The Scarlet and Black, December 5, 1975—0. 6

Student voice for
College’s future

The future of Grinnell College is on the minds of
quite a few people lately, from the trustees down to
prospective students. This is hardly unusual, since
grim reports of decreased enrollments and economic
instability reach Grinnell every day.

Grinnell faces several major problems; it needs to
attract a “quality” student body which is large
enough to support the College financially; it needs to
cut down on major staffing expenditures. But
Grinnell also needs to retain its good reputation.
Also the college must invest its endowment sensibly.

The administration has made a few strong
decisions about where Grinnell’s finances are going
to be spent lView of the Future of the Collegel.
Restrictions of faculty size is one of the major issues
of the decisionsisetting a precedent which may
prove to be harmful. The faculty cuts have caused
dissatisfaction among many students and some
faculty members. Many wonder why there have been
no corresponding administrative cuts. One student
summed up her dissention by saying, ”Can you sell a
product more readily if the quality is worsened?"

Hopefully, Grinnell is not going to phase itself out
of existence. But the administration must remember
that it has an obligation to listen to and work closely
with the student body and faculty, in order to avoid
general demoralization.

We propose that the administration hold the
traditional Dean’s Open Forum next semester for
discussion of the budgetary problems. If student
unconcern is not as rampant as the recent SGA
election shoWed iunder 300 students voted], then
perhaps some constructive ideas can come out of
these discussions.

There are several ways Grinnell can go at this
point; the students should help to make the decision
as to where.

GRINNELL FURNITURE

1030 4th Ave.
Good Used Furniture and

All Manner of Trivia

Hours: Mom-Fri. l4:30 P.M.— Fri. Nite 7-9

BJ’S OAKROOM-I. UNGE

Aged stea ks—Seatood
Gourmet Dining

Live entertainment every Saturday

22 ditterent tull dinners under $4.00
Served Monday thru Friday

Located at Oakland Acres Golt Club

iles West at G nnell on Hiway 6—Fhone 236 527

—
r

 

SEASON’S
GREETINGS

lowas Most

Economical
Food
Stores

From Fareway

“Your Neighborhood Store”

1020 Spring St.

 

fPIay It again, A. Richard

y Jciirey Miller

Woody Allen notes in his movie
“Sleeper” that a change in
leadership rcolly ends up as being
no real change at all, within Six
months things are as bad as they
always were, li not worse,
President A, Richard Turner has
now been in oltice ior some eight
months and seems determined to
prove Mr, Allen’s statement
concerning leadership to be an all
too valid one,

The senior class this year
received a list oi 25 names of
people who had been suggested for
commencement speaker Each
senior was to Vote ior the three he-
she preferred to have as speaker.
The overwhelming first choice was
the aforementioned Woody Allen.
Most people I talked to seemed
skeptical as to whether Mr. Allen
would actually come; never.
theless, no one saw any harm in
asking, No one, that is, except ior
the likewise aforementioned
President Turner, who has in-
lormed the senior class through
Kathy Kramer that in his own
opinion and the opinions oi several
unnamed members of the faculty,
administration, and board oi
trustees, Woody Allen would not be
acceptable as a candidate tor an
honorary degree,’ and as it is a
terrible breach of protocol to have
someone speak who is not
receiving a degree, Mr, Allen will
simply not be asked

iwould appreciate it it President
Turner or one oi his mysterious
“advisers” would explain to me7
and a tow other people—why
Woody Allen is not an acceptable
candidate [or an honorary degree.
What aspect of the “image of the
college”7a phrase which has
come up here and with other
campus organizations—s sub-
verted by Mr. Allen receiving such
a degree? i have pondered this
matter myselfipolitics seems
inconsequential here, as do
religion, sex, and money. The only
thing that I can determine is that
Mr. Allen is—horrors~an cn-
tertainer, and, even worse, a
comedian, This, I am forced to
assume, makes him unacceptable
as an honorary degree candidate at
this Mecca of the arts.

As one who purports to be a
humorist of sorts, my artistic
sensibility is outraged by this slap

I GLASSES

Made and Repaired
In Our laboratory

Contact lenses

Eyes Examined
Phone 236-7501

EJ. Jensen, 0.0.

OPTOMETRIS'I'

Across from Post Office
Closed Thursday pm,
and Sat. p.m.

