Rosenfeld Sees Mimi
Aftermath Continuing

by Bill Glaser

“Prisons in America are inhu—
man places ” This was one of the
provocative comments which Steven
Rosenfeld, deputy general counsel
for the New York State Special
Commission on Attica, made while
speaking in the Forum last Fri-
day night.

Mr. Rosenfeld talked about Attica
and the official report of the New
York State Commission regarding
the prison riot which took place
there one and a halt years ago.

First, Mr. Rosenfeld answered the
question: What is Attica? He ex-
plained that Attica is a maximum
security prison in western New York
State. It was built in 1931 and at
that time was considered a very
modern and enlightened prison. if
was a “prisoner’s paradise" and
its goal was rehabilitation. Hows
ever, as Rosenfeld pointed out, “by
197l rehabilitation had become a
myth at Attica."

The relationship between correc-
tion officers and inmates at Attica
was plagued by racism, making the
situation in the prison tense and
explosive. Although beatings and
overt cruelty was not present at
Attica it was still an inhuman place
because the everyday life or the
inmates was degrading, boring, and
routine. Prison authorities (or,
mented the inmates with petty rules
and harassments and allowed them
no free choice,

Next, Mrr Rosenfeld explained why
the riot at Attica took place. At
this time a new type of inmate
was confined at Attica. This new
breed of inmate was young, actiV“
ist, and from the ghetto. More im—
portant, he saw himself as a vics
tim of society ratherthanasacrims
inal. Correction officers and admins
isttators did not understand this
new kind of inmate.

Another reason for the uprising
was the iatal shooting of George
Jackson at San Quentin Prison. in-
mates at Attica didn’t believe the
official story about Jackson con-
cealing a gun inside his Afro. They
believed that he had been murdered.
On August 22, inmates refused to
eat breakiast. They just stood inthe
mess hall in silence and some were
black armabands. Tensions were
very high.

Days later a small incident in the

prison ydrd provided the spark for
the larger outbreak of rioting. Evens
tually, inmates had taken over ale
most the entire prison and had
taken 42 Correction officers and
civilian employees as hostages.

At this point, Commissioner of
Correctional Services in New York,
Russell Oswald, made what Rosens
feld called “his tragic decision to
negotiate with the inmates." Rosen-
feld is convinced that the negotia-
tions were doomed before they even
started because of’distrust, lack of
communication, and the fact that
the Stzite was never prepared to
grant the inmates amnesty, their
most important demand,

Finally, when negotiations with the
inmates failed Commissioner Os-
wald decided that the State Police
would have to retake the prison by
lorce. Rosenield explained what
happened during this assault. He said
it was ”marked by incredible in-
humanity, incompetence, and indifs
ference." It was a horrible situas
lion. There was a general disres
gard for human life and suffering.

The Commission concluded thatthe
authorities gave no thought to the
inmates who had taken part in the
uprising. In addition, no thoughtwas
given to the tension and frustration
of the assault troops which had built
up during the four days of negotia-
ting There was also excessive
shooting with shotguns by the as-
sault troops
Rosenfeld called the inadequate
preparation for medical attention
after the assault inexcusable.
Many people suffered needlessly
from their wounds because of this
negligence. Rosenfeld also called the
reprlsals taken out by the correc—
tion officers on inmates after the
assault more inexcusable, There
were beatings, atrocities, and brus
talities,

In conclusion, Mr. Rosenfeld said
that the aftermath of Attica is still
continuing. Crime is our number
one national concern. This is a re
suit of the failure from beginning
to end in our criminal justice sys-
tem. Unless people get involved in
changing the Whole system including
the police, prosecutors, mils,
courts, prisons, and parole
system there will be more crime
and more Atticas,

ninnu in nun / nu. u

Grinnell’s two central campus flags were at their now-familiar half

mast position this week,
Presidents,

simultaneously mourning the death of two
The death of former President Lyndon Johnson left the

nation without a living ell—President for the firsttime since l875. The Pres—
ident who died nearly one hundred years ago to create that situatio

Andrew Johnson.

