The
ZScarIet

8 Black

Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

9/5/75 Vol. 84 No. 2

 

 

’Soc hopefuls
" interViewed

by Bob Curly

Several sociologists have been
interviewed ior two (aculty
positions that will open up next
year, says Waldo Walker, dean of

X the college and chairman pro tem

ol the Sociology Department.
However, the Executive Com-
mittee still faces problems in

§ reorganizing the department after

its tivo current iacuity members,
Richard Woodworth and Anne
Abler, leave at the end oi the 1975-
75 academic year, Their contracts
have not been renewed beyond this

- year,

*e administer."

There are two possibilities for
the future of the Sociology
Department: one is to let it remain
independent, and the other is to
merge it with the Anthropology
Department. incorporating the two
departments into one may have an
advantage over keeping them
separate, Walker says, since “one
department might be easier to
The Executive

‘Committee has not yet decided

X will be,” Walker said,

which course to take, but it will

reach a decision by December.
“No matter what the Situation

“we have

I"

l

7 Joint

i

g;

t-

recognized that we need two
sociologists.”
The two new iacuity members
probably will not be too Close to
eligibility ior tenure. ”The sooner

a faculty member is eligible for

tenure, the less ilexibility there ,

will be
organizational change,”
stated.

in the event ot a merger between
the Sociology and Anthropology
Departments, Dean Walker could
not predict what would happen to
the quality oi an education in
sociology here at Grinnell. The
Executive Committee would have
to consider that.

The Educational Policy Com-
mittee (EPC)
Department feels that joining the
departments will indeed damage
an education in sociology. Abbi
Swanson, EPC chairperson. claims

in administrative and

that sociology as a discipline is ~
important enough that it remain

independent. Combining ans
th ropology and sociology, she says,

would do a disservice to both, She '

teels that she speaks for other EPC
members in this respect.

C 0//ins pushes
cooperation

, S.G.A, President Will Collins,
opened this year‘s iirst iormal
meeting Wednesday night by
stating that he perceives student

government as an ”internal in-'

fluence. . .to be exerted within the
Student body.” He indicated that
he would like to promote greater
Cooperation among those involved
in order to progress into a “more
mature community.”

To further this end. he an
nounced that it would be advisable
to institute a new policy regarding
decisionrmaking‘, speciiically, the
Board members, who
represent residence halls, will
have a chance each week to discuss
upcoming issues with the Cabinet
The practice of integrating more
people into these consultations is
expected to eliminate any ten-
dency on the part oi the Cabinet to
exert excessive control.

The Social Coordinating Com-
mittee was established. With Bruce
Green and Bonnie Redlich in
charge of movie selection, Dan
Meltzer and Carlson Smith
supervising concert

by itosa inichnya

warrangements, and Brian Mann, in

the position of chief coordinator,

overseeing this year‘s entire»

program. Marin intends to make

certain that events are widely. ,.
varied and evenly distributed ‘

throughout the coming months.

S,G,A, Treasurer Mark Nissen’

revealed that the budget is in very
good shapeeavailable lunds ex-
ceed last year’s expectations.
Because oi a slight decline in
enrollment, however. it was

necessary to appropriate a greater ' ,

part oi the sixty- -iive dollar student

activity lee (or residence hall

iunds. A unanimous vote changed
the former figure of $5.10 to $6.00
per student.

Establishment ol a Con-
stitutional Reform Committee,
was also voted upon. it will be
comprised of one Cabinet member,
three members of the Joint
Boards, and two Ilonsoificesholding
students. This committee will draft
their recommendations [or change
and present them to the entire
Joint Boards tor review and, later,
to a Student referendum.

Walker ;

ot the Sociology‘

photo by John lwasakl

Late lastJune the untitled work was hoisted by
a crane onto its present site where it rests on a
tour and a hall loot cement inundation. The
sculpture will change color; zirkle pre icts that
it will ripen to a red-brown, like the sculpture
presented to the City ol Chicago by Pablo
Picasso, in about 18 months.

Sculpture
etailed

By Pat Edmulids

The sculpture planted on Central Campus late
last spring may not have been commissioned by
iormer president Glenn Leggett. The thirteen
foot high, 1200 pound piece cost in the neigh-
borhood oi $5,000 and was paid tor with speciiied

- art acquisition iuods. Exact tigures on the price
of labricating the work designed by Prolessor
Louis G, zirkle ol the Art Department were not
available at the time oi publication. president
Turner released the $5,000 figure Tuesday.

At no time was the Art Acquisitions Committee
(Appointed yearly by the president oi the college
and composed of the dean of the college. the
president, iaculty members and students),
consulted about this project. The Committee is

‘ charged with the development and maintenance
of the college’s permanent art collection.
Nevertheless, the zirkle sculpture, according to
president Turner, is part oi the permanent
collection.

The origins of the project are unclear. Two
years ago, an unnamed man saw a sculpture
roughly 2 ieet high, created by Proiessor zirkle.
He thought the composition would look good in a
larger scale somchwcre on the Grinnell campus.

Shortly aiterward Professor Zirkle, Physical
Plant Director Dale i-iawn, and possibly Dean
Walker presented the proposal to the president.
Richard Cervene, Chairman of the Art Depart»
ment was called in. No record of the assembly
exists, There’s some speculation that Leggett is
the unnamed man The former president could
not be reached at his home lor comment.

Discussion of what medium should be used to
translate the original work into a monumental
piece began. Cor~Ten steel was iinaliy
selected as the medium and approximately one
year aiter the original proposal. during
Christmas break 1574, Professor Zirkle built a
fullsize, plywood mocksup oi the sculpture in the
B&G workshop at a cost of $100 to $150. No labor
charges were made by the protessor, however
Zirkle received a small honorarium for
executing the entire project

The plywood mock up was needed to provide
the workers at Johnson Machine Works in
Sheraton, Iowa, fabricators of the sculpture,
with a blueprint [or its execution. The bill [or
lubrication of the sculpture was approximately
$5,900. Dale Hawn introduced Zirkle to owner
Russell Johnson.

Student reaction to the sculpture is generally
unfavorable. Many simply do not like it. Most
Want to know what it means. Zirkle’s only
comment is, ”As tar as I’m concerned the piece
speaks for itsell, period.” President Turner
offered this definition of sculpture: “Sculpture is

something you back into when trying to catch a
frisbee,”

The president continued on a more serious
note, “The interesting thing about this sculpture
is that the size and scale aileet the surrounding
space, as opposed to just taking up space,“ Some
students, unhappy with sculpture’s present
location, contacted SGA representatives

, requesting discussion of a student referendum

to relocate the piece.

The tact is, no linal resting place tor the
sculpture was considered beiore execution oi the
work began, or indeed, until the linished product
was trucked on campus. A joint decision where
to place the sculpture was made by the artist and
president Turner.

_ ltshould be stressed no student fees were used
in payment tor the sculpture. it is clear that art
acquisition lunds exist that do not tail under the
administration oi the Art Acquisitions Com-
mittee, whose annual budget is $2,500. Unclear,
however, how or why the sculpture came to be
part oi the permanent collection without the
consideration or authorization or the Art
Acquisition Committee.

 

