The Scarlet a Black. Oct, 13, lens—page 4

Harassment:

no laughing matter

Sexual harassment here in Grinnell, Iowa? Who could
believe it? But it's true—it can happen here, and it is

This is definitely a matter to be taken seriously, and it is
good that more and more people are becoming aware of the
problem. There is no reason to take an alarmist attitude, but
it is just as well, that people are deeply concerned about the
matter. The people responsible for the incidents can be
caught, especially with a little awareness and cooperation by
members of the campus community.

BUT UNTIL THEY ARE caught, measures can be taken
to reduce the amount of ﬂashing. Halls where occurrences
have been frequent should institute a 24-hour lock-up. It may
be inconvenient to have to carry around a key, but if it
reduces the likelihood that females will be put in
threatening situations, it is definitely worth it. All the dorms
should be locked at night. This is supposed to be done
anyway, but it is usually neglected Other measures
recommended by many, including questioning strangers and
informing members of the ﬂoor when taking a shower are
also good suggestions. ,

There is something rather dismaying about all this,
however. One of the things we prize most about Grinnell is
its relative peacefulness, its freedom from big-city sorts of
worries. We have a casual and loose attitude about our
physical possessions and physical safety that is refreshing
and comfortable. It would be a shame to totally lose this
attitude

BUT IF WE LET THE situation slide it will only get
worse. Sacrificing a small amount of comfort today could
save us the possibility of a major disruption of our way of
living in the future. A compromise seems in order—we must
face up to the fact mat these things happen in Grinnell as in
any other place by taking a few simple precautionary steps.
Yet we can continue to enjoy the great amount of freedom
that does exist.

There is a deeper issue involved as well. Many females
lament the attitude they see expressed by some males that
this problem is not really a problem at allithat it is a joke.
Insensitivity to the feelings of others is something that
should not be tolerated This attitude is especially deplorable
considering Grinnell’s position as a community of sup-
posedly enlightened and liberal-minded human beings As
one student commented, ”If a man in my dorm can’t un-
derstand why I am scared, how am I supposed to live in the
real world?"

Grinnell is a place where people can become sensitized be
the feelings of others In fact, this process is a vital aspect of
why we are here. In the larger society, problems of sexual
harassment have traditionally been laughed off by males as
inconsequential or trivial, This is one aspect of the “real
world" that should not be reﬂected in Grinnell. “Flashing" is
no joke if it threatens the physical and psychological well-
being of the women involved.

 

 

q"The Scarlet 8 Black

Pnsimasters: send lorm 3579 to The Scarlet a Black, Grinnell College,
Grinnell, la. Sum
second class poslage paid at Grinnell, la. 50m

 

Editor
Associate Editor
News Editor
Feature Editor
Sports Editors

coliy Editor

Photo

Advert no Manager
circula um Manager
Business Manager
Faculty Advisnr

Debbie Weiner
John Strauss

Dan Flynn

Nancy Gould

Jon Elbaum, Saran sricnloro
Kathy willnoite

Karl Dukslein

Steve Hall

Evan Solomon

Nancy DuTeau

William Deminoll

Reporters
Molly Babcock, Susan Bart, Anna Marie Campbell, Marilyn Clark, Trena
Clzland, Mark Finkelsteln, Toni Helms”, Seth Hollander, Lori Lonmann,
John Mandel, Bob Meyer, Bob Mitchell, Paul Morris, Steve Flarrer, Anne
Rowland, Tom Rayliel, Colin Sacks, Paul Schwartz, Scott Sheperd, sen
Yemplin, Ken Yordon, Eric Berry, Jim Gall, Kale Hughes, aev Peterson,

Alan Zond,Jeff Melsles _
columnists

Bob Aldrich, Dave Elan, P‘lco Brown, Nancy Carpenter, Carl Frantz.
Michael Greenfield, Tom Johnson, Terri Tiddle
Cartoonists
cordon Pfilzer, lenniler Wilcoxen, aeth Wiley
Ken Krimsrel'n, Jane Wenstrand

Photographers
Chris Maikin, Todd ooerman, Jlm Sellers

Published weekly except during holidays and vacation periods by Grinnell

 

 

 

 

Coliega Studenl Publications and Radio Committee, cnnnell, Iowa, sou:

 

Letters to the editor

Music department controversy continues to rage

To the editor: I have noticed that
the resentment over the departure
of Alan Leichtling has not abated.
Since it is absolutely impossible for
anyone—student or faculty
member—to know everything
pertaining to all sides of the con
flict, it is fruitless at this point to
continue to pass judgment on the
situation and the individuals in
volved.

Furthermore, since the situation
cannot be altered by continued
resentment, holding a grudge is
worse than pointlessiit is
destructive as it helps no one while
it perpetuates factionalism and
aggravates a wound which must
heal for me sake of the depart;
ment,

1 am not supporting any faction
in this letter. i only urge those with
no information other than hearsay
as well as those, like myself, with
partial information, to stop living
in the past and start dealing with
the present situation

As the situation stands, we have
a very capable and approachable
theory professor in Lee Cloud, who

Nancy Carpenter
Admissions

i don’t suppose you have an
orange carpet, speckled with red
and yellow flecks, that you'd care
to donate to the Admissions Of-
fice . r .

in a time when the college food
service checks our identity by
means of a computer, when two
hall reps manage to gum up the
entire campus’s alcohol policy, and
when the Office of Student Affairs
announces its intention of auditing
SGA social funding, the
peculiar bureaucracies of the
college should come as no great
surprise to anyone And after the
incident of Fort McConnell last
year, I for one have been sitting up
late at night, waiting to see if a new
snarl-up would occur that would ,
top even that.

