The Grinnell
Scarlet & Black

S

12/9/77 ‘
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

Vol. 86, N0. 13

 

Wicker of N .Y. Times

A journalist who rose from editor
of the Aberdeen (N.C.) Sandhill
Citizen to associate editor of The
New York Times will be the first
speaker in the college's new Time
Incorporated Journalism
Program.

Funded by a grant of $12,000
from the national newsmagazine's
Contributions Committee, the
program will feature Tom Wicker
as the inaugural speaker Jan. 30»
31.

Wicker, who succeeded James
Heston as Washington bureau chief
of the Times before being ap-
pointed associate editor, will speak
on “Who, What, and How: Crucial
Inﬂuences on the Performance of
the American Press.” A public
lecture, the talk will be given at 8
pm. on Jan. 30 in Herrick Chapel.

On Jan. 31 Wicker Will conduct
two workshops for Grinnell
students interested in journalism
either as a career or as an area of
general concern in contemporary
society.

In Focus

 

A native North Carolinian,
Wicker worked on the Winston-
Salem (N.C.) Journal and the
Nashville Tennessean before
joining The New York Times in
1959. He has worked as a news and
sports reporter, copy editor,
editorial writer, managing editor,
and columnist. He was appointed
associate editor of the Times in
1968.

One of Wicker’s major jour-
nalistic feats was his 106~
paragraph story filed with the
Times from a Dallas telephone
booth after the assassination of
President Kennedy.

During his career Wicker has
traveled across the country
several times covering political
campaigns, Presidential ap-
pearances, and Congressional
elections. .

Wicker himself became part of
the news when rioting inmata at
Attica Prison in New York asked
that» he be a member of the
Citizens’ Mediating Committee.

Wicker had earlier written a
sympathetic account oi the death
of black militant George Jackson
at San Quentin.

Wicker is a member of the
prestigious journalistic Society of
Nieman Fellows and of the Century
Club of distinguished authors,
historians, and social critics. A
writer ior national magazines and
participant on network television
programs, Wicker is known as a
tough and outspoken member of
his craft who does not hesitate to
criticize his colleagues in the
media.

The committee in charge of the
journalism program is chaired by
William Deminofi, director of the
office of college relations. Omer
members are Walter Stone,
assistant professor of political
science; Tom Arenberg, Kurt
Anderson, Ruth Gresser, Chris
Lower, Mark Mayer, and Janet
Pope.

STOPIT aim: more support

By Dan Flynn

0i all organizations on campus, students and

Teachers Opposed to Practices Intolerable and

Timid. or STOPIT, probably has the most effective

acronym. Members hope that the STOPIT

organization will eventually become even more
effective than the name.

STOPIT was founded this {all to give students and
faculty a collective voice with which to express
discontent over school policy toward minorities,

A5 off now, STOPl'l‘ has no formal organization.
Greg Wiggins, head of the Concerned Black
Students, the group which led efforts to form
STOPIT, is acting as what he called “impromptu
president.” Wiggins foresees elections in the
organization sometime early next semester.
Charles Davis, Instructor in English and Black
Studies and faculty adviser to the group, stated that
the more STOPIT branches out and deals with the
administration, the more important having officers
will be.

Davis commented that although STOPIT had a
large turn out at its first open forum, support after
that dropped off. Commenting on student in
volvement, Wiggins said, “once students see what
STOPI’I‘ is doing, I’m sure there will be more in-
volvement.” For STOPIT to be effective. both men
feel, student involvement is essential.

According to Wiggins, sropr'r has “over 100

student and faculty members. with the faculty
members being in an extreme minority." Davis
Said that “out of over 200 signatures on the first
STOPIT petition, only two were faculty members.”

WIGGINS stressed that the group is open to all
students and faculty, and he hopes that more people
will join STOPIT next semester. Input from all
parts of the campus community is vital to STOPIT.
he said. The organization, Wiggins pointed out, was
created to serve as a voice for many diverse con-
cerns, but without communication between
members some causes may not get the attention
they deserve. ‘

THE MAIN concern of STOPIT during the first
semster, and an area where Davis and Wiggins
foresee greatest action second semester, is what
Wiggins called “allowing Grinnell students the
opportunity to get an actual liberal education." He
feels Grinnell already offers an excellent education,
but that the education is too limited.

One way to remedy this situation is through Af-
firmative Action, Wiggins said. He added, “Faculty
with more diverse cultural backgrounds will insure
a more rounded education for the Grinnell student.“
“A liberal arts education,” Davis said, “should not
be restricted to Western culture."

DAVIS IS disappointed with trends in the last few
years at Grinnell. He Said, “Ethnocentrically, the

(Continued on pm

College computer rates high

A survey sponsored by the
National Science Foundation lists
Grinnell College among U.S. in
stitutions rated as “outstanding
examples of how to use computers
in teaching and learning."

