frlday. Octob'er I, IMO

SCARLET AND BLACK

 

/ lETTERS TO THE EDITOR

invite Nixon. Agnew?

To the Editor: ,
The Des ltloines Register on
September 29 carried two inter-
esting article one, Mr. Nix»
on's interview with 500 “frien
iy" college students (note. it
made page oncl, and the other.
Mr. Agnew's refusal to speak at
any liberal college. I wonder it
(in a rare moment oi unnnimi<
ty) this campus could extend to
the vice President an invitation
to speak here, guaranteeing. l1)
strict courtes and (2) tough
questioning ot the sort the Pax
Nixonus has evadodi Needless
to say. we shouldn't try unless
we can deliver on both counts.
If we can, Nison and Co. are
going to be in an embarrassing
position no matter what they
do, and just now when they’re
trying to “quiet" dissent.
Randy Price '71

"Ourside World Irrational"

To the Students of Grinnell:

1 got a letECl' from my brother
that made me think. He gradu-
ated from an Ivy League College
last year and gal: married He
is now teaching in Philadelphia,

The letter went like this:

"We got your letter and the
Durer pictu ithank you and
sorry 1 ha. ‘I written to you
sooner, but you can imagine
I've been to ily busy. The Job
is really hell—very unrcward—
ing most oi the time. You would.
ii't believe but a real black
ghetto is it e. 1 mean dope.
death, violence police brutality.
and a lot oi iking corpses oi
y at used to he people are all
over the pl c. We can't stay
altar school on more than a few
minutes because il‘ you do.
you're really taking your lite in
your hands. Anyway i am con<
hiscd about u lot of things that
I'm doing there etc. The system
is what has got to go. but I'm
not terribly violent so 1 don't
think I’m going to be kicking
out the lat: \ilyhbw i want
out of this s id society. but i
guess I'll u. until the end of
the your. Listen—appreciate the

fact that you're in school and
with people who enjoy thinking
because the outside world is
really irrational. Take it easy.
Love, peace, etc."
C. H.

Seniur Wants Yearbook

To the Editor:

1 read with great disappoints
ment the plan to put out no
yearbook this year. i am a sen-
ior and the problems this 0014
iege has had in producing a
yearbook is truly amazing. it is
too bad that the Class ot 1970
will have no yearbook to look
back to after we've lett Grln<
nell. 1 am not in favor ct elimis
nating the literary magazine, but
it is no substitute.

What can he done? First of
all, I believe that a yearbook
could still be put out this year.
Money could be raised. assum—
ing the SGA rcally can't give
any, ii-om immediate advanced
soles. it might not be the best
book, but it would be some
thing tor the class oi low to
look back to, to remind us ot
our time spent here. And, even
it this can't be done, l rccom
mend that from now on money
be set aside each year fur
the production cl a yearbook
and that no one tamper with
these funds, i spent live years
at a school with a total enroll-
ment oi 250 students and a
graduating class oi 24; yet, i
have five yearbooks tor thcso
years and l cnyoy looking back.
There was never any trouble
turning these out, and they were
tree. There is no reason why a
college ot 1150 students which
must get more money than a
small secondary school, can't
produce a yearbook, even it
it costs the student about $10.
Perhaps the Senate should cone
sidcr this rather than worrying
about allocating money tor a
dog house tor a stray mutt and
the problems at the world. And,
it this is all the sell. the calir
pus newspaper has to print,
perhaps we can dispense with
it and get ourselves a yearbook.

Jack L. Hermon! ’70

Cites "Mindless Freshmen"

To the Editor:

Alas, Grinnoll is raising
another crop of mindless fresh-
men, hly mate ‘ 1 basis is one.
a boy raised in a ilitary school.
His sister. he explains, is about
to wed a military oilicer in
Vietnam.

No fear ion the gent there.
he says, for he only flies 3525.
“They’re the easiest kind or
bombers. They just drop ’el‘ll
and then leave." At my ex
pressed shock, the young boy
explains, as it he were actually
on my side — “Don’t worry.
he's not even lor the war.” Then
that makes it worse, i told him.

“Why?” a he still didn’t see.
He went on. Went on about —.
“My sister's got a good deal,
though." on. i thought, and
what is that? “Well, this guy
gets tour free years of college.
And otter he gets out, well, he's
already been trained as an ex»
perienced ilycr. Anytommer-
cial airline will hire him."

Let us hope that the college
is not this college, and that the
airline is not your next one out
of here. How would you like a
military bomber pilot ﬂying
your passenger ht? i could
only reply big shit to the fact
that this bud would get 4 yrs.
college and all these precious
job options out of the deal. He
sounded, l commented, like a
repulsive person. especially
since he was doing all this re.
pulsivo shit he didn't even
believe in, or support. But no,
the pci-son (I say that not with
out soinc snicker) beside me
dclcndcd. “Isn’t it worth ioui-
years oi collcge to make such
a sacriiicel" And what kind oi
sac lice was that." l asked,
“cc-tainly not his ownihe is
soc iicing those other people
that he is bombing.”

“Well,” replied the young.
inept trosh. “HE IS SACRIFIC-
ING l-lis BASIC BELIEFS FOR
COLLEGE.”