Amhzﬁtdrllt nub Think

lmnlu in won wnmnn

Steven Rosenfeld

Peace Activities Continue

by Ron Medvin

Grinhell students left for home last
month and were given a Christmas
gift from the government W the
heaviest bombing raids in the his
tory oi the weir. Peace was no longer
at hand.

Most Grinncllians strongly be-
lieved that the bombing was poli-
tically and morally wrong, and were
horrified at the intensity of the
raids, but few particiapted in any
anti—war activities during the break.

And Tuesday night, when President
Nixon announced to the country that
we had achieved “an honorable
peace”, there was little show of
emotion from the Grinnell students
watching the speech.

Now that the war appears tobeover,
at least for the United States, will
the Gi‘il'lilell students who have been
active also stop working? What, for
example, will happen to theGrinnell
Peace Collective? Jim Diers stated
that “Just because the wur’s over
doesn’t mean the group is dead,
There are many ironts to one strugs
gle.” It is possible that the group
may change its name to the Grin-
nell People's Collective.

The group has a lot bi plans in
the making: some being more de—
finite than others. (There was a
meeting Wednesday night to dis-
cuss iuiure action and plans.) One
idea being planned iS u possible
weekslong symposium Which would
coincide with Nixon’s State of the
Union Address lICld sometime :is
round Feinuury 22nd It is hoped
that there would lie Seminars with
faculty speakers discussing suchto-
pics as South Vietnam's political
prisoners The group is hoping to

have speakers visit the campus
that week;possibly Dick Clark or
Harold Hughes. also they hope to
have speakers representing Labor,
the Americnn lndiun Movement
(AIM), the Chicanos, and others.
This symposium is still in the plans
hing stages and they need and wels
come ideas and help from anyone
willing to devote the time.

Ann Houston, another member oi
GPC, felt that this group as well
as other anti—war factions through
out the nation did have a part in
ending the war, contrary to what
Mr. Nixon said Tuesday night. She
also feels that now the agreement
is signed, the group's emphasis
on stopping the war will shilt, yet
the group will not disband. The
group is divided into various task
forces, ranging lrom student reform
to a vegetarian group trying to
'pressure SAGA into providing more
edible dishes for campus vegelﬂl“
ians. There is still an antiswal‘
task lorce. one or their possible
plans would be to sponsor and plan
a “walk for life” that could raise
money for a worthy charity, such
:is the Quaker Hospital fund for
Vietnam This would be a way
to work together with townspeople,
and “finding out how townspeople
stand on various issues,“

There is also a Legislative Re-
search lndependent this scmsester,
where students involved will be dos
ing work for Senators Hughes and
Clark. This has just begun, yet
plans include studying hunger in
Poweshiek County, the effectofcoi's
porate farming on the small mm,
and the educational processes inlhe
County More definite tniormntion

Kormandy Rates Bio High

by Anne Walter

The first of two “outside evals
uators" for the biology department,
Dr Edward Korlnululy, was on
campus Monday and Tuesday oi this
past week sci-ntlnlzmg the depart-
menlul pi-ogtnm. Tlns is part ofﬂ
series of evaluations by outside
people initiated by noun Walker
this vedr.

Two at Koi'mnndv's meetings were
exclusively with students lie tell
these were most helpiul as students
demonstrated great concern and
spoke cnndidlvalmntthedepnrtment
Tllell‘ connnonls greatly incihtnied
his work. he said, and were geners
ally upheld bv his other obser-
vatlons

Biology departments in a liberal
arts College hnve two roles, ac-
cording to Kornmnrly l-‘n-si, they
must pipnre students who are using
biology as n stepping stone to a re
lulcd career in medicine or re-
search Second. biology should be
soon as . libernlmg discipline"
--in other words. altering students
another niotle oi looking ntlhcwci lit,
the mode oi the lliologiclll ientist.
he feels thni Glilincll is serving
both put-poses mall, the lntter
tln-ongh llolli (he iholnpy 1 course
and. to some extcnl the LEAP pros
ovum.

