No one mentioned the irony last night at a panel discussion on student freedoms.

A group of local newsmakers talked for more than three hours about how Penn State may or may not be suppressing free speech — at a university-sponsored event, in a university building and broadcast live on the student radio station via university-owned sound equipment.

Local big-shots and rabble-rousers came together at the HUB-Robeson Center as part of a live remote broadcast for Radio Free Penn State. They had a lot to talk about.

• Here's Gary Cattell, the Willard preacher, who spoke on the university's failed effort to make him move from the Willard Building steps: "I think it behooves all of us to be wary of any institution that tries to suppress speech in any way."

• Here's Justin Leto, a student who might be punished by the university as a result of a protest against the National Governors' Association Annual Meeting last July: "There was a very large attempt to cover up what happened."

• Here's Julian Heicklen, local activist and Libertarian Party candidate for state attorney general, who chimed in with his feelings on the summer riot: "If I am elected attorney general, I will urge the university to shift the policy it has taken on students who fail to disperse."

The discussion followed yesterday's First Amendment Festival and was sponsored by Lion Support and Radio Free Penn State. The talk show normally runs on weekday afternoons between 5 and 6 on The Lion, WKPS 90.7 FM.

On a typical episode of the radio show, the student hosts talk about local events and how they relate to student freedoms.

Leto is a frequent guest on the show. So are members of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Young Americans for Freedom, giving the show a dose of libertarian politics.

Last night's debate also included officials from the university and State College.

• Here's Sgt. John Wilson of the State College Police Department, talking about the police response to the second riot: "We all believed it was a one-time thing and it wasn't going to happen again."

• Here's Elizabeth Goreham, a State College Borough Council member, on improving student relations with the town: "There's more opportunities for things to change than students think."

Panelists first talked about the Napster music program and how it relates to Penn State's computer policies, then moved into a discussion of student conduct.

The loudest debate stemmed from two cases now passing through the Office of Judicial Affairs.

In addition to Leto's "Osmond 5" group — the three NGA protestors who will have their judicial affairs hearing tomorrow — two people arrested at the riot complained about their judicial affairs cases.

• Here's Martin Austermuhle, former Undergraduate Student Government senator, an international student who might be deported if the university suspends him for his role in the riot: "Just because something affects the reputation of the university doesn't mean it should fall under the auspices of Judicial Affairs."

• Here's Bill Huston, associate director of Judicial Affairs, who declined to discuss specific cases but said his office is fair: "We're certainly not trying to assign sanctions to students just because we think it's fun."

• Here's José Texidor, Penn State's student lawyer, on how Judicial Affairs operates with a lower burden of proof than courts: "That's the very nature of administrative hearings. They're not objective. They're not like criminal proceedings."

Technical problems caused the radio program to start late, and there was only time for a few comments from the audience.

Douglas Grane (sophomore-geography) of Penn State Amnesty International delivered a five-minute speech about how Judicial Affairs is violating the terms of the Geneva Convention.

"You are currently not an independent and impartial tribunal," Grane said, adding, "I've been trying to argue this with (Penn State President Graham) Spanier for the last couple of days and he's been telling me it's a separate thing."