Fort Hays State University - Reveille Yearbook (Hays, KS)

Page 33 text:

to change the world 31

Page 32 text:

A campaign designed by Margaret Goff Three short words became the kick-off to a campaign at Fort Hays State that lasted for three weeks, and a movement that workers hope will continue indefinitely. Buttons, bumper stickers and posters bearing the phrase “I found it suddenly appeared in November on cam- pus and throughout the community Newspapers, radio and television all carried advertise- ments in connection with the Here ' s Life America move- ment and the M l Found It campaign, designed to arouse the curiosity and interest of the public. In addition, volunteers who were trained prior to the campaign, telephoned students and residents of the commu- nity every night during the campaign from 7-10 p,m. Tele- phone questions asked included, Have you heard or seen the phrase “I found it 1 ” and Do you recall what these peo- ple have found? If an interest was expressed, the workers explained briefly the purpose of Jesus Christ’s life and His significance to the individual. We wanted to give interested people the opportunity to hear how an individual can receive new life in Christ, said Bob Deusterman, Campus Crusade director for the cam- paign. The campaign’s theme, I found it — new life in Christ, was based on the latter part of John 10:10. The King James version of the Bible reads: (Jesus speaking) lam come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abun- dantly, The campaign was a means of making a spiritual can- vas of the community, Carlyle Thompson, Hays community chairman, said, If they had any desire to receive Christ, an opportunity was given them and follow-up was made availa- ble. Telephone calls were felt to be the most effective way of giving this opportunity, If people didn ' t want to listen, they could hang up, Thompson said, In going door-to-door, they often feel obligated or self-conscious. This was more of a soft-sell. Not everyone saw it that way, however. Reactions ranged from feelings of intimidation to indifference, By the time I get to college, I think I know where the churches are, Valerie Hillerich, Denver freshman, said. I knew it was there and I didn ' t need anyone to tell me about it Joyce Grief. Osborne sophomore, related, I think it (the campaign) was fine, I knew what it was and I liked to see the stickers, but it didn ' t affect me either way. Some people, however, felt threatened. Dr, Elton Beougher, faculty sponsor for Campus Crusade, said. Rel i- gion is something many people don ' t talk about, he explained. There seems to be a natural tendency to not want to discuss personal beliefs. But this was not true of all persons, Concerning the theme of the campaign, Terry Azeltrne, Smith Center sopho- more, stated, 1 have always felt that Christianity was a rela- tionship rather than a religion, it was good to hear that some- one else had the same feelings. A number of students seemed to share this desire to see how others felt, Tom Dorsch, Bird City senior and campus coordinator, estimated about 47 per cent of the students on campus listened to the telephone presentation. I was pleased with the real openness of the students to listen, said Dorsch. Although there was a lack of commit rnent on the part of many, they were interested and willing to talk, Although campaign workers cited many positive results of the campaign, unity was one of the most obvious results stated, ft was good to see the cooperation among Chris- tians, Dorsch said. There was a sense of unity with every one working for one central theme. Perhaps one of the biggest impacts of the campus-rela- ted campaign, though, was on the workers themselves. It brought about a deepening of commitment, Dorsch said. It caused us to trust more and take more responsibility. All persons involved, however, agreed that the change in individual lives was the most significant result of the cam- paign. As a Christian, I’m not hard to please ' Thompson said. If one person responded, it was worth it. But the I Found It campaign was just the initial phase of the Here’s Life America movement. The goal of ' Here ' s Life ' ’ Thompson said, is to reach the world by 1980, giving everyone the opportunity to hear about the claims of Jesus Christ and the love of God for them. The training portion of the I Found It ' campaign was designed to make involved Christians knowledgeable and aware that they have the responsibility to share Christ, and to show them how to do this. r f This purpose looked not only at the present, but also toward the future. This campaign was not an end in itself The major objective was to start an ongoing movement to stimulate people to have the desire to share Christ with oth- ers 1 Thompson said. With this objective in mind, the phrase I found it was not hoped to be merely the concluding statement of a suc- cessful campaign, but rather the opening one of a new life for many people. 30

Page 34 text:

The by Bill Gasper X-rated — No one under 18 years of age will be admit- ted. Hays, America — A quiet community in western Kan- sas. Population: 15,958. Since June of 1973, the two have not mixed well. In fact, oniy one movie bearing the rating of X has been shown in Hays, that being Lasf Tango in Paris. Others have been tried, only to be shut down by threat of focal law enforcers. The movies were banned because focal law enforcement officials deemed them obscene.” This, of course, has created seri- ous controversy among Hays citizens. Some supported the closings while others opposed them. Those who were opposed to the bannings asked, Who gave local law enfor- cers the right to tell me what movies ! can see? Those in support replied, The United States Supreme Court did, that’s who! Since its existence, the Supreme Court has made many decisions concerning obscenity. Probably the most impor- tant decision, however, was made June 21 , 1973, in Miller v. California. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the responsibly of judging obscene material lies on the loca! level. Local law enforcers, the court said, are to apply con- temporary community standards to determine what is obscene. There exists a three-point test which the Court gave as a broad guide in such cases: (1) Does it appeal to the prurient interest? (2) Are there patently offensive sexual acts? (3) Does it lack educational merit? The ambiguity of this test has caused problems in com- munities throughout the nation, and in Hays this court ruling and its ambiguity along with state obscenity statutes have dealt X-rated movies a complete blackout in recent years. Former Ellis County Attorney Simon Roth Jr. decided that the basis of his obscenity enforcement policy would be to threaten immediate legal action against any theater owners who dared to show X-rated movies. And none were shown because of the stiff penalty state law applies to those found guilty of violating obscenity statutes. Theater owners found in violation of state law are subject to charges of a Class A misdemeanor, and, if found guilty, could be sentenced to up to one year in jail and fined to $2,500. 32