Media School at B.U. Rescinds Offer to Pay Ziegler to Speak

The student government of Boston University's School of Public Communication voted Monday to rescind its invitation to former White House press secretary Ronald L. Ziegler to speak at the school next month.

Administrators' and students' belief that "Ziegler's actions as press secretary do not represent what the school stands for" prompted the student government to change its plans, Debbie Kogan, treasurer of the student government, said yesterday.

John Wicklein, dean of the School of Public Communication, said yesterday he thought it "morally wrong" for the student government to pay Ziegler to speak. Ziegler had requested a lecture fee of $2500 and expenses.

"Ron Ziegler knowingly lied to the press and people of the country and did his best to subvert the First Amendment guarantees of a free press," Wicklein said.

Wicklein added that he would defend Ziegler's right to speak on campus, if he were not paid for appearing there.

The student government voted unanimously January 20 to invite Ziegler to speak February 26 on "The Use and Abuse of Power."

Kogan said at that time the student government saw Ziegler's actions in the Nixon administration as unrelated to whether or not he should be paid for speaking. "We were not condoning the man. We wanted to learn about the role of press secretary, or at least how not to go about being a press secretary," she said.

The student government held an open student hearing on the Ziegler invitation yesterday afternoon. It was the first such forum ever called by the student government, Peter Elikann, president of the student government, said yesterday.

He said more than 95 per cent of the overflow crowd of about 350 students opposed inviting Ziegler.

After the student voice vote, the student government revoked the invitation by a vote of 14 to 5.

The contract with Ziegler had not yet been signed.

Speaking at the forum, Wicklein said, "I think it's wrong to help Nixon or anyone else get rich because of their association with the Watergate cover-up."

"Obviously I believe in freedom of speech. If he thinks he has something to say, let him say it. I will fight for this," he added.

Robert Tobin, vice-president of the university, announced at the forum the university instituted a policy last year of not paying speakers more than $1000.

However, Elikann said yesterday that the policy was "unwritten and unan- nounced" and had been bent for Ralph Nader and Bella Abzug.

The amount of money Ziegler requested had nothing to do with the decision to revoke the invitation, Elikann said.

"There never has been an uproar about paying or not paying, but this is our first Nixon-type speaker. What if next time we invite someone like Jane Fonda or the Berrigan brothers there is protest? They've been arrested. I don't know what answer we can give," he said.

He also said he feared that this refusal to pay Ziegler could set a precedent of not paying speakers whose views caused dissent within the student body.

Ziegler is under contract to the New York agency, W. Colston Leigh and is therefore unable to lecture without a fee, William Leigh, a member of the firm, said yesterday. He said since the university had not yet informed him of the decision not to pay Ziegler, he could make no comment on the matter.

However, Leigh did say, "People should be paid for lecturing. In that sense, I guess I don't believe in free speech.