gFightingiRacism
the Wrong Way

A statement released late last month by the Boston office of the
Students for a Democratic Society has caused us considerable
concern. It is only the latest example of an alarming problem
that seems to be involved in too many protests.

Racism is the topic of the release. Specifically, SDS is attache

ing what it describes as “racist theories of social disorder”.

The group notes that such ideas are being widely discussed, and
cites articles in two national news magazines as “recent examples
of the popularization of these theories.”

Many of the points made in the statement are well taken, and We
join SDS in attacking racism whereever it exists. But we must
protest the group’s suggested tactics. The SDS statement notes:

At Harvard and Staten island Community College, SDS
and other anti-racist students preventedWilliamShockley,

/ the dangerous quack scientist who praises the Nazi’s
eugenics programs and advocates white supremacy, from
spreading these racist lies.

William Shockley is not the issue here. Neither is racism.

The issue is simply that an invited speaker was prevented from
delivering his lecture by a group of selfrappointed censors.

The tactic is inherently ridiculous. if Shockley is really a quack
and a liar, there is no need to prevent him from speaking. His
fallaCles will be self evident to his listeners,

If SDS thought Shockley might confuse his audiences, they could
present a lecturer of their own in response to his presentation.

But such tactics don't draw the headlines that stopping a lecturer
draws. So, SDS moved to stop Shockley at Harvard and Staten is-
land, and tried to stop him at Princeton.
of course, it could be argued that SDS is working for the “right
cause," and that their tactics really don'tmatteras long as racism
is stamped out. We can’t buy that
Let us examine the issue from the other side fora moment.
Suppose a racist group at Grinnell had decided that Stokeley
Carmichael was a “dangerous quack“ and a liar (as he undoubtr
edly is, from their point of view), Moreover, suppose that they
banded together and prevented him from speaking at Grinnell.

Obviously, 1000 Grinnell students, faculty, and townspeople
would have missed one of the most thought provoking lectures
of the year While many of Carmichael‘s listeners didn’t agree
with everything he said, almost all would agree that his address
was a valuable experience. ,

Such things can’t happen here, you say? But they almost have.
There have been two concerted efforts to ban military recruiters
from the Grinnell campus, and one effort to prevent an officer
already on campus from doing his job.

Once a group is allowed to ban a speaker because his ideas do
not agree with their ideas, the door is opened for Outright cen-
sorship of all speakers who deviate from the established norm,
either to the right or to the left. And where are our First Amend—
ment freedoms then?

We are not necessarily supporting William Shockley’s views,
but we wonder if those who would suppress him are really any
different from the Soviet authorities who exiled Alexander Sole
zhenitsvn,

Sinking Ship
Needs Crew

A student once described his day at Grinnell as a path that led
from his room, to the Forum, to the library. The path ofthis
triangular configuration or its variants (room-- ibrai‘yerForum
-—library—-Forum—-room) is a path not designed to be “an
obstacle course” but one that provides necessary academic rigor.

The rigor has taken its toll' on the hearty and the S if; B has
printed yet another article of resignation with its Variations on
the academic pressure theme. These resignations have been more
than formal announcement of withdrawl. Academic rigor alone can
not account for those feelings of futility and resignation individuals
in student government have articulated many times during the
year.

Students have seen student leaders become non‘»student in their
active pursuit of goals working to consolidate one ofthefive
constituencies. A new rigor (that of rigor mortis) pervades
the student body. it appears that we are no'longer able to ﬂex the
muscle of what is nostalgtcly called "student power.” Fewer
,students are straying from the triangulation for involvement in
campus governance and extrarcurricular activities.

Last year we were concerned about having open studentrfaculty
committee meetings. Today we are looking for a replacement
for Lenny Kurz. As of yet no one has applied for the position of
allrcampus EPC representative

Are we no longer concerned with educational policy or are we
looking for a sacrificial lamb other thanourselves? Can we re,
concile student input to the consequent output or are we institu»
tionally satisfied? We are, however, confident that someone will
reluctantly emerge to assume the position of allrcampus EPC
representative.

The resignations are individual acts but all cite institutional
frustration, and we feel that they would have persevered if they
felt a sense of accomplishment. There has been much discussion
concerning the “machinery” of governance at Grinnell. At times
one is tempted to compare the “machinery” to that truly American
invention _, the (R) tm. Veg-a—matic. “it slices, it dices, and it
really really works.”

The “organizational leaves of absence” we have experienced are
discouraging. There would never be the need to undergo the pains
of impeachment at Grinnell. People are all too ready to resign
and “walk away" from it all.

We are not concerned that the captains “will jump the ship in
time of trouble." What we are afraid of is that they will be unable
to fill the passenger lists,

 

 

5 C77"

ALEXANDER
SOLZHENITSYN

T0 the Editors:

Word today of the forcible arrest
of the Russian writer, Alexander
Solzhenitsyn, by the Soviet police
chills the blood and affronts the
humane instincts of every civilized
person. in arrogant disregard of
world opinion, and in the very spr
irit of the Stalinism which he has
exposed, Solzhenitsyn has been de—
prived of his freedom. We, the un»
dersigned, urge our fellows in the
academic community to employ 97
very known peaceful, democratic
and legal means to voice their
outrage.

