LOCAL BAND'S FLIERS REMOVED FROM HUB
_{- by Mark Correa Daily Collegian - February 14, 1994}

In its relatively short existence, the local band Caeser Pink and the Imperial Orgy has already run into its share of trouble -- now, members claim the University is censoring their promotional fliers.

Last Thursday, Caeser Pink, the band's lead singer, said he was told that fliers advertising his band had been removed from the HUB, partially because of content.

"I was surprised about it -- it's not like we're putting up shots from Playboy," Pink said.

The band has created a variety of fliers, ranging from a photo of the group to text inviting the public to an orgy to photos of nude or seminude men and women.

Pink said removing the fliers is censorship.

"They give people the right to put things up -- we lost that right based on content," he said. "The bottom line is, they're deciding what people can and cannot see."

But Stan Latta, director of student life, who made the decision to remove the fliers from the HUB, said he doesn't consider the removal censorship.

"Censorship? No. We're determining what's appropriate for the building -- and we determined it was not," Latta said. "As an administrator, I have the right to judge things . . . we have the authority to say something is inappropriate."

There is no policy about acceptable poster content -- the decision to remove the fliers was made after the HUB received a number of calls from students offended by the content, Latta said.

Latta added that he particularly had problems with one flier that depicted a woman's rear end with a feather between her legs.

"It's not the kind of values we're trying to promote," he said. "We found the poster to be offensive and degrading toward women . . . we promote the opposite of that. If it's degrading, we're going to remove it."

But Pink said that flier is actually the cover from a book of photographic art, Days at Sea by Ralph Gibson.

"It's not designed to be erotic," he said.

Caeser Pink and the Imperial Orgy has had other problems in the band's one year of existence. Last fall, a show in Lewistown was canceled when a Christian group threatened to protest if the band played.

Pink said a sexual liberation theme is noticeable at the band's live shows, at which orgies have almost taken place. At the end of a recent show, Pink and 10 to 20 people were writhing on the floor in an unusual manner during one song.

The visual styles -- video projectors and costumes -- during the band's shows are carried on through its fliers, Pink said.

The fliers have also caused some problems at Stoney's Posthouse Tavern, 146 N. Atherton St., where the band played Friday.

"I got a bunch of calls on Thursday -- about 10 calls," said Carl Easterling, Stoney's owner. "One lady said . . . that her and her friends were never coming back if I let the band play on Friday."

But Easterling said he had no problem with the fliers he had seen.

"I would imagine they kept them on the legal side," he said. "And I believe in the First Amendment."