Cultural Center
Three Years
Old Now

by Roxanne Brown

The Black Cultural Center came into being
in the 1969170 school year after the estabr
lishment of the Concerned Black Students
organization (CBS). CBS was originally
organized in 1967 as a defensive mechanism
to combat preludice and other things which
were threatening to the black students at-
tending Grinnell College, After the forma-
tion of CBS, the need for a meeting place
became an issue.

The first legislative committee of CBS,
Kotoko , meaning "defender ofthe people",
submitted to the administration its deter—
mination to have a house which would serve
the purpose of all cultural, social, and polie
tical events and activities oftho CBS organs
ization. At first the administration was
somewhat reluctant, but with the support of
the Trustees in the spring or 1969, CBS was
issued a house which became the congrega-
tion place ior black students during their
first Black Cultural Weekend.

The Black Cultural Center serves as the
place for CBS meetings, for social events,
and for study sessionsi CBS is very reluc-
tant to have whites at the Black Cultural
Center and through wordeofemouth the
whites have been informed that attendance
at the Cultural Center is strictly by invitae
tion.

It was decided by CBS that someone live at
the Cultural Center to serve as caretakers.
The first residents of the Black Cultural
Center were Karen Woolridge and Patty
Baird who stayed there first semester;
Linda Copeland and Merryil Penson lived
there second semester.

It had become customary for the CBS or~
ganization to vote on who would become
caretakers, but in 1970-71 an exception was
made, Due to overcrowding in the dorms and
in off‘campus housing, Dean of Students,
Mr. Conney Kin-tho, assigned four black
women to reside in the Black Cultural Cen-
ter, This was the first time in which the
Second and third floors of the Black Cultural
Center were subjected to a dorm-like at—
mosphere. Two of the four women, Roxane
Brown and Denise lversun were inecoming
freshmen, and they had as their "house
mates" Luverne Vann, a Junior at the time
and Juanita Carswell, a second semester
senior. Second semester the dorm situation
still had not improved, so Dean Klmbu asked
the girls if they would mind remainingthere
second semester The response was unanie
mously affirmative, and the vacant room left
behind by Juanita Carswell was immediately
filled by a transier student, Sylvia Wallace
from Memphis, Tenn,

While planning housing for 1971-72, the
same problem of overcrowding appeared,

so Roxane Brown, Denise lverson, Sylvia
Wallace, and Luverne Vann were recom-
mended for residence the followtng year in
the Black Cultural Center, along With an
in-coming lreshman, Eershella DeKowpere
lanth irom Chicago, 111, Presently all pDSA
sible second and third floor rooms are in
use as living quarters Next year CBS plans
to revert the Cultural Center to its original
set-up of two occupants as caretakers, with
the remaining rooms to he used as guest
rooms and/or conference rooms The prob—
lemr of insufficient dorm space for black
students should be eliminated next year with
the expansion of the Cluster system and the
possible addition of a cavop.

Great Variety

In Off-Campus
Student Living

by John Wylie
oil-campus housing means many dinerent
things to the 129 students who live away
irom Grinnell’s dormitories. To some, it
means three rooms over a bakery in down.

_ town Grinnell, to others it means rising at

live in the morning to bale hay and linish
other farm chores before driving in to
classes.

Most off-campus students left the dormitorr
ies because they wanted more ireedom of
movement and action, and an escape from the
constant pressure of the academic environ
ment. There is seemingly little dissatisface
tion with the life offecampus - of the 129
who live outside the dorms, less than ten
moved back to campus second semester
Tim Brewer, a junior, commented: “it’s
much quieter: I can study when lwant, sleep
when 1 want, and conversely, I can usually
make noise when I want. The food is much
better it's also not as hectic , you don't have
to see people you don‘t want to see, We have
much more living space in general,”

Junior Greg Olson put it more simply.
“Peace, sanity, and being able to walk to
school in the morning.”

Junior Randy Baidas came directly irom
Michigan state to a 400eacre iarm six miles
west of Grinncll. He explained that he was
tired oi life in the dormitory and wanted more
independence and new experiences, He found
both (plus a warm family life) when he moved
to the Robert Ashby term,

For a city boy like Randy, farm living of—
iercd many new experiences. He paid his
room and board by doing twenty hours a week
of chores ranging irom baling bay to
shingling roots to repairing iences

Besides enloylng the work and the family
life, Randy also was delighted by the farm
cuisine He explained that the Ashbys had
their livestock butchered in town, so the
meat was far better than commercial varir
eties.

Although he emoyed life on the term, there
were enough disadvantages to make Randy
move back to the campus second semester,
“Since I was new at Grinnell, ldidn’t know
anybody, and i didn’t really meet anybody
first semester. My social life has really
picked up since i moved into the dorm ”
Randy feels he got a lot out of the farm ex-
perience (like going to a country church on
Sundays where the congregation totaled only
20) but he wouldn’t recommend it for most
students. “You really have to be willing to
work , and sometimes your studies will fall
behind.” On the other hand, he noted some
what wistfully: “Sometimes, it was really
nice to be outside working - and the Ashe
bys are like a second family to me."

A senior named Michael (he asked that we
not use his full name) feels that living on.
campus is a necessity. Last year, when he
was at the University of lowa, his roome
mate wrote him: “God help us if we have to
live an that Campus.” So, they took outa
ten month lease on their basement apartment
at 1107 Broad Street,

Michael stresses the importance of care»
fully reading apartment leases (preferably
with a lawyer present) below signing them.
He cites two examples from the first draft
of his own lease that illustrates wily no
female visitors were to be allowed after 10
PM and there were to be no overnight guests
whatever

But, after a series of discussions with his
landlady, the restrictions now read: hoovere
night guests without prior notification ol the
landlady and no noise which causes Com»
plaints from the other tenants. For the most
part, he feels that his relationship with his
landlady has been fairly good.

Michael admits feeling cut off from the cams
pus at times, He said that a more formal ap
proach was necessary to meet new people,
and that a more assertive attitude was some-
times called for. However, the benefits far
outweigh the disadvantages. "There is more
responsibility offecampus , you have the
responsibility to teed yoursli and clean up
alter yourself. That can be really gratifying
sometimes."

Michael's ”home” is fairly typical oi many
Grinnell off-campus residences - the base»
ment apartment is one or three apartments
and live single rooms in a large three-
story house near downtown Grinnell, While
the building isn't new, in Michael's words,
“It will last a few mure years.”

Overall, most offecampus residents who
responded to an 5&8 survey seemed fairly
pleased with their dwellings A typical re—
sponse 8164/2 Fourth Avenue is a large
4 room apartment above the bakery — cheap -
$35 plus utilities , no neighbors to worry
about "

While most students had no substantive come
plaints about their landlords (except for leWr
ness in repairing defective plumbing and the
like) one commented “l’ve never met her,
but l'm terrified of herl”
in short, the cumulative advice of those liv-
ing offecampus is: read the fine print care.
fully beiore signing the lease, be sure you
want to take on added work and responsibil-
ity - and be prepared for a different aspect
of the Grinnell experience.

 

