Scarlet and Black

GRIMNELL COLlEGE
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Editorial . . .

The Draft

F Tomorrow morning many Grinnell men —- like so
many college men around the country - will take a
test to determine Whether or not they are valuable
enough to the country not to be drafted. The Selective
‘Service deferment of students is a wonderful thing. If
you’re smart enough, wealthy enough, and just plain
lucky enough to be in school, you get deferred. if

you’re too stupid, too poor or too unlucky, you get
drafted.

,l When the Selective Service system runs out of
hon-college people the next step is to line everyone
up, look them over, and defer those with blond hair
and blue eyes.

[North Campus

'l After a year of talk the discussion of the North
Campus problem moved into its final stage this morn-
ing. The Ad Hoc Committee on Hall Reorganization
submitted its proposals to President Leggett. Presi—
dent Leggett is now faced wth the task of making the
final decision with regard to the structure of hall life
at GrinneLl.

When President Leggett came to Grinnell in the
fall he had heard in advance from administrators that
the style of life on North Campus left much to be- de-
sired. One of his first experiences here was Encamp-
ment. The students there dwelled on the problems at
Grinnell (after all, that was the idea, to find solutions
to problems). Anyway, President Leggett came away
from all of this with the feeling that there was some-
thing really wrong with North Campus and that struc—
tural changes could remedy this situation.

Early in the year, then, he started action to pre-
cipitate change in hell life. Committees were formed,
discussions held and letters written. With each passing
committee meeting the administration became more
committed to a change of some kind.

As the year wore on, however, President Leggett
became more convinced that perhaps the extent of the
problem on North Campus had been somewhat exag-
gerated. Perhaps, it was felt, the problems at Grinnell
'weren’t the result of any structural flaw and perhaps
everyone was looking in the wrong place for the an-
swer. Wednesday night when the President spoke to
the Senate this feeling was made clear and his tone
was almost apologetic with regard to the North Canl~
pus problem.

We wouldn't be a bit surprised — or dismayed ~—
lf the final decision on the North Campus Problem en-
tailed even less change than suggested by the ‘Ad Hoc‘
Committee. Perhaps then we can look for the more
Subtle causes of the problems at Grinnell.

SCARLET'AND BLACK

Letters . ..
Chaplain Answers

To the Editor:

Reporting about the many complex issues
discussed at the recent ACM Chaplains and
Counselors Conference was a difﬁcult job and
Cathy Jones did well at it (Ed Note: Last
week's 511.3, Page i), but a shortening of the
context of some at the Views expressed, par-
licuui—ly about faculty immaturity, has led
to serious misunderstanding.

The reactions of [acuity to students ques-
tions about sex was one of the main topics of
the Conference, and the viewpoint that faculty
responded immaturely was strongly expressed,
The issue is discussed in may )oumals and
columns, and the consensus is that facul-
ty do take Ii rather aneslded, academic view-
point up the problem. My observations pi
{acuity behavior It Grinnell and elsewhere
lead me to believe that college teachers and
administrators generally shy away from deal-
ing with the problem, are embarrassed by it,
and are more easily aroused to extreme avoid-
ance reactions when the problem is pressed
upon them than corresponding professional
groups I have known, These are classic ex—
pressions of what we call immaturity, and the
behavior can be detected in men in their 50‘s
as well as among adolescents. But please ab-
solve me of the View that a faculty is "the
most immature segment oi society."

Some lacully do face me questions: mo
many prefer to avoid them, retreating into
“my specialty” or across the “necessary dis-
tance between professor and pupil.” When
something as fundamental and universal as
human sexuality is involved, I regard such
avoidance reactions as signs of immaturity,
no matter how old the persons are. But the
point is not to lake pot-shuts at professors: in
keep this whole issue balanced we must noticu
that many students are loath to admit that
they have sex problems. The poinl is lo de-
velop an intelligent strategy by which students
can gain willing and knowledgeable adult
leadership towards better understanding of
the Whole range of the physical and emotional
aspects of human sexuality.

