A little gentleness

Old PSU tradition, 'Gentle Thursday,' celebrated diversions from violence

Once upon a time, though not so long ago, the HUB lawn filled up annually with thousands of University students on a Thursday late in April.

On this "Gentle Thursday," as it was called, students gathered on the spot of Tuesday's tragedy to interact with one another through various activities, listen to music and release themselves from the tensions of the time.

"The idea was that this was an alternative to anger," said Thomas Benson, Edwin Earl Sparks Professor of Rhetoric in the department of Speech Communications, about the origination of Gentle Thursday.

The event was designed by a speech communications class in 1970 in response to political tensions of the time as a way to stimulate peaceful social interaction. Benson, who came to the University in 1971, said student protests of the Vietnam War created great potential for violence, and Gentle Thursday was a way to redirect emotions.

But in 1981, Gentle Thursday was canceled due to problems with drugs and alcohol at the event.

"No one cared about the roots of Gentle Thursday. All they cared about was the party," said Bill Eichenser, a student in the late '70s who attended the last few Gentle Thursdays and was a member of Friends of Gentle Thursday, a group that tried to revive the event in the early '80s.

Eichenser said Gentle Thursday had an "anything-goes" atmosphere on HUB lawn, part of which involved drugs and alcohol, and that it eventually got out of control.

Gentle Thursday transformed over time not only because University social life changed but also because the war ended and so did radicalism, Benson said.

Twenty-some years later, however, Benson still sees a need for such gentleness.

Arthur Goldschmidt, professor of Middle Eastern history, agrees.

"What we really need is a Gentle Thursday in September," said Goldschmidt, who remembers the event. "That's when students need to get to know each other."

Academic Advisor and Instructor of Education Andrew Jackson, who was a student in the early 1970's and played at Gentle Thursday with his band, Creed, said it was an informal way of having a relaxed, carnival atmosphere.

"It was a way to come out, cool out. It was packed - it was like 'the big concert,' " said Jackson, who also said speed, hallucinogenic drugs and beer were prevalent parts of the scene on HUB lawn.

In addition to local bands, activities that encouraged human interaction and cooperation, such as hacky-sack, Frisbee, face-painting and booths were part of Gentle Thursday, said John LaFemina, who was a graduate student in the early '80s and organized the Friends of Gentle Thursday.

"My understanding is that it just turned into another mega-party," LaFemina said about the final days of the event.

The Friends of Gentle Thursday held several events in the early 1980s - on the third Thursday in April, as it was traditionally held - but few students showed up.

"Trying to re-instill the spirit of Gentle Thursday was a spectacular failure. To do that takes work and it takes interaction - real, human interaction," LaFemina said, adding that the revival effort was a personal success for those involved.

Dana Nale (junior-integrative arts), University Concert Committee chair and director of Movin' On, a similar event with bands on the HUB lawn, said it is hard to get bands on campus when students can see them at bars and fraternities.

"I think the alcohol has a lot to do with the student apathy toward student events," Nale said. "Many students would rather go out and drink."

LaFemina said the apathy in the early '80s was because the sense of community was replaced by the view that America was just a bunch of special interest groups.

"We seem to feel a sense of fragmentation," said Benson about today's climate. "I am old enough to remember a time when faculty had a lot more to do with students."

Benson said the structure of the University, such as the large classes, separates its members. While he sees greater autonomy in students today, he also said they have been neglected.

"I don't have the feeling that students are distant," University President Graham Spanier said.

But Spanier said he realizes the students he gets to know well may not be representative of all students.

"I tend to interact with certain students who are very active," he said, citing Undergraduate Student Government members and Lion Ambassadors as examples.

Although Gentle Thursday began as a speech communications class project, it quickly evolved into an event encompassing many student groups from Eco-Action to Greek organizations.

USG President Sharon Entenberg, who has been working on organizing recreational activities in the HUB, said there are a lot of other organizations to tap into.

"There needs to be more of a concerted effort," she said.

Daniel Walden, a professor of American Studies, English and Comparative Literature who remembers the efforts to revive Gentle Thursday, said the administration was not receptive to the idea of thousands of students gathering on the HUB lawn.

"We were trying to get people out on the lawn to achieve some kind of harmony," Walden said.But Vice President for Student Affairs William Asbury said the idea of Gentle Thursday was flawed in the first place.

"I think it's kind of artificial to think people are going to mellow out for just one day," he said.

Asbury cited Greek Week and Movin' On as outgrowths of Gentle Thursday.

Jackson, who is also a Ph.D. student in multicultural education, said the relaxed atmosphere was very real at Gentle Thursday but tension is very high on campus now.

"I'm not sure if we could ever get back to that point," he said.

Walden said he senses a better spirit on campus since Spanier became president, however, and said it is worth trying to bring back Gentle Thursday.

Benson said there is a need for more gentleness in a world where the little time left after work is only enough for family and not for the community.

"Almost every corner of this University has the ability to contribute to this effort," Spanier said.