a; The.
a Scarlet

SE

Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

2/27/76 Vol. 84, No. 20

 

las H sev The Scarlet and Black

Closed by order of the Fire Marshal last year for failure to meet
minimum safety standards. the Grinnell-Newburg Junior High School
awaits its fate in the upcoming school bond issue vote. Junior high
students now split shirts with the senior high school.

Joint Board passes .

attendance resolve

by Elaine Ashhaugh
SGA Joint- Board member at-

. tendance at lastWednesday night’s

§.

..

is

i“
t

’r

t

\

t

meeting tallied ZQ—all members
but one were present. This figure
directly contrasm with the at-
tendance at. four of the last five
meetings where lack ol a quorum
brought early dismissal.

Hopes for continuation of such an
attendance record were supported
by one of the numerous resolutions
passed at the meeting. A 19 to a
decision favored the proposal to
presume any hall‘s representative
to have resigned his position if that
ball is not represented at the time
of any one of the often numerous
quorum or roll calls, for a con»
secutive meetings. Emptied seats
would be filled by special hall
elections.

General Budget and Reserve
(GBﬁzR) began the night at $1743.
Grinnell students Bruce
Schlesinger and Carol O’Connell,
members of the Blooming Prairie
Cooperative of Iowa City, received
$30 to meet expenses of a
cooperative convention there this
weekend. Cooperative food prices
appear competitive with prices
paid by Saga; Schlesinger and
O’Connell plan to look into the
possibilities of cooperative supr
plying of some foodstuffs needed
by next year’s lood service.

SGA members Voted to help fund
two campus parties. Dale Scherler
presented the proposal for the
James’ Gang Bang, scheduled for
April 3. Stressing that the party
was planned in order to have a
strong appeal to drinkers and nuns
drinkers alike, Scherler asked for
$600. A motion to provide the funds
from G B tt R was passed.

Representing French House,
John Hamby asked for G B & R
funds of 5110101" an after-therwaltz
party on March a, Fluids were
provided through a unanimous
decision.

without a quorum to approve

this semester’s budget within 30
days into the semester,last week
SGA funds had been frozen.
However, Wednesday’s meeting
cleared up the problem by
unanimously passing the second
semester budget. Changes in SGA
officers’ salaries as well as a $25
increase in the Auditor’s office
supply budget were included.

Jeff Bob raised the ‘ sue of a
recent Student Policies and
Regulations Committee recom-
mendation on housing. The
recommendation would give the
Housing Office the right to move
any freshman, living in a double
room as a single, into another room
at the end of first semester if he
she cannot find a roommate and
the room is needed for another
student is). The Joint Board
decided to send a recommendation
to Turner to delete this proposal
from the s P n R housing recom-
mendation.

Concerts chairpersons Carlson
Smith and Dan Meltzer, Social
Coordinator Brian Mann, and
Auditor Mike I-Ierman came in
order to propose a maximum
expenditure limit for extra-
contract entertainment, dinners.
drinks, etc. for performers. They
proposed that a 3 per cent upward
limit ($600) of the Major Concerts
budget be set ior what Smith
described as “a hazy category of
‘artist relations'" In addition,
Herman recommended that the
concerts chairman or social
coordinator notify the auditor of
probable upcoming expenditures
in this area, in order that the limit
not be exceeded. Both motions
passed.

As a result of a final vote, both
Ralph Pomerenk and Waldo
Walker will be asked to speak to
the Joint Board at their next
meeting concerning the non.
consultation of the Food and
Facilities Subcommittee on the

,iood service changes.

 

School issues arise

by Tom Rowat

On March 23, Grinnell-Newburg
School District voters will go to the
polls to vote on two proposed school
bond issues. Each bond issue offers
an alternative to the split-shifting
now under way at the senior high
school. The first bond issue would
allow the school board to construct
a new junior high school at a cost of
$3.5 million. The second bond issue
would allow the board to spend
$400,000 to bring the old junior high
up to current minimum
requirements to reopen this
building. A do per cent majority is
necessary for a decision on either
bond issue.

The junior high school situation
was brought to a head last sum-
mer. The junior high, which was
partially constructed in 1902, was
closed down due to numerous
violations of the state fire code.
These violations, as well as a list of
Occupational Health and Safety
Act (OHSA) violations, forced the
Grinnell—Newburg School District
to go to a splitrshil't arrangement
for the junior and senior high
schools this year. Under this
arrangement, the senior high
school students attend the high
school in the morning and the
junior high students have classes
in the fternoon.

Sp hifting at the high School
has resulted in fewer class hours
for both junior and senior high
students. Classes for these
students have been shortened to
thirty minute ”mods." Because of
this shortened class day the school
accreditation has been also
jeopardized. Although in no danger
of losing accreditation by the Iowa
State Department of Public In-
struction, the school board has

Misuse

by Ted Price

SGA Treasurer Mark Nissen
complained at SGA Wednesday
night, that two Joint Board
members misused nearly $700 of
oiicampus funds.