The discipline ol biology has both
descriptive and analytic uspects
Kormandy iinds Gl‘llillell’s greatest
strengths in descriptive or quali—
tative biology through the offerings
in field and population biology, tax,
oncmy and morphology The ulialys
tic, quantitative and experimental
aspects or the department have been
greatly strengthened by me udtli»
tion of lrene Jones to the slnit [his
year. However, he does iccl we
need to continue to improve in this
direction,

One problem Ihdt he lelt able to
cite in an interview with tliepiess
before submitting his reportto ocnn
Walker was that oi finding "nppl‘ops
rialc steps" to insure that the stu-
dents who do complete u matter in
biology have been exposed to both
the qualitative and t , titutivc ill-
mensions of the discipline. lie did
go on to say tlut he did not ieel
that present retniircmcnls conslllil—
tuted npproprmie measures ntcrin-
nell.

Kormnndv also lnnls Gi'lliiicll’s
biology depnrlmcnt ndlnblu lm- its
open and sympathetic rnrnltv Both
student comments and his ollsei'vns
tlolls mthrnletl lhnt multvmcinburs
are eusily nrrcssiblu nun ttrsire
to help students

January 26,1973 ‘ 3

SGA Resignation
Announced

Russ McGregor officially announ-
ced his resignation as President of
the Student Government Association
last Tuesday In a brief announce-
ment which appeared in the Campus
Memo.

“The SGA Cabinet and l have a-
greed that there will not be an
acting president in the remaining
weeks of the 1972773 term,” said
McGregor in his letter to the stu-
dent body, The term of SGA offi-
cials runs trom the fourth quarter
ot the year through the third quare
ter hi the following year.

SGA Vice-Presidents Anne Walter
and John Pfeffer will act as the
heads of SGA for the remainder
of the term. Elections for the three
executive officers of SGA will take
place in the first part of March,
and candidates will be invited to
submit their names and statements
of their positions during the last
weeks in February.

will be available ater the indepen-
dent gets underway.

As it is now obvious, the war
may be over, but groups like the
Grinnell Peace Collective will Still
be around. They appear optimistic
that students will become involved
with these new projects. arc wel-
comes students; their office is still
in Herrick basement and the hours
are from 2-4 Monday through Fri-
day anernoons. Meeting times and
places will always be announced;
watch bulletin boards and the cam-
pus memo. They need your help.

Door Opens
Semester

by Maxine Law]

About to begin its sixth semester
on campus, The Revolving Door has
outlined a new role for its ser-
vices to the campus community.
“We’ve found that we havetochange
to meet the demands and expecta-
tions of the community,” explained
Revolving Door director. Pat Lee-
hens.

”In the fall of ‘70 we opened as
a “crisis center," mainly to deal
with the drugsrelated emotionaltra-
umas that many were experiencing
then, But our role as a drug crisis
center began fading by the middle
of last year," Providing thecampus
with a latesnight “drop—in” center,
The Revolving Door members offer
conversation and camaraderie for
the wee hours.

The Revolving Door staff does not
claim or pretend to compete with
the other counselingand information
resources on campus. Rather, they
view their center as complementing
the other services by offering latE<
night conversation and companion-
ship, “You don'thavetohaveaprob~
lem to come to the Revolving Doorr
Just come down and share a cup of
coffee with us." These people-inter-
ested people offer a listening ear at
hours when others may not be ac~
cessible, Also available is basic in-
formation on birth control methods
and devices, drugs. general poli-
cies at Grinnell College as well as
listings of resource agencies on
campus and in the community.

With twelve new members The Door

is again extending its hours to in-
clude an all—night shift. The hours.

beginning Friday, January 26. will
be from nine pm to seven pm.
These new members. ulcngwlth sev-
eral old staff members. have re—
cently participated in "briefing"
sessions on drugs. birth control
methods. venereal disease. Lind the
fJCilities of the Poweshiek Mental
Health Clinic. All of the resident
advisers participated in the group
discussions. Ri\'s John Lung. Bob
Schmidt, illili S.\ni Withers serve as
ullvisoi's this Veni', Sdln HJiiiliiEi‘Lihd
Put Leebens serve J5 (‘O-dil'PClUl‘S.
So . . (‘oliie down and hnve some
coffee Aliv night lrnni 9pm to ”min
in Mi‘tii‘s iniselnont. 01' (Kill. ex~
tensions 601 :Ind 602

 

