- The

* Scarlet
& Black

Q Cheerleading squad
proposed

by Kathy viiper
When ireshpe sons Stephanie
cry and Lynnette Williams
opened lhe Cheel‘leadillg interest
meeting held last Tuesday in South
Lounge, both irankly admitted that
there was opposition to iormation
oisuch a body. However, they were
undoubtedly disappointed when
they asked ior any concerned
parties to come iorward and sign
iorms stating qualifications ior
cheerleading, l,e. years tl| ex-
perience Not a soul advanced,
Of the approximately so people
enl. all were either
ii evocably against a squad being
introduced to the campus or ielt
the women had every right to
pursue this project, but weren’t
tonally inclined to do so.
Sophomore Ellen Wilson voiced
the ioremost objection against
cheerleaders, contending that
cheerleaders wouldn't project an
accurate image at Grinnell, Wilson
further Commented that she
noticed no lack of school spirit and
eventually recommended that
Stephanie and Lynnette poll the
campus community to gauge the
overall consensus at introducing

ﬁerleaders.
e debate regarding “image"

inevitably provoked a crowd»
‘ ‘ated comparison at

 

cheerleaders to the OBrsqiiad. At
this, treshperson Vanessa Smith
asked the audience, “Do you
think the OB-squad is really what
Grinnell is all about?" Although
Vanessa was ansyicred with a
neai‘ruilanimous “Yes," several
were heard to admit, “she has a
point " Freshman Bob Greenberg
backed her up when he questioned
whether such organizations as
diverse as the football team or the
gay community actually
represented Grinnell's identity.

Consistently concentrating on
Grlnnell‘s reputation, one person
declared that “cheerleading
belongs in the high school and
maybe further back than that"
which was met with applause
Senior Tim Hopkins gave one
explanation why such a statement
had been made, emphasizing that,
“this school is based on Spon-
taneity " This spontaneity, ac-
cording to the majority present,
was more eiiective than organized
cheers,

A linal conﬂict centered around
the sexist aspect oi cheerleading,
Several students supported a
handout placed in the campus mail
stating that any female present on
a cheerleading Squad would be
pcrpetuating the sexist protrayal
of Women.

 

Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

12/3/76 Vol. 85, No. 12

 

A related complaint asserted
that cheerleaders would be a
distraction rather than a highlight,
presumably because oi uniforms
and appearing beiore the crowd
Thereiore, sophomore Eric
Christiansen proposed the option oi
the cheerleaders organizing
themselves in the stands, without
tiniiorms. Almost all agreed 'l‘his
compromise suggestion quelled the
previous 45 minutes oi constant
disagreement.

Freshpcrson Laurie Cragg
presented ‘4 practical inquiry into
how the cheerleaders would he
landed, The response was
somewhat vague but indicated that
money mlgllt come (ruin the
athletic budget, lillormal
discussion tollowing the meeting
hinted that SGA would submit a
referendum. similar to the lettuce
boycott reterendum

Perhaps however, the most
important presence went un~
noticed by manyithat of the
unyiclding human spirit in pursuit
oi accomplishment exempliiied by
Lynnette and Stephanie. First year
college students and women
dedicated to benefiting the school,
these two Colllronled so potentially
antagonistic people tthe jeers
weren't undetected), without
losing either their composure or
their sense oi objectivity. When it
was pointed out that they had erred
by failing to consider why
cheerleaders had Iormcrly died
out. they conceded that this was a
mistake on their part.

In an intormal gathering later
Tuesday evening, a male junior
remarked to Stephanie, “the
biggest ridicule you'd receive
would come irom Grinnell itseli,"
Despite this added prooi oi op-
position, Stephanie replied, “you
can’t just jump into something,
then jump out." So, Lynnette and
Stephanie are going ahead with
their small group oi supporters in
establishing a cheering squad
supporting male and iemale teams
alike. unquestionably, there's
something to be said ior per»
serverance. In the words oi
PresldentTurner, ”Well, God bless
’em.”

