Georgia State University - Rampway Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

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Table Cf Contents he members of the staff of the 1985 RAMPWAY have decided that the student of Georgia State University would best be served this year by a retrospective look at the University, itself. To that end, we have gath- ered information about buildings on campus, some named for our founders, and interviews with mem- bers of the faculty and administra- tion, current and retired. These spe- cial entries include profiles and re- miniscences of people who have body been closely associated with Geor- gia State for a number of years. An urban commuter university that has literally grown from bor- rowed rooms in office buildings and the ramps of an indoor parking ga- rage to an institution with a student population of over twenty thou- sand, Georgia State has a fascinat- ing history worthy of documenta- tion. The tradition of loyalty and fierce determination that began with the dream of a man named George

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'i STUDENT LIFE r. Kenneth England was Dean of Students in the Sixties and since his door was always open to provide accessibility to stu- dents, he remembers many stories concerning the students of that period. One night, around 2:00 a.m., he got a telephone call from a student who seemed to be not only intoxicated but in the midst of an emotional crisis. The student told Dr. England that he was on the lower floor of the old Georgian Terrace Hotel, in a telephone booth. He said that he was hiding from five carloads of CIA agents and that he wanted Dr. England to come to the hotel and take him to his QDr. England'sj house. Dr. England couldn't do that but offered to get some other help for him. The student replied that that wouldn't do but that he wanted someone he could trust. Dr. England assured him that he had a friend who was an off-duty policeman and that this friend would help. He said that this friend would wear his uniform, even though he was off-duty, so that they could move around easily and that they would get help. Finally, the student agreed and was taken to Grady for help. Since it was the weekend, Dr. Eng- land asked that the young man come to his office the following week and they would discuss his problems. The following week, the student did not appear, but since he had given Dr. England the right name, locating him was no problem. When they finally had a conference, Dr. England gave him a gentle lecture. About the student, Dr. England said, I have no doubt in the world that the young man would have come by the office as I had asked him to, except that he just forgot. During the same decade, Don Smith, the first A Time Remembered ..... IIINNEIIINIA D chairman of the Lyceum Film Committee and quite knowledgeable about films, had booked the film, ZULU for screening at Georgia State. The film, about an episode that took place in Africa during the 1870's, was scheduled for screening that week- end. ' That Thursday afternoon, Dr. England was at home writing a paper on The Rivet in Grandfather? Neck when the telephone rang and it was Don. It was about 5:30 p.m. and Don said that three students had threatened to burn the film and destroy the screen if ZULU was screened as scheduled, they claimed the film was racist. Dr. England told Don that he would be at the school within the hour. Dr. England met with the students and invited them to sit down. We demand that you not show the film. When Dr. England asked if they had seen the film, it seemed that one had seen it, one had seen the last eight minutes of it and one had not seen it at all. Dr. England then asked the students if they be- lieved in freedom of assembly, expression and speech and that if they did, then they must believe in showing the film. He proposed that Don show the film, as scheduled, and that he would invite several political science professors to screen it. If they declared it to be racist, the rest of the screen- ings would be cancelled. They said, What will you do if we destroy the film and the equipment? Dr. England replied, I will suspend you on the spot. That's a threat. lt is not a threat, it's a statement about a condi- tion into which you might elect to move yourseIf. The conversation was at an end and the students left. The film was screened as scheduled. td tLf