9
The president

0

Joseph
Ferrell

Junior
Petershlirg. West Virginia

The ioilowing are my proposals
iura meaningful role as SGA V.P.:

i. T e vice president should act

son between the various
committees and agencies, and the
president and joint boards. This
role corresponds to that now cl»
fected by the student coordinator
(concerning the student body at
large) and the SGA president
tconcerning the administration
and faculty).

2. He should act as a couns
terw 'ght to the SGA president,
providing a diiierent perspective
on proposals, and' urging
modiiication it necessary.

3. He should use his position,
influence, and leadership in the
joint boards to encourage
initiative, responsibility to the
constituency, and education on
important issues. Above all he
should attempt to make the joint
boards a body that is cohesive,
efficient, and receptive to student
input.

He should undertake to keep in
close Contact With the finance
committee and make certain that
the committee is fiscally
responsible and allocates funds for
the benefit of the student com-
munity as a whole.

5. An issue oi growing concern is
the function of the Judicial councils
and OCR As V.P, I would work to
define their roles and to advise
them on reiorms concerning rules
of cvidencc and other legal
procedure. My pre-iaw
background gives me the
philosophical and constitutional
view oi behavioral rules necessary
to act in such a capacity, and in
sure that the rights of the defcns
dant arc observed and justice
done. i believe thse proposals to be
realistic goals oi the V12, not
idealistic, piperdream issues
thrown out to attract votes. I
believe them to be necessary
administrative changes ifSGA is to

grow in ciiiciency and be more,

responsive to ‘campuS’Wide 'i'~'0

cartoon by Great Tobin

Student Government Primer

The following are mdivtduol otoiemznlb by the condtdolzo for DGQ Vice Oicotdznl

“I want to move this college towards

a concern with

realize that the number one priority of
this place must be the personal growth
of the students." SGA president—elect
Will Collins perceives a substantial
difference between academic growth
and personal growth. As he sees it,
academic growth is that which this
school provides, while provision oi
personal growth ‘is presently an
element of chance. In order to provide
greater opportunity for personal
growth, Collins has outlined a number
oi sketchy programs to be worked out
with the new SGA administration.
“Accountability”
sibility" are both elements of personal
In order to
currently existing programs on this
campus, Collins plans to make each
program accountable and responsible

growth,

for its actions.

cited was the SA and RA operations,
Because this program is one oi the iew
vehicles this school has ior dealing with

Dan
Finkelman

Sophomore
neei-iield, lllinois

The main item on my platform
concerns student input with
respect to both SGA and Ad-
ministrative policy decisions, I
believe that the student evaluation
oi iaculty should be an integral
part oi rerhiring and tenure
decisions. That is, if the evaluation
oi a particular iacuity member
tails to yield an average oi 3 on the
1-to-7 scale for the contract period
oi that person, then the rcahiring or
the granting of tenure should not be
allowed without further student-
administrative investigation in-
volving the respective EPC. in
regard to SGA decisions, I favor
the increased use oi polling in
order to adequately measure and
evaluate student opinion on any
important issue facing SGA.

I will work tor the adopting oi a
crediteerase (not a credit-fail)
option and will oppose the in-
stitution oi an ABCDF grading
system i am in iavor oi re
organizing the distribution
procedures of the Initiative Fund
in order to allow more access to
that fund I will also work towards
increasing the size oi the iund.

I will work for the increased
funding of the Grinncll Book (in an
ciiort to reduce its price to the
student) and the increased funding
of KDIC and the 5&B. I will also
push ior better attendance by hall
representatives at SGA meetings,
because every time a iiall rep
misses a meeting, all the students
in that dorm arc unrcprcscnied. I
will also work towards putting out
better information on the actions
and activitics of SGA. Please

outed? "warm

"3/. UUQSIiDUS

personal growth and
program",

and accou

and offices
Rights and

reliable as

and "respons

strengthen

inore oia p

One program Collins

leadership

Kathy
Kramer

Junior
Annandale, Virginia

in my twoand-one-hali years at
Grinnell, I have witnessed the
decline of academic freedom of
choice for the students. The
Student government battled
against these encroachments my
iirst year at Grinnell, in the next
year and one half, the lack of
student support and the
disillusionment of the student
government leaders seemed to
weaken the fight. I would like to
estalish critical academic input to
the administration and faculty as
the main responsibility oi the new
VicerPresidential position. I will
right to maintain studentsprofessor
responsibility ior independent
projects. 1 will press icr more
substantial Channels for academic
criticism by student. I would try to
Withstand the establishment of
requirements and the ABCDF
grading system. All these changes
in academic policy have been
mentioned by the administration
or iaculty. Previously the changes
have been sneaked through the
administration before student
input can be mobilized I hope to
coniront these suggestions beiore
the time for student criticism has
passed by