I do not remember ii I waited
around to ask the breathing
creature next to me what exact-
ly this other p son we were
talking about c pectcd to get
out oi sand college. Perhaps the

E ITORIAL

Alice In Blunderldml

Dean Alice Low this week blew the lid off Gtim’lell's already
turbulent drug situation and plunged the campus into total cun-
iusion about the remarkably muddled college drug policy. The
clean “clarified” the drug policy by instructing resident advisers
to report to the deans when they are “reasonably certain" that a
student is “under the influence of an illegal drug.”

Such a policy is simply absurd. it would inequitabiy discipline
students by setting up an arbitrary guessing game tor the resi-
dent advisers' amusement. Perhaps the naive dean wants the
resident advisers to use birdswalching techniques — spotting and
identifying drug users by their bright red eyes and long hair.

Ii. is astounding to learn that the college seeks to disciplina
students {or being “under the inﬂuence or drugs.” Even America’s
unjust drug laws, which impose harsh penalties tor the possession
or sale of certain drugs, do not regard “being under lhe inﬂu-
ence” as a crime.

Even more distressing is the fact that Dean Low's RA enlurce-
ment policy has virtually destroyed any conﬁdence students with
drug problems might have had in their resident advisers. For a
troubled student drug user to seek counseling from a resident ad-
viser is now about as likely as a guilt-ridden mass murderer stop-
plug in to chat with J. Edgar Hoover or Richard Turner.

While Dean Low's policy was absurd in itself, the higllrllanded
and illegitimate techniques she used in formulating it were flair
bergasting, it is not surprising — and is in tact typical e that the
dean did not consult students when lormulating the policy. But
the mind boggles at the realization that she did not consult the
president, the faculty, or even (according to several RA'S) (ha
resident advisers. Dean Law’s sudden snatching of decision-mak-
ing power was a kick in the crotch to students whu had been led
by President Leggett to believe that resident advisers would be
counselors, rather than animals or inloriuei-s.

The Low escapade has significance lar beyond the drug issue,
because it has exposed in studenls the real manner in which tha
decisionsmaking process works at Griniiell, Students are actually
irrelevant in the decisionmaking process that spits out the ad-
ministrative policies under which they must live.

The administration shrewdly paciiies students by allowing
them token representation on cummlttees, but in the final an-
alysis: Hurling Basement is the source of all power. That is why
the college drug policy iormulated by last year’s Student Aliairs
Committee was mysteriously eliminated over the summer and.
replaced this tall by President Leggett's drug policy. That is why
President Leggett will decide how to deﬁne the resident advisers’
role in the drug policy. That is why three students were placed
on conduct probation tor illegal drug use.

The exlsting decision-making process at Grinncll can no longer
be tolerated. And judging by student reaction to this week’s Low
blow, it will not be tolerated. AS Bob Dylan has observed, “The

order is rapidly changing." Grinnell students are linally waking
up — more power to them. .

sensi lities toward huluan

values, toward human lives that
I feel I have developed, and
that, heaven forbid I hope that
kid somehow acquires.

Sue T. Miller '71

Prof Defends "Channels"

To the Editor:

it seems to me that student
government here might gain by
a reorganization. At present,
student government does incor—
porate the principle that all
students should be represented
in a parliamentary body by
elected delegates; but student
government has lacked impor»
tance and “relevance." here as
elsewhere. because the delibera—
tions ot this body have not he
ccssarily led to the College’s i-c—
considering its policies.

i suspect that those recent
changes which have placed stu-
dents on most ot the faculty's
standing committees, however,
have signaled a real change in
the signiiieance of student
“participation" in the College’s
nffau's.

Despite the fact that no stu—
dcnt-taculty committee has tiic
linal say on a given matter, so
that ratification of many deci-
sions is required in division
mcctiiigs, iaculty meetings, and
administrative review, these
committees are in tact impor-
ta and in tact have power. in
P' liamentary bodies generally.
ideas which are presented for
the first tune on the iloor are
inircqucntly adopted: it is im-
portant that some group have
previously coiisidcrcd a matter.
have had time to do some lea
search. and have been able to
achieve some consensus on the

matter before it will usually
have much of a chance.
Committee consideration fl'e—
qucntly uncovers lundamental
diversities or opinion, antici.
pates consequences that had not
initially been ioreseeii. and in-
dicates whether the idea can
appeal to enough people to have
a chance of passage in a larger
body. Parliamentary bodies
therefore depend heavily on
their committees to weigh phi»
posals, iron out their bugs, and
work out compromises betora

LETTERS—
Contlnued oii Pg. 3, C01,:

The Scarlet & Black

Student Newspaper of
Giinnell. College.
Grinnell. Iowa

5,". An independent

"“4 newspaper p u be

5| ll‘lltd weekly, ,

=ccpi during hon.

5 (lays land examina-

§ ttnn periods, by

(3‘ ill: Griititell Cums

iiiittcc on Student

Publications. Subscription rare
soon per school year.

Edlmr .. ltllchnel .v. lirandoii

Associate Editor ..,. Tom Thomas

Busines: Manager .. Lynn Adonis

Luyoui gdhor nlanu siuurl

chiet riiotographci Ron Siehuiorn

Sports cdlior Sieve \Vclls

Reporters . Molly Mcculm.

.tohn .rdner, licnry Selieli,

Sue slegcl, Alan cane...

Alan unit

rhotographcr . . Jeri Gttlllinnlv

productzou said Andrew.

lilo cuneinn, Ll. neutrons. Lean

 

