Student Government Defunds Marching Band
Dublin Core
Title
Student Government Defunds Marching Band
Subject
West Chester University Quad Angles
Description
An article in WCU's student newspaper detailing financial issues at the university, including the student government's refusal to fund the marching band until it would allow women to join.
Creator
Quad Angles
Source
Quad Angles, WCU Special Collections Library
Publisher
WCU, Vietnam Digital Oral Histories, Spring and Fall 2022
Date
November 13, 1973
Contributor
Brenna McGowan
Rights
Used with permission of WCU Special Collections
Format
JPG
Type
Text
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Pittenger condemned for financial troubles
A vote of "no confidence" was tendered by the student government to state Secretary of Education John C. Pittenger Tuesday night. This motion was issued because of Pittenger's alleged "continued inability' to deal "effectively with the actual financial needs of the state college system." The impending tuition raise, threatened personnel and services cutbacks and the lack of a student trustee were blamed on Pittenger by various members of the General Assembly. An extended battle involving parliamentary procedure arose during a deliberation of the issue of allowing female instrumentalists into the Golden Rams Marching Band. Sue Carter and Terri Boone, instrumental music students, first explained they were being deprived of possible jobs as band directors by not being permitted to have marching band experience. Intracollegiate Governmental Association (IGA) vice president, Lorraine Marino, told the general assembly that it was contrary to state and national law concerning sex discrimination not to let women participate. A motion to refuse funding next year to the band unless they permit female members was debated and tabled. Following this, a committee was set up to study the problem and decide action. However, the tabled motion was resurrected after considerable parliamentary wrangling and on a roll-call vote was passed by a margin of 28 yes, 7 no and 2 abstentions. In another state-college matter, IGA formally requested a reduction in the cost of tuition, despite some members' protests that this would confuse the tuition issue in the minds of some legislators. Three times during the course of the two hour meeting, resolutions about President Richard M. Nixon's Watergate actions were attempted by several members. Each time, the resolutions were halted before their consideration by College Union chairman Victor Neubaum and at least one third of the IGA members required to sustain his objection. In a last-ditch effort to bring the matter to the floor, a roll-call vote was demanded. 3 members sustained Neubaum's objection to consideration and over rode the 22 members wishing to consider the matter.
A vote of "no confidence" was tendered by the student government to state Secretary of Education John C. Pittenger Tuesday night. This motion was issued because of Pittenger's alleged "continued inability' to deal "effectively with the actual financial needs of the state college system." The impending tuition raise, threatened personnel and services cutbacks and the lack of a student trustee were blamed on Pittenger by various members of the General Assembly. An extended battle involving parliamentary procedure arose during a deliberation of the issue of allowing female instrumentalists into the Golden Rams Marching Band. Sue Carter and Terri Boone, instrumental music students, first explained they were being deprived of possible jobs as band directors by not being permitted to have marching band experience. Intracollegiate Governmental Association (IGA) vice president, Lorraine Marino, told the general assembly that it was contrary to state and national law concerning sex discrimination not to let women participate. A motion to refuse funding next year to the band unless they permit female members was debated and tabled. Following this, a committee was set up to study the problem and decide action. However, the tabled motion was resurrected after considerable parliamentary wrangling and on a roll-call vote was passed by a margin of 28 yes, 7 no and 2 abstentions. In another state-college matter, IGA formally requested a reduction in the cost of tuition, despite some members' protests that this would confuse the tuition issue in the minds of some legislators. Three times during the course of the two hour meeting, resolutions about President Richard M. Nixon's Watergate actions were attempted by several members. Each time, the resolutions were halted before their consideration by College Union chairman Victor Neubaum and at least one third of the IGA members required to sustain his objection. In a last-ditch effort to bring the matter to the floor, a roll-call vote was demanded. 3 members sustained Neubaum's objection to consideration and over rode the 22 members wishing to consider the matter.
Original Format
Paper
Files
Citation
Quad Angles, “Student Government Defunds Marching Band,” WCU Vietnam War Oral History Project, accessed November 18, 2024, https://nunncenter.net/wcu-vietnam-war/items/show/56.