Nissen, investigating a com-
plaint by an off-campus student,
alleged that off-campus
representatives Al Frey and, Bill
Burke have been guilty of “con-
version" of funds for “personal
use,” ”favoritism” in dispersing
funds, and “lack of publicity"
regarding the availability ol the
monies.

Al Frey was not present at the
meeting, but submitted a written
statement to Joint Board. In it, he
denied the allegations, saying that
he has “requested" that all parties
be advertised ill the Post Office,
and that he has “no knowledge" of
individuals using the funds to
supply personal liquor cabinets.
But he said that he sees no way to
“reasonably avald” this "potential
situation.” He noted that “no
request has ever been refused” nor
wltl he “as long as funds rcmaizl
available.” Bill Burke at the
Wednesday meeting echoed Frcy

received a warning from the North
Central Association that their
accreditation is in danger. North
Central Association is an in-
dependent association for the
accreditation of high schools and
colleges.

The sharing of facilities has
caused also a reduction in ac-
tivities offered to the students,
especially at the junioiJ high level.
Seventh and eighth grade in-
terscholastic athletics have been
cut to a limited Saturday basis.
Intramural sports programs re
currently using college facilities
for their contests. Many sponsors
of extracurricular activities have
asked to be relieved of their non-
leaching duties because of the
scheduling problems caused by
split-shifting. Mike Slusher,
superintendent of schools, stated
that, “logistically split-shifting has
worked very well, we have had less
problems than we had ans
ticipated."

This present school situation is
having an effect on the town and
the college. Town parents and
some faculty parents are
questioning the educational system
in Grinnell. Charles Seller, former
dean of records and off-campus
study,moved from the college
because of a lack of commitment to
quality education in Grinnell, he
said. Other faculty members
outwardly have expressed
reservations about remaining at
Grinnell College iorcmg their
children to remain in the Grinncll
educational system.

If the $3.5 million bond issue
passes, the school board will begin
immediately to construct a new
junior high school. The new junior
high would be built near Lake
Nyanza. The new building would be

offund

and said he “resented the im-
plication" of favoritism.

Off-campus funds, distributed by
off-campus representatives, are
the monies allocated to ap-
proximately 170 students living in
non-college owned housing for
social activities. The amount
available this year is ap»
proximately $1,000, of which 3300
remains.

Nissen initiated his investigation
at the verbal request of Alice
Bernstein who complained that she
had gotten “the runraround” when
she tried to obtain funding for an
off-campus party second semester.
She accused the offrcampus
representatives of stocking their
own liquor cabinets and having
parties for their friends at SGA’S
expense,

Nissen, after investigating first
semester expenditures, Claims he
discovered that a “closed" party
group has formed around “last
year’s offrcampus and Grinnell-in-
London" Students. an occurrence
made possible by the “lack of
information” of what the funds are
for and how to obtain them.

a onerstory structure similar to ﬁle
high school, but constructed to
meet the special needs of the junior
high-aged student. The earliest
occupancy date [or the new
building would be fall 1978, if the
$3.5 million bond passes. There is
also the possibility that, if only this ,
bond issue is passed, the old junior
high might be reopened until the
new building is completed. The fire
marshal has indicated that he
might temporarily relax his
requirements to reopen the old
building. This would enable the
split-shifting to end probably by
the beginning of the next school
year,

In the event that only the $400,000
bond issue passes, the fire marshal
would not relax the standards at
the old junior high school. Major
repairs would be required to
reopen the building. Because of the
nature of these repairs. the junior
high would not be available for
occupancy until at least November
of this year. The repairs would not
involve any remodeling or
renovation of any kind. Only
repairs bringing the building up to
the tire marshal’s minimum
standards would be done. In this
case, there would be no guarantee
that more violations against either
the state fire code or OHSA
standards would not again be a
problem in the near future.

College students qualify to vote,
if they register. Voter registration
can be accomplished at either the
city offices or at the school board
office during regular business
hours. The election is during spring
break, but students can obtain
absentee balloLs. Forms for these
ballots can be obtained at me
forum desk and can be mailed
immediately.

3 cited

The existence of the funds was
published once in the Campus
Memo during first semester on
November 25, which struck Nissen
as being “rather late" in the term.
He was also irked With the lack of
publicity second semester as he
waited five weeks before an an-
nouncement appeared in the
Campus Memo, Feb. 24.

Nissen does not plan to take
judicial action, doubting that he
has enough hard evidence to win a
case, and is primarily concerned
with making the system “more
equitable." He believes the present
small party concept is “valid.”
because offrcampus students live
in numerous residences and have
no central gathering place.
However, he feels it is necessary to
publicize the availability of the
money so that all off-campus
students know or its existence.

A resolution was proposed by
Nissen at the SGA meeting
requiring the student coordinator
to be responsible [or publicity and
disbursement of oli»campus funds
The resolution passed
unanimously, 22-0. '

 

