‘.

 

The Midwest Conference has

Q'voted to adopt an innovative league

Set-up for football in 1978, The new
plan. which was developed at the
conterence meeting at Eeloit on
Nov. 19 and 20. adds several unique
leatures while retaining the
divisional format established this
year

Under the setup. the conference
splits into two divisions based on
Winsloss records rather than on
geographical locations. which is
the present basis. Coe. Cornell.
Knox. Lawrence. Mo mouth and

(kipon lorm one div ion mainly

because they had the six best con-
ferenec records in 1975. The teams
with the five worst marks this
‘ ear, Beloil. Carleton. U. of
Chicago, Grinnell and Lake Forest.
make up the other division
The 1978 set-up includes some
other new and interesting changes.
The playoffs will be limited to a
championship game between the
winners oi the two divisions, with
the Victor of that contest being
declared the league champion. An
upset victory in the championship
by the winner of the “lower
caliber” division might result in
the league champion actually
being a poorer team than the last
place finisher in the “higher

’aliber” division.

Aliens mobility
The plan also calls for mobility

‘ g» tween the divisions. Every two

years. the team with the best two
year divisional record in Grinnell's
group joins the other drvrsion.
while the squad with the poorest
two-year mark in the other division
joins Grinnell’s group.

Pioneer Director ot Athletics

John Pfitsch said the new set-up is
“the best thing that‘s ever hap'
pened to the Conference . . . It's
interesting. it’s unique, it's in
novative." Grinnell faculty
representative to the conference
Pat Brenner said. “It's a
reasonable compromise to deal
with the conditions that face us
now."

The main purpose or the new set-
up is to assure that each team will
usually play an opponent of equal
ability. Each college plays the
others in its division and completes
its schedule with games against
teams in the other division or
outside of the conference.

Pioneers niet
tour tough ones

Grinnell head football eorch Edd
Bowers dislikes the idea of a school
having to play a string of teams
stronger than it is. He said. ”It's
not fair for a school of Grlllnell's
philosophy to play [our teams
tCoc. Cornell. Knox and Mons
mouth) like we had to play this
year." Those four teams. all of
whom beat Grinnell this season.
are in the stronger division in 1978.
Bowers characterized most of the
teams in the stronger division as
having more emphasis on athletics
than on academics and noted that
most have physical education
majors. Yet. he stressed
that there is nothing unacceptable
about playing a few of the stronger
teams. In fact, Grinnell has
already slated Cornell and Knox
for 1978.

Bowers said he was a little
worried about the psychological
effect Grinnell's placement in the
weaker division might have on

by Toni Arenhcrg
Pioneer players. ”It's a stigma
they may not like." he said. “but
they will accept it if they have a
chance to win and play the winner
of the other division." He
acknowledged that the Chain»
pionship game might be ems
barrassingly onesided.

Ma change

The new ' visions may be
changed before the plan goes into
effect. Luther College. a strong
football team. may Join the league
and the U. of Chicago. now one
of the weaker squads. may leave
Conference faculties will soon vote
on accepting Luther's recent ap-
plication to the league

Questions have arisen regarding
the Amos Alonzo Slagg Scholarship
given by Chicago. The scholarship
may be an athleticigl‘ant. which is
against the conterence code of
conduct The scholarship considers
academic achievement. but
Bowers said that every recipient
“is an outstanding lootball
player." It is not certain whether
the matter will cause other league
schools to vote the Maroons out oi
the conference. or whether some
other agreement will be reached.

The 1978 tormat replaces an
experimental set-up established
this year The center nce split into
two geographic div ions. mainly
tor economic reasons Generally.
however. the linancial savmgs
were not great. Grinnell saved
little. due largely to expenditures
on an overnight trip to Knox that
Pfltsch said were good ins
vestments but were not absolutely
necessary.

The present set-up will be kept
next year. although there were

Cheerleaders—a step back?

I. by Dave Sclieclitci-

Whether or not Grinnell has
cheerleaders is an issue of
relatively minor significance.
what is important is the trend
cpresented and the consequences

‘ihvolved tor the College in general.
It is a sense of social relevancy
that has helped to give Grinnell a
special niche among institutions
purporting to advance higher
education.

Journalist Milton Viorst ex-
pressed surprise at the high level
or student interest concerning the
administrative reorganization. He
perceives college campuses as
becoming more conservative in

Qature. “strangely reminiscent of
the '50'5 when I was in college."
Commentators have made much of

re apathy found on campuses
today regarding contemporary
issues and the return to the social
lilestyle of zo years past.

Yet here at Grinnell we can see
the return of a more inward
oriented set of values being ace
companied. paradoxically. by a
brief increase in interest towards
campus issues. Discussion has
lately concerned itseli with the
issue of who or what legitimately
represents the student body. It is
doubtful that an organized

’ﬁ erleadihg squad would receive

rity support from the

Go home

THE
HEAD

QUARTERS

students.

Should such a group ”represent
the College. in apparent opposition
to the values that the majority feel
to be inherent in Grinnell?
Sororities. iralernities.
cheerleaders and their historically
associated social connotations
have been absent at Grinnell for
some time and the lack of such
socially conformist organizations
has been an attractive feature of
the College.

Are We “intolerant liberals"
denying the rights of a group of
wellrintentioned individuals? 1
think not. Surely the “Grinnell
Experience" includes those ins
terested in cheerleading as well as
gay individuals. socialists. and
others expressing their own
lifestyles.