There is a place ior pet policy
and dorm improvements in the
SGA agenda but there should be a
position voicing student academic
concerns. With the new Vice
Presidential position, now is the
opportune time to make the ad-
ministration realize that We will
accept our responsibilities at pets
and dorm but demand our right f

6'.” pm arer‘academianpu't

personal and social problems, it must
be stronger in order to be accountable
and responsible ior the job it tries to
periorm. To “get some teeth into this

credit to ensure greater responsibility

advisor’s part.
Besides having the RAVSA program
stronger, Collins favors other programs

and accountable ior personal growth,
Collins cited the 0iiice oi Community

oi the assorted organizations on
campus that must be as good and

and the 5&3 were also mentioned by
Collins as campus media needing to be
responsible to the student body.

The problem oi academic pressure is

in Collins’ mind. The iault does not lie in
the volume oi work given, but rather in
the view both students and iaculty have
ofit. Collins maintains, though, that the

Collins iavors practicum

ntability on each student

becoming more responsible
the Judicial Council as two

they purport to be. KDIC
roblem oi academic attitude

that is needed in solving this

Jon

Scarlet and Black. March 7, ”TS—p"

problem must come from the faculty.
Collins is demanding that the faculty
reevaluate the attitude they convey to
the students in class.

Other than his longrrange plans to
iurther personal growth, Collins has a
few plans for the $18,000 SGA budget
increase. He sees a lot of the increase
going to hall funds and to the campus
media,
possibility of getting busses more often
to go to special events outside Grinnell
in places like Iowa City and Chicago}

The presidenteelect is aware of the
iact that some people see his ideas ior
SGA as very vague. But getting down to
the dirty work needed in the president’s
other; is what he believes he is prepared
for, Collins is not satisfied with the
“status quo.” He wants to get some real
fundamental reevaluation of what this
college is ior, and ior the college to be
prepared for drastic changes in
meeting its responsibility to the
students.

Collins also favors the

by Bob Handler

Part TWO

Rickie

Neiderbach StOkes

Freshman »
Santa Rosa. California

I’ am seeking the office of SGA
vicespl'esidcnt because or a deeply
rooted fear that without a massive
reevaluation of the policies,
practices and basic goals oi this
institution, the Grinnell College
community as we know it will end.
I have Watched the recent SGA
presidential election process and
have been greatly disturbed by the
apparent skirting oi the real issues
racing the college. (Although some
candidates did begin to address
themselves to the problems or
building a sense of community
through inclusion, curriculum
revision, SGA budgeting and ad-
missions, 1 reel that they did so
without even approaching the real
causes of and viable solutions to
these problems. As vice
presidential candidate and as vice-
president, 1 will pledge no easy
answers, but will rather explore
alternative approaches to our
school's problems.)

My speciiic platiorm entails over
twentyefive points, Some oi the
most important ones are:

—opening up of Long-Range
Planning Committee to general
campus input through public
hearings and possibly through
“full community" meetings.

egreater emphasis given to the
admission of qualificd applicants
who have given evidence (through
application and expanded in~
terview) of ability lo build come
innnity spirit. and oi ability in
cxploring new techniques oi
education.

—cxpandcd interaction with, and
use oi, other ACM calleges'
resources, such as videotaped
courses and curriculum allocatio '
gradual expansion oi career in

.'.tcr.i'iship programs, possibly ior
[credit ‘ ' ‘ ' '

Junior
Memphis. Tennessee

i

Before confirming'by intent to
seek the office of SGA Vice’
President. I found it necessary to
reilect upon the position in a
number of ways. The office of Vice
President is a Very crucial one for
any organization, The Vice
President must be in tune to the
general attitudes oi the campus
community. He must understand
the workings oi the “Ads
ministratives’ system of
beauracracy.” The vice President
must be able to communicate with
individuals on any level tiaculty,
students, administrators, whites
and blacks alike).

My major concern is a more
visible-organization, Having been
one of the Student Coordinators, I
know that the past SGA Cabinet
handled a number of important
issues, but through a lack of
communication, these issues (lid
not appear quite so important to
the campus community. I believe it
is the duty of SGA (if it plans to
continue representing the
students) to remain in constant
touch with the campus, ivhether it
be by weekly articles in the 55:5,
radio shows, or through each
doi-m's House Rep

It is my contention that the SGA
Vice President should have some
line oi communications open with
the campus community to discuss
problems. An example would be
academic pressures, Since the
office of Vice President has con-
cerned itself \vith longsrange
planning oi the collcge and
academic problems. this is a inilst.
After strongly considering these
issues. I have decided to seek the
office of Vice Presidcnt with the
interest at the student body at..
heart. i'.

 