OVER THE SUMMER, the
Women‘s Group and the Gay
Community were ousted from their
meeting place on the lower level of
the Forum. The reason for their
departure was that the room was
desperately needed by the Ad-
missions~0fﬁce as a temporary
office while the old Financial Aid
office was being renovated. The
student groups were told that they
could move back into their center
by the end of September.

In the meantime, the Gay
Community held their regular
meetings at a Student’s apartment
and the Women’s Group, as
habitual early-arrivers at the Pub
already know, took its weekly
meeting to Worley’s Corner.

THE END OF September came
and went, and Admissions Still
occupies the Student Center, the
GCGC still meets wherever it can
find a place and the Women’s
Group is still relegated to Worley's

'3 ...... ., ........ ,..,,..C.°.r“el‘,-

 

 

incidentally provides a knowledge
of black music.

The college intends to bring in an
electronic music professor from
Iowa City next semester who will
partially make up for the loss of
Alan Leichtling. No one has
claimed that some aspect of
Grinnell’s music program would
not suffer through ‘ Alan

Leichtling's leaving. but ' neither
have the malcontents admitted
that Mr. Cloud offers talents Mr.
Leichtling did not possess. This is
certainly a case of venting spleen
on an innocent party. I hope that
everyone can concentrate on what
we have gained and stop belittling
that by focusing so intently on what
we have lost. Susan E. Farrier,

Teachers are needed, not performers

To the editor: in regard to Clay
Jenkins’s recent reply to my letter
of the 29th. I feel that I must point
out Several misinterpretations Mr.
Jenkins made.

He implies that I feel that my
personal preferences should
dictate college policy. He should
have read the letter more closely,
or known the facts better.

The Trio is not hired on a
teaching contract. Mr. Leichtling
was on a leaching contract. True,
the Trio does teach some courses
and lessons, but they are primarily
here as performers. A nice luxury.

Grinnell, however. is a teaching

 

called onto

The plight of the Women's Group
in particular is an ignominious one,
There is something manifestly
undignified about holding women’s
meetings in Worley’s Corner (no
offense meant to Mr, Worley hr the
Pub). Personally, I find it im-
possible to discuss, Say,
gynecology with “Macho Man” by
the Village People playing in the
next room, and i know others who
feel the same way.

THE WOMEN'S Group wouldn't
mind being homeless for a while if
it thought that it was helping
Admissions and the Forum out of a
serious problem with space. But it
seems that the only factor that is
preventing Admissions from
moving into its new office and
givmg the Student Center up is an
orange carpet (or lack thereof).

This is not just an orange carpet,
but a speckled orange carpet with
red and yellow flecks. This new
carpet, which is on order but not in
Sight, Will match the carpet in the
other Admissions office across the
lobby,

THIS IS THE point where I Start
to laugh hysterically, I’m afraid
Let's examine our priorities. Since
when does a carpet rate above the
meeting place and center of two
established student
organimtions?’ Wouldn’t prospec»
lives he more impressed by the
existence of a women’s group and a
gay community than by a carpet?

If one fell like muckraking,
one might point out
that While the Admissions Office
entertains prospectives in car
peted luxury, last year's Financial
Aid Office felt perfectly com»
fortable about interviewing those
of us who have already been roped
and Coralled (so to speak) on

 

college. Mr. Leichtl‘mg was
generally thought to be a com-
patent instructor. Electronic Music
was one of the popular courses
offered by the music department
(no, Clay, I'm not the only one who
wanted to take Electronic Music)

Mr. Goldsmith’s comment was
totally devoid of feeling for the
many students interested in
Electronic Music. Clay, when one
wants to hear classical music, he
or She can put on records or the
college could bring in classical
artists. , ' »"Bul there are very
few alternative ways to examine
Electronic Music. Kristin Falkner,

carpet

formica floors,

I'M NOT POINTING a finger at
the Admissions Office or anyone
else; apparently no one realized
how arduous a task attaining this
famed carpet might be. It might
have been nice if someone could
have found an alternative or
temporary space for the student
groups or if Admissions had
magnanimously used the old
Financial Aid office. Carpetless,
until the carpet arrives. Eh.

But this incident does Suggest
some odler things about the way
we live at Grinnell. Student
organizations appear to be in-
creasingly low in our priorities
when we accept their displacement
without comment. Evaluating the
administration's attitude toward
student inpul, nus generalization
seems to extend even to SGA these
days.

AS FOR THE bureaucratic
shufﬂing, no one minds a little bit
of bureaucracy; in small doses, it’s
healthy and even cute. But if
something as simple as a move
across the hall can be held up by a
color-coordinated carpet, we have
to admit the inaneness of our
system.

Ofcourse, maybe there's more to
this than meets the eye. One can
hardly believe that Admissions
would occupy the student center
for the sake of just any old carpet.
Perhaps this particular speckled
carpet has an encouraging effect
on prospectives. The sight of so
much orange (and red and yellow)
does indeed boggle the mind, and
perhaps if you look closely at the
pattern, you can see the words
“Enroll in Grinnell Today” spelled
over and over, subliminally
boosting our enrollment. '

 