In the face of humor. Woody Allen
indeed at one time played the
Catskills and the Ed Sullivan Show
and did all those other things hack
comedians are supposed to do. But
Woody Allen is not Shecky Greene
and is not Erma Bombeckithe
man is extraordinarily brillianti
anyone who has seen the iilm
“Love and Death” can attest to
thisiit is a satire of literature and
iilm which i ﬁnd unequalled in the
history oi the medium. He is the
last in [he line oi good American
literary humorists, unless one
wishes to count MS. Bombecki
which perhaps President Turner
would. Woody Allen is not just
some Schlemihl, but a noted
director, actor, and author, and I
find it mildly disgusting that he
might upset the “image oi‘ the
college" because he has applied his
talents to comedy rather than to
existential harpsichordplaying or
some other art iorm deemed
suitable ior this place,

Secondly, President Turner has
raised irom the lar pits the
dinosaur ol studcnt rights. Even I,
in my supposed ﬂaming radical
outlook toward things, am
somewhat tired of this debate, but I
find it extremely galling to have
the First choice of the senior class
in the matter oi their own coms
mencement speaker ignored by
President Turner and his unseen
group oi advisersiparticularly
since Woody Allen is not Angela
Davis, nor David oellinger, or
someone else who might be cons
trued as a “threat to our security”
and a blot on our “image.” Only
the most petulant critics oi
“student rights” can complain
about seniors having some say in
their own commencement.

it, then, the commencement
speaker is to be accepted or
rejected solely by an ad
ministrative cabal—a Sort of
“Grinnell Security Council"7
headed by President Turneriwhy
even the iacade oi a quasi-

The
Scarlet

8 Black

Editor
Managing Editor
News Editor
Feature Editor
Sooris Editor

copy ,Editol
Advertismy Manager

Business Manager ;

Cartoonisisrartlsts

REFORTERS

Tom Pantea, Eva Hlerschhiel, Blil
Burke, Rosa Mishnya, John Buck
waiter, Rob curley, Debbie welher,
Lucy Mstlirlolv, Dayla Wick, Terry
ousin, Christine Davldson, Mark
Voorhees, Dennis Hanson, Paul
slelhbrccncr, Katherlne krsmer,

'spoers REPORTERS
Dave Scncchier, rlm DeCoster
Robert Meyer

published weekly except during holidays
Derods by Grinnell college,

referendum supposedly to allow
the senior class to choose Whom
they want as their speaker? Why
not just directly come out and say,
“Your speaker will be chosen for
you, so just keep cool and care.” 1,
lot one, would rather eal with
such open admi istrative
hegemony ovcr dec ons which
should be made at least in part by
students than the phony, pans
dering, secretive “Mr, Nice Guy”
approach being used by President
Turner and his “kitchen cabinet.” .
Finally, a tow words on the
concept oi the “image oi the
College” which underlies the
decision not to invite Woody Allen
and this response: 1 suggest that
President Turner and his advisers
concern themselves with the
maintenance of the present image
at the collegeithat of a somewhat
progressive, interesting in.
stitution, with a diverse student
body. doing a hell of a lot, con-
sidering its extremely poor
geographic location, and a college
which is also an economic
“bargain" tor the programs it;
oirers (thank you, Time
magazineiiand avoid a
irightening development in the
“image oi the college” which they
themselves seem to be
precipitatingithat oi Grinnell
College becoming a dull, over.
priced, understatled, repressive
educational wasteland, devoid of
anything interesting or enjoyable
outside of the sheer fun oi ats
tending classes and ndjourning to
the Pub on weekends to drown
sorrows in uncountable pitchers of
Olympia, and with a “diverse”
student body of “scholarsathletes,”
people whose parents make over
$75,000 a year, and future com-
puter programmers. When this
occurs, perhaps President Turner
and his advisers will have the -
pleasure and honor of inviting Joe
Namath to speak at com»
mencement and to receive an
honorary degreeiwhich will be
exactly what they deserve.

second (lass postage paid at Grinnell, to 50m
subscription swo Dervear
withln Poweshiek county ssso

Grinnell College
Grinnell, iowa»

Lynn A Voeoiscn
Jane) Rope

Doug Schultz
Elaine Ashbaugh

R‘lrh Arnold
Mary Brown

Mark Mayer

Ann Ainsworih

Carin DePree, eelh Wllev
Janet chtworih

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Andy McKlbben, Stephen willioms,
llm Gsrsi, David kathsn, Nick
Maiden, Mike wlhston, and help
item the yearbook stall,

COLUMNISTS

’lclt Miller, Kathy Kramer. Paul
Sielnhrecner, Dan Hexter

d vacation
Student F'u icailons and

Ra committee, Grinnell, lows sum.

Specialil ng In

Men’s and Women's
Hair Cutting and Styling

724-5th
" MEG-4912"?

 

