 

Sees “stifling insularify”
in KDIC editorial

To lhe Editor: This is in responsﬁ
lo the KDIC News editorial calling
for President Turner's resignation.
Originally. I thought only of a
private communication to the
author (If the KDIC editorial
.rwhcever that may be). but though
I'm sfill not anxious to make a
public statement, I think the
subject is of general importance.

What lhave to say is not directed
at the particular issue reierrcd to
as “adminislratire
reorganization.” but rather at
some of the apparent attitudes and
assumptions reflected in the
rhetoric cmploycd in the call for
President Turner's resignation.

What strikes me about lhe
editorial (aside from the fact that
the “disclaimer" was irrespon-
sible) is the deplorable air of rabid
parochialism it exhibits Presideni
Turner is distinctly being
characterized as an interloprr.
someone from lhe dark ilnd
sinister outer-reaches of lhe
'fshudder' ) non-(ii inlli'll. Has it noi
occurred to the cditorialisl how
many members of the student
body, facility. and statt have bccn
connected iviih precious,
sacrosanct Grinnell for a shorler
lime lhan Richard Turner? This
fact perhaps renders the rhetoric
of lhe editorial ridiculous: but
there are. i icar, symptoms of
stilling insulariiy in llie editorial
that have to be taken Seriously and
strongly resisted

 

Since l’ve been here tstudent and
teacher) nearly a quarter of a
century, I must qualify as a_ true
blue Grinnellian if there ever is
such a thing, but i must tell you
that in my experience the College's
finest moments have come with the
infusion of new blood Three very
different examples most old-
timers will agree with me on:
Howard Bowen (administration),
Sheldon zitner (faculty), and
Terry Bisson (our first male
student with long hair and a
banjo) ,

l’m not so fatuous as to pretend
that people irom the “outside"
livhich does include us alll have
always been good news, but the
sort of clannishness lhe KDYC
editorial endorses would really be
the spiritual death of this place. if
a school lof all institutions) ever
begins to feel more hostile than
welcoming to ideas, perspectives,
and energies irom beyond its
current precincts. it has lost faith
in itself

Consequently, i feel obliged not
only to protest but to express my
utmost contempt for the KING
editorial, which couches its
criticism of President Turner in
the objectionable tcrms of a smug
little band of The Chosen.
threatened by the impurity of the
Unanointed.

My god, it sounds like it came out
of Rhodesia or the D A R!
Pi-ulcssor .laiiics Kissuiic

Voice from the “real" world

To the bditor: As a person who has
been in the “real” world. I horcby
wish to cnnimcni ml the SGA
President’s request for a gain in
student input in tho future

The student body which was
present at the open forum came
across as a selfish crowd People
were actually speaking of getting
their recreational service at any
price. Does the end justify the

, nieans"

Have you ci-cr considered the
Impact oi the prcccdenl you would
create by luring Staff at a hall
salaryieven if the latter is
proposed by the people concerned”
15 this the outcome of learning
economics? it could lead. in fact, to
a complctc reevaluation of the
price of labor and to a very dif-
ferent wage theory, Would you
yourseliaccepl working for a hali'r
salary when you get out into the
real world” Considering the
location of Grinnell College, I
would agree that we all have the
right to he concerned about the
quaiily of entertainment on

campus. However. it was very
depressing to realize that the world
of teley'iSion and stereo has turned
people into a passive crowd who
now cxpeci “fun” to be provided
for lliCm. Rather than students
actively seeking some oi their own
entertainment, they seem to ex»
pect it in be totally delivered to
them

rd agree that it's not an easy job
lo focus on a long-term issue when
most of us are only here tor a few
years But the impressive
renresenlafion of the student body
showcd that people were con-
cerned about having a voice in the
decision making. The open lorum
was the chance the studcnts had lo
discuss the reality of (he long‘lerm
issue concerning student input.
And had they done so. the whole
outcome of the open forum would
have been more Constructive. As of
today. it seems that more
developments may arise. Let's
hope that significant progress is
mado'hirolc iiaiiioii