A recently released report
shows that, of all colleges and
universities surveyed with
enrollment under 6,000 students,
Grinnell is one of only six in»
stitutions ranked as excellent in
four out at six computerruse
Categories. The U.S. Naval
Academy lslisted at the top, with a
five»out»of»six ranking.

OTHER institutions of under
6,000 enrollment receiving a
“four” rating are Bucknell
University, Worcester Polytechnic
Institute, Denison University,
Evergreen (\Va.) Slate College,
and the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga. Grinnell and Dcnison
are the only liberal-arts colleges in

the grouping.

The survey, conducted for the
NSF by Human Resources
Research Organization of
Alexandria, Va., rates institutions
in the following categories: student
accomplishments in using come
puters; institutional ac-
complishments; spectrum of
computer applications in teaching
and learning; computer literacy
programs for students, faculty,
and community; computer science
or data processing curricula; and
outreach to community and other
institutions.

BECAUSE of the excellent
rating, Grinnell is among 105
colleges, universities, and school
systems to be listed in an NSF
directory of “Exemplary lne
stitutions in Academic Come
puting.”

According to the research

organization conducting the study,
some 7,000 agencies, institutions,
and individuals were surveyed to
obtain a sample of 370 successful
cases of the academic use of
computers by organizations of
various types and sizes. From this
sample, the 106 “exemplary in
stitutions" were selected for ex-
cellence in one or more of the six
categories.

GENERAL aim of the NSF
project is to use the directory in
helping other institutions and
school systems avoid costly
pitfalls and problems in setting up
academic computer operations.

Preparation oi iniormation on
the Grinnell program was directed
byThomas F, Moberg, coordinator
of academic computing, with John
W, Vogel, assistant professor of
mathematics and chairman of ﬁle
computer services committee.

4;“ s;

Guidelines Ok’d-

to speak here in January

7

OSA‘ gets funds

By Kathy Willhoite

Student Government Association
Joint Boards, in a meeting last
Wednesday evening, passed a,
guideline for disbursement to
students of academic ”mini-
grants,” approved an ap-
propriation to the Organization or
Student Action for funding of an
alternate newspaper, and accepted
the resignation of Assistant
Student Coordinator Mark
Sherinian.

The grant proposal, made by Jim
Gekas, academic affairs coor-

of this proposal was that the
alternate paper would promote
increased diversity of ideas on
campus. Stuart and West said the.
newspaper will emphasize
education and politicalization of
students about national and in
ternational issues. The OSA
newspaper. according to West and
Stuart, is not intended to compete
with the S d: B.

JOINT Boards also accepted the
resignation of Assistant Coor-
dinator Mark Sherinian. His main
reason for resigning, he said, is to

Supporters said an alternate
newspaper would promote

a diversity of ideas on campus

dinator, stipulates that all Student
Research Grants. which will be
iunded by the SGA, must be oi
current academic concern and
must “be made-available to the
entire campus'comm'unity.

RESEARCHERS must present a
rational and tenmtive budget to
Joint Boards and must maintain
communication with the academic
affairs coordinator during the
study. There is a two-semester
limit to the study, and living ex»
penses for research done in
Grinnell over breaks may be paidi
by the SGA.

The proposal passed only after
the Joint Boards passed an
amendment made by Jim Strickler
which stated that the Joint Boards
should have an opportunity to
review and overrule possible
grants,

JOINT Boards approved another
proposal which appropriated $125
to an OSArsponsured newspaper.
The proposal, presented by Jim
Stuart and Rhonda West, will help
pay for an initial, free issue of the
four, live or six which the group
plans to publish next semester. The
subsequent issues will probably
cost about 15 cents a copy, ac-
cording to West.

The general belief of supporters

 

be able to devote more time to
schoolwork. “I want to be a student
again.” he said.

Speaking before Joint 'Boards,
Sherinian expressed disillusion~
ment wiﬂ'i SGA He Said that the
cabinet members as well as the
Joint Boards members, show little
ability to compromise and respect
each others’ ideas. If there was a
greater sense of cooperation, he
said, SGA could be a more efficient
and effective body. '

SGA PRESIDENT Jon
Neiderbach said, “Everyone is
entitled to his own opinion," and
added that he “always viewed a
certain amount of dissension and
discussion in the cabinet as being
positive and healthy,"

Rawson Hall representative
Cornell Rudov will take
Sherinian’s place next semester.

lN OTHER business, Joint
Boards unanimously confirmed
Terri Brady's nomination for the
Off-Campus Judicial position.
effective immediately. They also
unanimously confirmed Miriam
Goldberg's appointment as
Initiative Fund Chairperson. She
will replace Rich Houston, the
current chairperson, who Wlll
graduate at the end of this
semester.

 