Stephanie Avery and Lynnette Williams presented their rationale for formation 01' a cheerleading
squad to a primarily negative c‘rnwd allast Tuesday's meeting in South LOIul_ .

Independent
niajors

exanﬁned

liy iJiiii- With

One oi the many lriccts oi the
Griiitlell system oi liberal arts
education concerns the general
ileyiliility oi interdisciplinary
study. Speciiictilly, this iacct
encompasses the student option at
declaring one til three separate
types oi majors.

These choices, as stated in the
catalog, include "1) A major in one
oi the traditional disciplines such
as economics. physics. Spanish,
and the like. The large majority
of students choose this type of
departmental major program, 2)
Au interdepartmental major in
which speciiied amounts oi work
are taken in more than one
academic department Examples
of such majors at Grinnell are
American studies. black studies.
and general s cnce Ill An ill’
dependent major in which the
student pursties a program at
study designed in consultation with
two iaeulty advisers. Recent
examples oi such majors are

plaincd Barb. "'l'he proposal was
questioned on little ilil~plcky
things "

title oi the problcms with the
independent major, cited by Dean
Eyscnbach. is that becousc the
student must plan out third and
fourth year courses at the end of
the sophomore year. ti good deal oi
ﬂexibility is lost in terms ni taking
a wide \ 'oty of courses in dlfr
lerent divisions. .

Some students. however, do not
see this specialization as a hin-
drance Jeanine Simpson, whose
major is “Women in America."
reported that before She declared,
she was “losing motivation tor a
major" because oi the diversity of
courses she had taken.

For "Russian studies" major
Alizon Shiildiner. the narrowing of
course options presented no
problem, “I could have been a
history major and taken the same
courses l'm taking now,” ex-
plained Shuldiner. Presently she ls

 

While the College does allow quite a bit
of creativity in independent majors,

a major is always carefully screened and

sometimes very reluctantly approved.

 

comparative literature and urban
studies."

While mose students decide to
major in a traditional discipline
(option no. ll, they are not
necessarily steered to any option
by advisers. Rather, in practice
the choice is made completely by
the student who is then aided in any
way possible by the adviser.
Commenting on the advismg of
students toward a certain type of
major, Dean Eyscnbach said,
"E Ch choice of major has ad
vantages for some students and
disadvantages ior others Thc
students should be made aware at
these possrbiltties,"

Interdepartmental majors,
which are already established by
Grinnell. and independent majors,
which are created by the student,
require that an application be
completed dcscrihing the desired
major and n schedulc oi courses
tor the mid 'nd senior years
within that major This must then
be submitted to and approved by
the Dean of the Curriculum

While the College does allow
quite a bit oi creativity iii iii-
dependent majors, sometimes a
major is cureiully screened and
very reluctantly approved Barb
Pcdcn, an Educatioanuciologyr
Psychology major. explained the
diiiiculty she met.

“I had to submit my written
proposal ior my major 5 or 6 times
beiore it was a.proved," come

 

studying not only Russian history
but the language and culture as
well.

ohn Burrows, artrarchltectural
history major, expressed a similar
View. “I'm tied down somewhat
but a lot oi the courses I‘m taking 7
are those I’d need ior an art history
major anyway," stated Burrows.

Some oi the independent majors
presently being iuliilled include
British studies, commun-
ity studies, creative arts and
education for the gifted child, and
medieval studies. Many of these
appear to be simply the pursuit oi
an inleresl \Villun the guidelines of
the Grinnell curriculum.

Jea ‘ Simpson. “Women in
Am major. explained that
she is interested in the effects of
various forces on the Status of
wnmc . While she is concerned
prim' ilywithiheciiectoireligion
and morals on women, she wants to
touch on “everything" allectlng
them This major then deals with
all areas oi study at Griiinell,

A means oi iurthcr promoting
interdisciplinary study cited by
Dean Eyscnbach was a type oi
seminar research project. The
project would be taken in addition
it) the regular major and awarded
a degree as a regular major. At
present. the details ol the proposal
have not been worked ouL Several
small committees are discussing
the program and will turn in their
reports at'the end of the semester,

 

