fisher and his departmentrefrain jfrom opening thepossibility ofmaking us al linvestigative ag ents.

r 1973-74 mMERCIAD |

Staff AndRecruitment 8

Meeting aHTgAnyone wishing to work for

the school newspaper nextyear is asked to attend animportant meeting| onMonday, April2 at 4:00 p.m.inl'MZurn. r- *? 'M

Applications will be accepted for positions ontheEditorial Board and as staffw r i t e r s , t y p i s t s ,photographers, and layoutstaff. ? I ^

SENIORS; 11Have you completed your

graduation applicationin theRegistrar'soffice V

ISKNCLASS MEETING

7:00p.m.Mondayl214Zurn

Topic: Graduation

ATTENTIONAttentionPSEA Members.

There will be a meeting onWednesday, April 4th at 7:00in the Faculty Lounge. Mr.DiNardo, the principal ofAcademy High School willspeak.

ACTIVITY SCHEDULEPublished weekly during the college year, except Thanksgiving, in-tersession, Christmas and Easter vacations and exam ination periodsby the students of Mercyhurst College/ Erie, Pa., 16501. Mailing address: Mercyhurst AAailrooa^firesfon Hall/ Box 36.

wrEditorAssistant EditorEditorial Board.-, N e w s In

Feature EditorSports }#Layout Assistant LayoCultural *-i !

Business ManagerFaculty Advisor

Bob Pa rksTom Heberle

athy StevensonI Belovarac ar io Cipriani

ion DeGeorge |erri Grzankowski

iue W einerMarlene SmithBarry Mc Andrew

Staff Writers: Dave HorroWicAi^flStovarac, Gary Bukowski, JudySmith, Andrea Kupetz, Joan Bucher, Pattle Beck, Sharon Warner, A.J . Adams, Paul HaneS/Maureen Sullivan. s L \

Staff: Tom Frank Paul Doran, Maureen Hunt, Ma rie Kanicki, MaryGriswold/ Gail Stevens, Tom Rictor, Jim Prez, Sandy Nickerson,Maureen Connors, Sylvia Mc Cray , Judy Flynn, Peggy Benedict, FranDaniels. . * &* *, . 7.

march - April, 1973

A P R I LFOOL 'S

Movie

"Mr. S w i l f t L To Wash."

114i 7 p.m. FREE

Tri-Collag