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VOLUME 81

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23, 1973

No Action 'l'alten

NUMBER 22

Faculty Considers Communications

by steve Nunn and Don Dagenais

photo ivy Kati ivinoitn

Over two hundred students attended last Monday’s tacnlty meeting where
the iaculty discussed the proposed ”disestahlishment” oi the Communi»
cations department. president Leggett, at right, here delivers his opening

remarks.

Over two hundred students attended aiacutty meeting in ARH Auditorium
last Monday atternoon as the laculty considered a proposal irnm the Exe-
cutive Council to “disestablisn” the Department or Communications.

“I don’t think we need to be in a hurry," said President Leggett as he

opened last Monday’s iaculty meeting.

There was no hurry, and the meeting lasted two hours. When Leggett

adjourned it at 6 pm,
it will be the top item on ttie iac-
ulty’s next meeting on March 5.
Aiter presentations by Communi-
cations taculty members Velma Hi~
scr and Pat Kent and department

‘ chairman William Vanderpool, the

discussion centered around ques-
tions raised by the faculty and stu-
dent Curt Gorrell about the via-
bility of Communications as a field
of Study and the Executive Coune

Weil Wins SGA Presidency

by John Wylie

Scott Weil won the SGA presi-
dential election Wednesday in a
close runsoit vote alter taking a
lead in Monday’s preliminary bal-
toting.

Weil deieated Harry Derderian by
a vote oi 43p to 333 with 26 ans
stentions. The recorded turnout oi
813 votes is one oi the highest
in recent memory.

(H,

Monday, February is
scott Weil . . .359 (479,)
Harry Derderlah. , , . .293 (36%)
Write in Votes BB (11%)
Rod McVeigh, . . . . . . .56 (6%)
Total Votes. , . . .. dzs
(Abstentlons.

Wednesday, February 21

Scott Weit .
Harry oerderiah .....
Total Votes,
(Abstentions

In a post—election interview with
the Site, Weil outlined his immed-
iate priorities and his plans tor the
coming year’s soA.

First, Weil noted, “1 plan to learn

how this school--in theoryrropera-
tes. Then, i plan to consider ways
to draw up a viable hudget--allo~
cating as much as possible to the
Social Coordinator."

in looking at and searching ior
applicants tor the appointive posi-
tions in the cabinet, Weil plans
to stress people with “new ideas”.
In addition, he plans to activelywork
at recruiting good candidates for
next year's house presidencies.
Weil also plans to seek out meme
bers of the Various {actions within
the faculty and “find out where st-
rengths and sympathies lie”.

The new SGA head characterized
the recent campaign as “one oi the
most exciting SGA elections in re~
cent history” and added that the
turnout of more than twosthirds 0f
the student body will give SGA a
”valuable political tool for next
year”.

Weil, along with the rest of the
new SGA Cabinet, takes office im-
mediately tollowing spring break.
He does not plan to endorse any
of the candidates for SGA Vice
-Prestdeni prior to Monday‘s bal-
toting.

SGA Candidates Tell Positions

by Brent Schondetmeyer

Five SGA VicesPresidential can-
didates are striving for election to
the male and female Vice—Presiden-
tial positions that are provided {or
in the SGA constitution. The male
candidates running are Sam Adler,
Henry James, and John Potts. Fer
male candidates are Michele Rot-
henberg and Ellen Yacknin.
Wednesday night the iivepresented
their views to a small crowd in
the South Lounge. Scott Well, the
SGA Presidentrelect, was one of
twenty-five students who listened to
the speeches and the discussion
which followed.

Beginning the evening’s presenter
lions. candidate Sam Adler stated,
"Student government as it presently
tunctions is a mockery to students.
in eiiect we are told we may play

at decision making as long as the
outcome agrees with the adminis-
tration and the iaculty."

Adler viewed son as a “commun-
ication conduit” to students andthat
more student chairpersons were in
order on joint iaculty-student Comv
mittees. Among other things, Adler
expressed concern about the racial
situation. “1 tool that burying our
liberal head in the sand is not the
answer to the sort oi sell-imposed
apartheid that seems to exist on
this campus.” Adler also invored
cutting SGA salaries so thatthe mon-
ey could do “greatest good, tor the
greatest number,”

Henry James, who iollowed Adler,
iound himselt “more or less shuf-
iling back and iorth between my
room, the library and the Forum“

(continued on page 6)
r

[tltutn pt ltmt / int

SGA Vice-Presidential candidates Henry James, Michele Rothenberg, Ellen

Yacknin, 5am Adler,

and John Potts addressed a group oiinlerested

students last Wednesday in the South Lounge. Atrighl is current SGA Vices

President John Pfeffer.

aims in be
Scott Weil

Year’s End To

by Merry Wiesner

The Senior Year Committee has
made a number oidecisions regard-
ing the end oi the year activities,
and a number of others are in the
making. Mary Jane l-loulihan, the
committee chairman, noted that
there will be some major differen-
ces between the events surrounding
commencement this year and those
oi previous years.

Activities will begin on Sunday,
May 20, with an interdenomtnation-
all service on Central Campus in
the morning. This will replace the
usual 'baccaiaureate service. The
Senior Class Party will be Sunday
night in the deli quonset but out by
Lake Nyanza. Although this is not
the most picturesque setting ior

 

 

 

News Analysis

 

the issue still had not been brought to a Vote

cil's rationale for its declSlon.