Peter J. Connelly
C. Edwin Gilmour
DA. Smith

James Kissane
Clifford Reid
Brian Harris
Edmund M. Moore
David W. Jordan
Paul Diehl

M.M. Liberman

 

‘Weil Reacts To Kurz’s Resignation

(Ed. noteuThis peom wns written in response to the recently announced
resignation of Leonard Kurz from the nu College Educational Policy Com-
mittee, and to the profile of Waldo S. Walker which appeared in the Novem-
ber/December issue of The Grinnell Magazine)

Editor, Masters, fellow students, lend me your eyes,
i write to replace Kurz, not praise him.
The evil which students do lives after them.
The good is oft interred with their proposals.
50 let it be with Kurz. The noble Executive Council
Hath told you that Kurz was not representative.
if if was so, it was a grievous fault
And grievously hath Kurz answered for it.
He urged son stand up to the Administration and Faculty Powers
,And proposed to abolish letter grades as irrelevant and ariitically,
‘cbmpetifive,
Do these, in Kurz, seem representative?
When faculty members, and students, were curious over Grinnell-in~Lond0n
Kurz inquired for them and was met with feigned sincerity
Unrepresentativeness should be made of sterner stuff.
Yet the Executive Council says he was unrepresentative
And the Executive Council is full of honorable men.
l speak not to disprove what high-leveled scuttlebutt hath said,
But here 1 am to speak what i do know;
Fifty-eight percent did love him once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then to stick with him?
0 Judgement. Though art fled to timidness and apathy
And we have lost our pride. Bear with me
My heart yearns for “activities of greater importance and possibilities
for positive results”
And I must pause till it comes back to me...

If you have tears. prepare to shed them now
You all do know this mantel: CenterForlndependent Learning. i remember
The last time Kurz put it on
‘Twas an autumn afternoon at the EPC
That day he was overcome by status-duo
See what a rent the puerile Magazine made.
Through this the weltrbeloved School stabbed,
ror c.l,L., as you know, was Walker’s angel.
Judge, 0 you gods, how many consecutive weeks he placed it
At the Bottom of our agenda
This Profile reminds us ofthe most unkindest cut of all
For when the noble Kurz saw their stab,
Doubletalk, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquished him. Then burst his big good heart,
And in his mantel muffling up his face
At this “council of community. governance”
Which all the while laughed, cynically satisfied
Brave Kurz fell.
~Scott Weil

THE GRINNELL SCARLET AND BLACK

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EDITOR” ..

MANAGlNG :bnbri ,

mour EDlYDR ..

rnormhnrnv DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER .,

ADVERTlSING Mahacﬂi. ,

circuinrion.

comnc :vrnrs.

MUSIC :bimr

SPORTS :bi-roh.

CARTOONIST Crer m."

YHD'IOCHAPNERS . uncanny,
Jr" rm, Miriam mm, c w Hohbl,
Nancy Jones. Luci: mnuiin, mini mm.
nmn, m m

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BruntSchonﬂclmEyer
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Davecalveri

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mm biurr, Brad Dauknerhl, Mini an...
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COLUMNISTS” . .. , shun Knapp,
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John Hindr

rroressibmi ADVISER ,

CindyhrksnMChief).

William Drmincti

Rothenbeig:

Not leaving
ISPIRG ’

To the Editors:

This letter is a response to an
article printed in last week's new»
spaper (2/3/74) Contrary to what
the article Stated, l have no inten-
tion of leaving I.S.P.I.R.G. The lo—
we Students Public Interest Re-
search grnup will have its yearly
election this Spring. in addition to
many projects and service activi-
ties. Personally, although i do not
plan to run, 1 do plan on working
with the organization.

I feel the article misrepresented
What is presently occurring with
l.S.P.l.R.G. and regret the mis—
understanding.

Michele Ruthenberg

FiguresRisk Odds

To the Editors:

As loath as I am to admit it, i
find a growing spirit of grindlsm
on this campus. 1 even find my
self being sucked into Compliance
with this sorry state of affairs.
So, in 3 last ditch effort to pre-
clpitate a resurgence of the Grin,
nell spirit I have compiled a table
of odds for games of Risk. Maybe
those of you who have forsaken the
game boards and have begun drift~
ing into toolist conformity can use
this table as an anchor to indol-
ence. Those of you who are too
far gone can use the table as a
study aid. instead of spending all
those minutes with furrowed brow
contemplating your chances of taking
North Africa, you can simply consult
the table Wheli your turn comes up,
finish your turn in a matter of see
conds, then let your gaze gravi-
tate back towards your text book.
So here I present the table with
hope for the future and faith in
humanity.

TABLE OF ODDS FOR RlsK

Dice Thrown Percentage of Wins
offense Defense ottebse Defense Split
37.17 29.26 33 53
65 97 34,03 "a

22 76 44 as

57.87 42.13

25.46 74 54

_ All s7 56 33

John Dougherty

UNPLEASANT STATISTIC
Recent national statistics Show that
SlllClde is the third leading cause of
death among college students.

to

 

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