We are not intolerant. merely
concerned that the regard with
which Grinnell is held could suffer
lrom the ellects ot an organized
eheerleading squad More imr
portantly, will Grinnell buck the
current campus trend towards
nostalgic complacency and remain
a socially progressive institution or

looking good

will it regress to a safe. status quo
extstence.content to live as it did a
generation ago?

It is too hypothetical to speculate
whether cheerleaders lead to frats
and sororities. to Homecoming. lo
a return to the lack of concern
regarding contemporary political
and social issues seen 20 years ago.
it is worth noting that Carleton
College's homecoming lestivities
this tall were complete with a
queen. smiling and waving to the
crowd.

Cheerleadlng in and of itselt
doesn't necessarily contribute to a
return to the malaise of the fifties.
However. this issue is just one
example of changing student at
titudes at Grinnell. The lettuce
boycott was overwhelmingly
approved three years ago; it
passed by a slimmer margin this
time. after much rhetorical
discussion. Members of the gay
community have been attacked for
expressing an alternative lifestyle.
The lack of continued interest in
the ettects ot the reorganization
may also indicate that students do
not wish to burden themselves With
such long»term concerns Will
Grinnell return to complacency
and academic isolation? I can see
it now: pep rallies. homecoming.
burning the opposing team in el-
ligy . . .goldiish swallowing.

hairstyling
men .i women

srop Dawn or CALI. NOW
son APPOINTMENT 235-1005

some cttorts at the eontercnce
meeting to change this. A key

stumbling block for those efforts
was that some 1977 games are
already scheduled.

lireiiiici- comments

Brenner said she did not think
other sports would adopt a
structure similar to the 1978
football plan for two reasons, First.
other sports do not involve [he high
injury risks taken in football when
a weak team is consistently torced

League votes innovative format

to play a strong squad. Second.
other sports are not as dominated
by a lew teams as football is. She
added that although the balance ol
power In tootball should run
naturally in a cycle among every
college. a low schools generally
have held it in their tavor over
recent years.

Pfitsch said he knew til no other
colleges using a setup like the one
the Midwest Conlerence will adopt
in 1978. He commented on the
coming plan. “it's really great .
I don't Want it to be destroyed."

 

Bertsinipson ol Grinnell lunges into a dive in Monda

College Relays.

 

Take two

Grid change OK, but . . .

by Tom iii-criborg

The Big Eight finished its season
with a surprisingly close scramble
for the championship. It had not
been that close in years. with five
teams jammed near the top. The
conference has reached. and will
certainly keep. a high level of
parity.

The Big Eight is not the only
place where the. balance of power
is leveling bit. It‘s happening
gradually throughout college
football. Upsets have been com-
monplace. A number ol traditional
powerhouses. such as Ohio State.
have slipped in the ratings and
have been replaced by some
newcomers. such as Pittsburgh.
But the fading teams can still beat
the rising ones.

All of this marks the arrival of
parity. and its stay will be longer
than that of a passing set of
coincidences. The reason {or the
parity is the limits recently placed
on the number oi athletic
scholarships a college can award
each year. The limits are
spreading the talent around.

Although the limits and the re-
sulting parity are welcome chan-
ges. it's not as it they save the day.
it is wrong to think that they have
shifted college football's value
system. Many teams still care
more about hot prospectives. win»
loss records and big money than
anything else. This. it seems. is
unfortunate, Of course, all schools
want good players. good records
and enough money to run a good
program. but some. such as most
of the Midwest Conference schools.
are more concerned \vilh academic
achievement and athletic par»
ticipation.

The new parity may seem like a
shift in values toward the set held
by schools such as most in the
Midwest Conference. but it's really
not Parity for schools like those in
Grinnell’s league means a team
does not have to be humiliated to
the point ol unrespect’ability every
game. Parity tor a lot oi other

colleges means more interest in
the sport. which means more
money. Parity does not change
values. But limited scholarships
do. and that is why they are such
welcome improvements. Unr
fortunately. the changes they bring
in values are not very great.

Many colleges should reorient
their values even more. This may
be achieved only by imposing
values on the colleges rather than
by waiting for voluntary change.
To do this. the recruitment process
should be altered, and the
alteration should be more drastic
than limited scholarships. Adopt.
for instance. the followmg:

i. No athletic scholarships or
grants-maid.

2. No ottcampus interviews with
perspectives lor the purpose of
recruitment

3. No attendance of athletic
personnel at circampus meetings
organized tor the purpose of
recruitment.

If these sound familiar. it is
because they are key restrictions
placed on recruitment in the
Midwest Conference, it may take
awhile tor iootball to accept rules
such as these. but it would give the
sport a new outlook. Instead oi
rolling out the red carpet for
athletes. colleges would be more
interested in students with high
academic potential. which is the
way it ought to be. Let the athletic
talent go where it may

There is no reason to get rid oi
bowl games and television exr
posure. even though they seem to
be part of the “professionalism"
that many colleges are now caught
up in That would be a shame
Under recruiting restrictions such
as those of the Midwest Con-
fel'ence. bowl games and TV time
would be special parts at a top
notch extrarclrl'icular activity tor
students rather than tools for
collecting outstanding athletes who
will bring a 'college tame. tortuiio
and more outstanding athletes,

 