 

 

The Scarlet & Black

second class postage paid at crinneli, la sollz

 

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Talk to those involved

To the Editor: The administrative
reorganization has brought many
issues to light that are of concern to
the entire Grinnell community,
One maJor issue that has
developed is the question of
student input in administrative
decisions that directly effect the
quality and quantity oi Grinnell's
social, cultural. and recreational
programs. This is certainly an

issue that should be of utmost
importance to all members of (he
Grinnell family. However, let us
not push aside other equally or
more important issues in our en-

thusiasm to achieve more student ,

involvement. Just as more student
input must be realized, so must the
input of those persons most
directly involved in the decision7
those who possess perspectives
and foresight in particular areas
lhat administrative offiCials
cannot possibly develop. it is my
belief that the Conﬂict we are now
involved in could have been
avoided had the administration

Dead horse?

To lhe Editor: This past Wedr
nesday night. I observed president
Turner's acquiescence, if not
endorsement, of the most unjust
administrative decision ever to
disgrace this school. Kathy Mc-
Cluskey and Georgia Dents] were
tired for reasons which apply more
readily to Tom Latimcr
treplaceabilily, to cite one) than to
these two talented women, In fact.
the only reason for keeping Mr
Latimer. as admitted by Turner,
was his administrative “ability.”
That Latimer should be signed to a
new contract, then. was to be
expected After all, Turner himself
Is an administrator and ad
ministrators are a tightly knit
group tip which the size of national
and state governmental
bureaucracies readily attests).
Such favoritism must not stay
uncorrected

We do not need zidiniiiislratt)rs
ior all phases of college life. We
need lcziclicrs, instructors and
people with functional ability.
However, our collcgc is being
taken over by vague directors of,
undoubtedly. equally vaguc plans
lalongthelinesofrurner's “White
Paper").

Then how can Turner rationalize
his favoritism toward “paperr
passers”? Maybe he reasons that
administration represents a
specialization of work, splitting
work inlo the two operations,
planning and action. However, he
extends (his thought beyond the
realm of reason when he
eliminates action and keeps
planning. Therefore. it this college
cannot afford the current
recreation program. we can even
less afford a recreation adr
ministrator The reduction in the
scale at the programs. by
dismissing the instructors. ob
viaies the need ior an organizer
outside of the students who are now
forced to direct the programs.

Turner says that we must avoid
negative expectations for the
future, but circumstances and
reason juslify such pessimism. The
fly that smiles the horse can say
that he moves the cart only as long
as the horse lives.

But. gentlemen. the horse is
dead Carl Kiappcr

P.S. Though Georgia Dentel is
also classified as an administrator.
she possesses a skill and is
therefore not a “paper-passing”
administrator like Turner or
Latimer All references to ad
ministrators in the body of the
letter are to this “paperrpassing”

 

 

 

variety,

made a wholehearted effort to
consult with the three persons
together Concerning a possible
reorganization and the impending
need to tighten the college budget.
Compromises could have been
made that would have saved a
great deal oi money while not
compromising the principles of
those involved and that would also
lnainlain the high quality
programming that Kathy Mc-
Cluskey and Georgia Dental
provide. To make such a critical
decision tsuch as this
reorganization) independent of
group consultation with the three
persons most directly involved
implies that the administration
placeslittlevalueintheexpericnce
and foresight that Kathy, Georgia,
and Tom have acquired over the
years in their respective positions.
Their practical knowledge, know-
how, and outstanding capabilities
should command a deep respect.
This respect has been violated by
the administration in their EX'

clusion or these people trom
participation in the decision
making process.