Gorrell is the Communication der
partment's student EPC chairman.

Though little direct response was
made to the statements of Hiser and
Vanderpool, faculty members inter-
acted with Gorrell with Kent and
with one another

A basic point of conﬂict was that
the recommendation to terminate
the department rested partly on con»
sideratiuns other than the intrinsic
worth of Communications as a dis-
cipline. Gorrell, SGA vice Press
dents Anne Walter and John Ffeffer,
and some faculty members said that
these priorities had not been fully
set forth in the rationale the Exe-
cutive Council published.

This was because some of the prlr
urities that bore on the decision
“cannot be discussed publicly,"ace
cording to Gregory Gurott, a mem»
ber of the Council.

Guroﬂ indicated the priorities in
question could not be discussed in
front of either faculty or students.

Anne Walter Said that students co-
uld not take an “intelligent stand"
on questions conironting the Col-
lege without data. Robert Grey, As-
sistant Professor of Political Sci-
ence, said the iaculty was being
asked to “buy something we can’t
be told about" by the Executive
Council,

A second point of contention i'
volved the viability oi Communis

Be Different

iestivities, as President Leggett
noted, “At least it's indestruos
table.”

The Senior Dinner will be held
Monday evening, and Ms. Houlihan
hopes arrangements can be made
to have it somewhere oft-campus,
although nothing is deiinite yet.
As most parents and guests are
rive on Tuesday sometime, the Car
mmittee has arranged an all-day
picnic on Central Campus with
SAGA. Food lines should be open
from noon until 7 p,m,, with vol—
leyball and other outdoor games
available.

Tuesday evening, instead oi bacr
calaureate, there will be a concert,
probably in Herrick. The Committs

(continued on page 3)

’ohh'sn aetz omn

Communications EPC chairman

Curt Gorrell spoke intavor otreten-

sion or the Communications depart-
ment at the tacuity meeting.

cations as a department at Grin-
nell.

To conduct a program in Commun-
ications "with any kind oi aplomb,”
said Executive Council member
Robert Voertman, would require
more money than the College could
devote to it.

Crinnell has “too many half-baked
departments” anyway, Voertman
said, echoing a statementmade ear-
lier in the meeting by Faculty Ch-
airman Philip Kinter, who said Gris
nhell has too high a number oi de-
partments in its curriculum.

Vanderpool, though agreeing there
were too many departments, argued
that Communications should retain
its departmental status,

(According to a statement by Dean
Waldo Walker, studies indicate that
a college the size of Grinnell ought
to have about 18—20 departments.»
Ed.)

GOrrell, however, Said that Com-
munications students had presented
the Executive Council with a pro-
posed curriculum that Was wellwith—
in the college budget.

The student proposal, written last
fall, says a department could be run

(continued on page 6)

Dean Walker’s open lorum tor
next week will he in the SCience
Lecture Room at 7-30 pm
Wednesday evening. Walker en~
courages all interested students
and iaculty to attend the meet—
ing, where Walker and other ads
ministration personnel Wilidiss
cuss midesemester academic
pressure and other topics oiin-
terest

Trust And Mistrust: Two Views

by Steve Nunn

by Anne Walter

 

At the faculty meeting last Monday, in the discussion
over the communications department, the word “mis—
trust” cropped up several times. its context was the
issue of whether or not the Executive Council’s rec-
ommendation to “disestablish” the communications
department was reached by the same lines oi reason—
and criteria as were Set forth in the Council’s pub
lished rationale

To many students and to some faculty, it seemed,
the rationale appeared deceptive and vague~"pl’lony,”
according to Anne Walter and “dishonest” according
to some others.

The use oi such words as “mistrust” and “phony"
bring back memories of last spring and the contror
versey over Alan Nasser and the Philosophy depart
ment,

We have not come a very long way in the last year.

The administration and the Executive Council, when
they set priorities and make recommendations, are
simply doing the job they are paid (by us) to do. it
we don't trust them to do their Job, then one ot three
things has happened.

I.) They are incompetent.

3.) Something is Wrong with the process by which
these decisions are reached, giving rise to a iaulty
process, and it is that process that is not trusted.

(continued on page 7)

This past Monday, the iacuity began debating the res
commendation oi the Executive Council to “disestabs
iish the communications department". The basis tor
the Executive Council's recommendation was clearly
priorities—-obvi0usly all departmental needs can not
be met al a time when [acuity size must be held c0n~
Stanl.

Uniortunately, as the taculty has detined personnel
questions to include determining department size, the
actual conflicting needs behind the council's Opinion
could not be Cited or explained on the floor of the
iaculty-»personnel questions are conﬁdential Thus.
the faculty is being asked to vote on an issue without
the speciiic implications oi either a pro or con vote
being cited This seems absurd.

The number oi departments as well as the size and
composition oi the departments are directly tied to
the curricular otierings and the type ot education
oriered; thus. questions ot this sort have proiound
impact on educational policy. They tire not tied. tor
the most part, to individuals. but to the curriculum
A change in the deiinltion oi personnel question
seems to be in order. Personnel questions should
only include those matters that involve individual ta—
culty members-primarily the contract and sulal'yque—
(continued on page 2)

 

