—comment
Housing blame assigned

Help police

Fist fights, rock throwing, and beatings are for television
shows and New York City or so we idealistic Grinnellians lull
ourselves into thinking, while we’re securely tucked into this
“safe” place.

Recently though, some Grinnellians have been exposed to
the cold violence of the ”real" world. Some students have
suffered physical injury, while others have been verbally
assaulted and insulted and frightened. Our utopia seems
shattered as the “real" world impinges its anger and trouble
upon us.

With the “real" world and the real violence that comes
with it, comes also “real" world consequences of modern
living and modern law. Subjected to the recent increase in
attacks on college students, we must also subject ourselves
to the “real” world law. As Police Chief Peters and County
Attorney Don Schilds stressed at the meeting concerning the
problem, victims and students in general must realize what
they need to do to begin to curb the rising crime. Schilds
Clearly outlined three steps, which, if heeded, might begin to
stop the recent escalation in attacks.

Schilds recommended:

1| report all incidents;

2| call the police as soon as possible, when an incident
occurs, so they can try to catch up with the culprits before
they get away;

3) get a description of the attackers and vehicles and give
police all the names of persons involved or witnessing the
events. .

Even then the victim or witness hasn't finished everything
possible to help apprehend such attackers. The hard part
comes next, when students must be willing to identify at-
tackers for the police and to testify in a court of law.

Before the police can help, they'have to have information.
Before a conviction can be made to get such people off the
streets, the evidence must be there, which can only be
provided by victims and witnesses. With strengthened ef-
forts by police and students, maybe we can return most of
the violence to Kojak and Police Story.

Rethink funds

SGA budget discussions are often long, dull, drawn~out
affairs, Each interest group haggles to increase their share of
the pie. But, rather than this nitvpicking mania, serious
priority considerations need to take place,

Money is tight. Though costs have risen in all areas, the
Finance Committee prepared their proposed budget on the
figure that is maller than what was actually spent by SGA-
funded activities this year.

Thus, determining a budget according to last year's
figures is not necessarily the most efficient way. SGA does
not have the money to take last year's figures and increase
every area by projected cost increaSes. In the budget
proposal submitted to Joint Board Wednesday night, the
Finance Committee proposals were lower than this year's
allocations in all areas but social events.

Areas of budgeting priority must be determined and
money channeled there, instead of budgeting by cost in-
creases. It is only rational to fund all the areas that were
funded last year if students rate those areas favorable
enough to receive funds.

We feel that too low a priority was given to reserves which
students can use for special interests in the proposed budget
of the Finance Committee. Here, we are specifically speaking
about the $500 Cut in the requested Initiative Fund money
and the $2,300 cut in requested hall funds and the $500 level
of General Budget, for which $2,000 was requested.
Requested amounts for these different areas are very similar
to what has been spent this year.

Hall fundskthe Initiative Fund and General Budget may
fund almost anything that students think up and are able to
get approved. Small parties, big parties, seminars, cultural
weekends, speakers, independent projects, new televisions,
and piano tuning have all been funded by these monies this
year.

We think money for these activities rates a higher priority
consideration than illustrated in the Finance Committee

proposal. What are your priorities? How do you want them

funded?

To the Editor:

As a member of the housing
committee, I feel a response to last
week's letter on limited housing
options is demanded.

First, let's place the blame
where it belongs. The decision to
assign Dibble to the writers and
IDC and designate Smith as the
Quiet Hall was not made by
Student Affairs, but by the housing
committee. The housmg Com-
mittee is composed of five students
appointed by son, two RA’S, and
Susan Green Crim. The decisions
were not dictated by the Student
Affairs Office, but were arrived at
after careful deliberation by the
student~dominated housing
committee. The housing come
millee was given the authority to
assign project halls and floors by
the SGA cabinet earlier this year.

The next issue, why Dibble,
Smith, Gates, and Rawson, is
answered simplyinumbers. These
four dorms are the smallest on
campus and can best ace

Housing policy clarified

To the Editor:

I would like to respond to the
letter to the editor regarding
housing decisions in the April 16,
1976, issue of the S 5' B on the basis
of inaccuracy of fact, The decision
to award project halls was made
by the campus housing committee,
which is student-dominated, Both
the Social Policies and Regulations
Committee and SGA approved the
policy that the housing committee
ought to approve and award
project halls to student groups,

My disagreement with the
Content of the letter is two-fold.
First, if there is a legitimate
complaint about awarding project
halls, the person ought to have
investigated the facts before
writing such a letter. Second, and
perhaps more important, the
campus housing committee is an
active and timerconsuming
committee assignment for
students. The Students on that
committee invested time and
energy into the hearings and
decisions of project halls,
Responding to the decision as one
made by Student Affairs is not only
inaccurate, but minimizes the role
and responsibility of the students
on the committee.

In addition to the role of the
housing Committee, two further
conditions should be considered.
First, on the baSls of the student
housing questionnaire, which was

Brandt
parents
respond

To the Editor:
Dear Mary,

‘Althnugh we love you dearly and
Wish only the best for you, we are
nevertheless forced to conclude
that The Third World Group had a
point.

Darling, is it at all possible for
you to keep personal,family letters
out of the campus newspaper? Why
don't you write us direct: our
address is in the Campus Directory
under “Brandi,"

Much love.