It is my hope that the Grinnell-Q
community recognizes the ”IT,
plications of this violation. By
cxcluding the persons most
directly involved in an ad-
ministrative decision from having
at least an opportunity to state
their opinions before it is finalized,
the administration is increasing
the likelihood of irresponsible and
ignorant decisions that can have
serious repercussions for the
future of Grinneii.

i am addressing this issue to
faculty as well as to students. How
much administrative authority
should the administration be
trusted with in areas beyond their
experience and capabilities? .
Accountability does not mean
responsibility Action must be
taken to insure that the best
possible decisions be made for us
to have the best possible Grinnell.
nobin riiaztioii

Student input needed

To the Editor The open foruln on
the administrative reorganization
was both interesting and disapr
pointing it was interesting
because it shed some light on
President Tui-nei- vision of the
college; disappointing because it
seemed to reveal the lack of vision
of many students

As Elizabeth Archerd has
suggested lSSsB 9 - 17-76), Turner
views ih liege. in effect, as tivo
communities; a community of
producers (faculty and ad
ministration) and a community at
consumers (studentsl. l-lcncc. last
Wednesday's forum W s on ex-
ercise in customer relations The
disturbing thing is that most
students seem quite willing to be
treated as mere consumers—by
tar lhc majority of the complaints
have focused on the quality of thc
service

lam not writing in opposition to
lhe reorganization. i found
President Turncr's and Dean
Walker’s justification fairly
convincing. and l acccpt. with only
a few reservations. lhe neccessity
0f the action as it was taken.
Nonetheless, lam still angered by
the absence of any consideration of
student opinion in [he matter

Our presidenl made it clear last
Wednesday that he wanted to avoid
the issue nf “sludenl power."
saying he didn't believe it was a
major concern of most students.
However, when he was asked
direct questions on the subject he
was not evasive: he does not think
there is any room for student input

in mailers of (his sort, or ever will
be Financial ncccssi , dictatcs
an authoritarian administration.

it is not very clear jusl what
kinds of decisions Presidentﬂ?
Turner sees as requiring. or even
permilting student input, Thc
White Paper gives a clue,
however: the recommendation on .
1771? would climinatc tiic longQ
range planning committee tm
which students are represented.
and replace it tand two other
committees) with a Faculty
Council, without student
i-epi-escntzition. Students would be
represented only on a Community
Council with strictly advisory
powcrs. lit the context of the
authoritarian tone of the Turner
admi 'stration and lhe President's
rem s Wednesday night. it
seems clear to me that Turner's-
intent is to remove students from
any meaningful, effective role in
the governance of the college,

if students are to be participants
in their education ratherthan mero\
consumersiaitd I think there are
important social and educational
reasons why they should bcv
tudent power is essential Or you
can say “student input." ii
“power" seems foo radical or [00
dated. The question yet to be an~
swered is- are there a significant
number of students who saw in the
reorganization any issues more
substantial than how they will
spend Saturday nights next year? .
Our Fearless Leader clearly,

 

believes the answer is no, I hope we
can prove him wrong, 'l'im (-oniioi- .

OSA plans events

To the Editor:

USA torganized Student Actionl
is an immediate and independent
response to events concerning the

recent administrative
reorganization. its formation is a
measure of the depth of student
outrage not only at the
reorganization itself. but at the
manner in which it was carried
out.

Thc longterm si iiicance of the
administration reorganization
ivarrants measures beyond SGA's
traditional methods Therefore we
feel OSA should act as all ma
dependent organization
cooperating with SGA towards the
attainment of these goals: the
adoption of an effective af-
firmative action policy. student
involvement in college decisions,
and the maintenance of cultural,
social, and recreational programs.
USA can provide beneficial action
in addition to reports and

negotiations between SGA and the
administration,

Our first action will be a day
devoted to informing parents,
alumni, and the campus comr
munity of lhe issues. On Saturday,
Oct, 2, various activities are
planned to express our concern and
investigate our options. These‘
activities include a lecture on
affirmative action policies adopted
by other ACM colleges. and a
student concert on central campus.
information concerning the ad-*
muiistrative reorganization and its
ramifications will be available at
these events, A calendar of the
day's events will be distributed.

OSA is committed to continued
action, and urges all students to
participate and express their
concern until a satisfactory
agreement is attained.

. Organized Student. Action """""

 