Such leadership should not be expecled
from college professors (luring adVising ses~
sions on course registration, nor should pru-
tessors be forced into Conversations which
make them acutely embarrassed, but there
should be some time and leadership all me
College for such conversations. My impres-
sion is that faculty who are personally em-
barrassed by such questions are the very
ones who lake the position that the College as
a whole has no business becoming involved
with students' sex problems. I certainly grant
an individual professor the right not to be ex—
posed to threatening embamssmeuis, but i
believe the general positinn just described lo
be unrealistic, irresponsible, and educationally
selirdefeallng . , , The residential on go
should lake advantage of HS in loco on
a level higher than parenlisi When slu»
dents see professors shy away from sex ques-
tions the result is a reinforcement of the
ethic that sex is vaguely dirty and box in be
discussed among refined people, or the ethic
that sex behavior has no moral or social
implications at all. I don’t believe that many
faculty members endorse either point or View.
yei both seem to be inadvertently promoted
here. EducationalIy, no single factor is man
eflective in interfering with studying and dis.
tracting from the intellectual work of the col-
lege than being (in the untranslatable idiom)
hung up on sex. Professors at residential cal—
leges who refuse to consider this problem a
part or their responsibility not only indicau
a certain immaturity (problem avoidance)
but also a had sense 01 educational tactics. it
is as important [0 know students as it is to
know the discipline, l1 me object is to gel Kh-
lwo togetherl

Solutions? in the absence of more eiloo
live and widespread Lacuky responsiveness
and involvement, one solution is to press {or
more professional Counselling services, so
lhat there will be less reliance and less pres-

Friiliw, my I). ma

sure no faculty members who are neither pre-
pared nur willing to get involved. SGA could
do many inexpensive slings to develop co-
cun'icular Speakers and Well-led discussions
I think that We all, students and faculty alike,
are more Victorian and conservative in our
treatment of the issue of sex than We realize.
At an institution designed lo apply the maxi4
mum of rational thought and moral SeusiLiviiy
to me nature at man and his physical and so-
cial world, it is too bad to see so little Con-
slnlctive attention paid to something so fun-
dammital as human sexuality at a time when
student attitudes toward sex are in great ﬂux
and when technological progress (the pill) so
radically alters the terms cl an ageold de-

bate.
Roger L. Eldridge (ch-plain)

Raven No. I

To me Elihu:

The pressing need for privacy among stuA
dents has received considerable ltlention In
recent weeks, with most students agreeing
that such it need does exist They are always
careful to add, however, that the desire to be
alone with someone does not of necessity eu-
lail an intention to indulge in sexual relations.
Undoubtedly this is true in many cases, per-
haps the majority. But why will no one admit
lhat there are couples on campus who are
justiﬁed in wanting to be alone for sexual rea
sons? Most people seem to feel that pre mari<
lal sex is a sordid matter that Should be dis-
cretely ignored or discussed as a campus mob
ter. Undoubtedly there are many students
who, for various reasons, are wise to abslain
irom pre - marital intercourse, Certainly
there are also students who unwisely have pr€~
marilal relations. But why are mosl people
unable to see that the choice is an individual
matter? There actually are couples on mine
pus who are able in disregard conventional
mores without trauma, who have taker; ade-
quate precautions against pregnancy, and who
ﬁnd that sexual intercourse is a meaningful
and pleasurable way to express their love [or
each other. To ignore the fact that such re-
lalionships exisgs lo foster a society that
erecis artificial barriers between people. if
trust and Open communication betwem in<
dividuals Can’t begin until a contract is
signed, can we really expect them to begin
after that? - »
A Raven-haired Coed

Raven No. 2

An Ode to In Anonymous ill-G Employee

Let us go then, you and X,

With the dawn tripping through the streets
upon llie sly,

Like two patients etherized upon a table:

Let us go, through certain hall-deserted
streets.

The muttering retreats

0f 3&5 men in [heir daily rounds

Checking to see no student’s out of bounds:

Streets that follow like a tedious argument

of insidious intent

To lead you to an overwhelming ques-
tion .

on, do not ask “where were you?"

l'll think of something else to do.

in llie Quad the women come and go
Talking of all their many Beaux.

And indeed there will be time

To wonder, “do I dare?” and “do I dare?"

Time to turn back and descend the stair

Emerging softly from some young :tudent’!
lair.

Do i dare
Disturb the universe!

Shall I say,

I have gone at dawn through narrow roads

And watched the com that rises from I11!
ﬁeld.

Of Iowan: in nhirlsleeves, leaning out at
barns? . . .

Arid alter all . . .
April is the cruelest month. . .

Amuymoui N.Y. Coed

 