Mom and Dad

lalias Dick Knappl
F,S. Who is lra'7

The Scarlet and Black, Aprii -

commodaie the special interest
groups. Based on the housing
questionnaire, there is not a large
enough demand for single sex
dorms to warrant designating one
of the larger halls as single sex.
Smith was assigned as the Quiet
Hall because only 28 people in
dicaled they wanted [0 live there.
After an initial meeting With the
housing committee, the people
organizing the Quiet Hall were
asked to try to find some ad
ditional members, so they could
have a larger dorm. The final
number, 28, was not large enough
to fill one of the Soulh Campus
dorms, The IDC is an exciting
experiment in living whose
membcrs are committed and have
been \iorking on it all second
semester. The decision to assign
Dibble to lhe IDC was again based
on numbers. The project IS valid,
and since Dibble was the only dorm
which would accommodate the
project, it would have been
unreasonable, in our opinion, to

sent to all students in the fall, 465
(all Who answered lhe questions)
responded positively to the idea of
project balls as a living option
Grinnell should offer. Second, the
housing committee did not decide
to award Dibble and Smith until
they had heard proposals from
both the Intentional Democratic
Community and Quiet Hall and
until they had considered the entire
campus housing situation. Both
these groups, particularly IDC,
spent a great deal of time, planning
and organizing their projects, and
appeared before the housing
committee more than once.

The occupancy and con-
figuration of rooms in our halls
determines to some extent the
decisions available to the housing
committee, The size of our halls
Varied widelymfrom 41 to 98. Some
halls have a fairly even
distribution of singles, doubles,
and triples. Others, like Mears and
James, are almost entirely
doubles. The smallest hall on South
Campus houses 55 students. Both
the size of each project group (23)
and the configuration of rooms in
our halls, as well as the desires of
the two groups, precluded South
Campus space.

The result of awarding a South
Campus hall would have created
halls with a disproportionate
number of new students next year
and halls which were either almost

Scarlet
8 Black

Euiior

Managlng Ediior
News Edna.

Feature Ediior
Phoiograuhy Editor
semis Edilor

copy Eﬂlfor

Carin nisis,ertisis
Adverlising Manager
BUSInesS Manager
circulation Manager

neeonrsns
Chrisnne Davidson, Dennls
Hansen, Eva Hierschniel. Lucy
Matllnglvl .Mary Brown. Tom
Pantea, Tom Persons, Terry
oueln, Debbie Wemer, oayld
wick, Mark Voorhoes Pally eesl,
Mary Brandi Ted Price
spears nepomees

Torn Arenberp. Tim DeCosler,
Ruben Meyer, oavo Schccier

deny the project in favor of keeping
a North Campus dorm open.

Perhaps the most important
issue. in this discussion is the
students. A large number of
students indicated on the housing
questionnaire that they felt special
project halls would be a beneficial
addition to life at Grlnnell. inc»,
writers’l'loor and Quiet Hall are all
studentrinitiated projects and the
housing committee was responding
to student interest in assign
dorms to these projects. Student
who might have chosen to live in
another dorm, it they had not been
committed to their projel ', will be
living ~n Dibble, Smith, l .ltes am!“
Ramon.

()nl. alter room draw will we
know ii the housing committee’s
decision actually did limit housing
on North campus. Perhaps next
year some of the projects will be
large enough to be placed in a
Souih Campus dorrn.—Susan
Wiflpcnn

‘.

exclusively doubles (Mears,
James), many singles (Cleveland,
Read),or which consumed all one
of a kind living situations, [wo-
room doubles and four room tripleﬁ
(Haines, Read). Rawson, Gates,
Dibble, and Smith have capacities
from 41.43; consequently, they are
ideal for less demanded (Single
sex) or smaller interest groups
(project halls).

Further, it is not as if the housing
committee closed these halls;
students who have already drawn
into project halls will not be
competing for other North Campus
spaces, The campus housin
committee realistically tried I 7/
evaluate the projects, the number
of students involved, the oc-
cupancy of halls requested an?
available, the configuration 0 ,
rooms in these halls and the cla
balance represented in each group.
On this set of conditions, the
housing committee awarded
Dibble and Smith to IDC and Quiet ,
Hall, respectively.

Finally, I respond to last week’s
letter, not to defend the housing
committee’s decision, but to ex-
plain thai decision and hopefully to
corrvct inaccuracies which may be
misleading and may contribute to
the dissatisfaction of [hos :
students naturally concerns
about where they live —Susan
Green Crim

second class puslape paid al Grinnell, Ia. sol l2

subscription 57 do per year
Wlthin eoweshlek :cumy $6.50

Grinnell College
Crinnell, Iowa

r. Elaine Carey
Jenei Pope
Doug Schollz
Elaine Ashbaugh
Douglas Halsey
Rich Arnold
Rosa Mlcnnva

Carin oeeree, eelh Wiley
Mark Mayer

Ann AlnSworm

Don Ronfrew

Adviser William oem‘mell
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Shelley Blair, Doug Halsey. David
Kaihan, Chrls Lower, Nick

Maiden, slave superhero.
COLUMNISYS

Bob Aldrich, Dan Hexler, kamy

Kramer, Bob Monnlmlmer, Jen

Miller, eon Render, Paul stem

brecber, RobDrVMillcr, Carlson

Smlfl‘Jolln aockwallcr

published weekly excepl during holidays and vaceiion
periods by onnnell College, Student Pubiicelions and
l .

Radio Commm e

 

