the

SeB editorial

Pets

The Joint Board Monday Spent nearly half an hour discussing pets, because
members of the Social Policies and Regulations Committee were there to

Students Write 0n
Blocks And EPC; Bangle

Desh; Cultural Fund; Grndes

present the results of their deliberations on the subject.

Before semester break the committee decided not to change the existing
rule, which forbids anyone to have a pet in the residence halls.

The committee hoped that by announcing its decision to retain the old rule
before semester break, students would be discouraged from returning to
campus with their pets. It was also thought that with the rule, fewer stu-
dents are likely to bring pets to campus. Discussion at the meeting indicated
that the number of pets on campus now is roughly the same as before break.
But the enforcement procedures it proposed were not aimed at getting all
pets out of the dorms, because committee members feltuwe think rightly»-
that a total ban on pets is unenforceable on this campus.

which raises a question: why keepthe rule at all’.’ Why not, instead, frame
a rule to control abuses by pet owners, while recognizing that people do
and will continue to bring pets with them to Grinnell? A pet owner should be
responsible for the behavior of his pet and for seeing that it does not interfere
with the rights of other beings on the campus.

A procedure ofsenforcement similar to the one proposed by the committee
would work fairly well for sucharnle: anyone could complain to a convenient
authority about a bothersome pet. It would then be the pet owner’s responsi»
bility to correct the abuse or to get rid of his pet.

There are problems of jurisdiction, because an individual could bring the
Grinnell police into the act if a dog is bothering him on campus. The rule
could apply in all other cases though.

With the present rule in effect, the committee could not insert the word
”bothersome” in the enforcement clause and still be consistent with the rule
it has adopted. A member of the administration, a B&G employee, visitor,
or a fellow student could complain of anypet for any reason. If the complaint
gets to the office of the Deanol'student Affairs the student could be fined ten
dollars, not because his pet is bothersome, but becuase it is here.

If the change we propose were made, such a complaint would only be justi-
fied if the pet were bothersome in some way. A responsible pet owner would
be protected from the admittedly remote possibility that someone could report
his pet for other reasons.

On some issues, like drugs, where the tendency of students is not to
enforce a rule prohibiting sale and use on campus, maintaining a rule
discouraging such acti ities is understandable; for the college must pro
tect itself from lawsuits for ”condoning" an illegal activity. Unless the pet
situation is in violation of some law or might in some way endanger the
college, it might be best to change the rule.

'Pla‘nning’

Students who attend faculty meetings often go away shaking their heads in
disbelief that the professors they know and respect from the classroom and
personal conversations out carry on such fussy. inefficient, and often
pointless discussions when they gather together. At Monday’s meeting, part
of this disbelief was apparently shared not only by the SliB reporter and
editor present, but by President Leggett as well. The faculty discussed long
rune planning for the college and presumably hoped to further or increase
such planning by specific structural changes in responsibilities of faculty
committees.

The faculty did pass a motion to amend the faculty handbook so that the
Executive Council’s duties will include consideration of long range planning.
A second motion, to give the Council the additional duty of consulting on the
total operations budget of the college (ratherthanjust the educational budget)
was discussed but not acted on.

The motion that the faculty passed may have little inﬂuence on planning;
many faculty members at the meeting agreed with the President that the
Council has very little time for more than its present day-to-day business
(which of course involved decisions based on perceptions of long—range
impact).

Even if a faculty committee. either the Council or perhaps a specialized
ad hoc committee, is given responsibility for long range planning, how will
such planning become more possible than it has been in the past7--and in
the recent past, planning has been severely limited by forces outside the
college’s control.

When the college’s enrollment was brought into question at the meeting
because of the plan announced by Dean Walker to expand next year's fresh-
man class by under twenty five students, and to convert a Park street
faculty residence for student use to accomplish that, President Leggett
stated, ”Enrollment is not a question of long range planning, but of adapting
ourselves to the hard facts of our environment.” And as Dean Walker told
the Slab later in the week, “the contingencies that one puts into a long-range
plan are not as great as the reversals wehave gone through in the past
few years.”

it may well he that worthwhile and workable long range plans for the direc~
(ion of Grinnell College in the next few years and in the next decade will
come out of the Executive Council nsaresult of Monday’s action. This would
be of great benefit to everyone. But it might be best to think of the motion as
n vague statement by the faculty of an Intention to think about planning, and
of some discontent with the recent past, rather than as a positive move to
correct n correctable situation.

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November 12, 1971

25 The Scarlet and Black

To the Editors:

As to the pigmentation oi Penguins
W or are Black and White colors
that can work together?

In response to the letter that ap-
peared in the October 28th, 1971
issue of the “Scarlet and Black”,
I should like to speak to the Valids
ity of having a representative of
the black community of Grinnell
College on the E.P c

Notice please that I did not say a
cos representative but one from
the black community ,, there is
a difference. There are black stu-
dents oh this campus who do not
consider themselves members of
C.E.S., and the black representa-
tive to HP C. is there to repre-
sent, to the best of his ability, the
many and sometimes divergent
views of all black community mem—
bers here at Grinnell.

I have no intention of raisingadust
cloud about how blacks deserve rep-
resentation because of over 400
years of oppression because, as far
as i am concerned, something that
was done to my ancestors as a
whole is less important, as far as
E.P.C. representation isconcerned,
than the specific problems that
blacks have within the Grinnellsyss
tem now. Who is more qualified to
speak to the blems that blacks may
have because of the kind of schooling
that theymayhavehadbefore coming
to Grinnell than a black? There are
also the problems that arise from
having to adjust to thepredomlnants
ly white community wehaveinGrins
nell and on campus, I‘d like to meet
the white student on campus who
feels that he or she is qualified to
deal with these problems for the
black community.

My main concern asthe represent-
ative of the black community to the
E.P,C is to see that nopolicy which
we as a committee have to discuss
and pass will in any way be detrir
mental to the black community orin
any way add to the number of prob
lems that black students must face
herein Grinnell in addition to those
faced by all students.

The argument expressed in the
“Penguin" article covered up the
feeling that if blacks are to be
represented on the Era. then why
not any other minority. The trouble
is that a great many membersoftl‘le
other minority groups on Grinnell
campus are “Caucasian" and thus
have not shared in the adjustment
that some blacks have had to make
or are Still making and thus can be
represented by the all campus
E.P.C. representative.

Then there is the problem of pre-
judices against black Studentsonthe
part of professors. Imyselfhavenot
experienced this but other blacks
have and we have noavenuesofcom-
municatlon through which our feel—
ings can be channeled to theadmin .
stration; an E.P.C. representative
offers at least some hope.

Penguins are “not” human -- would
the members of sap care to argue
that the sameapplies to themembers
of the black community of Grinnell.
Penguins do not have the needorthe
adaptive ability to deal with and/or
change their environment »- we
black students “do” have the need,
desire, and ability —- but not through
social upheaval, rather from within
the system.

I think ablack representative on the
E.P.C. is essential and that one
should be there as long as blacks
have specific problems here in
Gi‘innell which are beyond the abili-
ties oi a white representative. Ber
sides, some of my best friends are
penguins -- how about you? ‘

Duane Taylor
Representative of the BlackComs

munity of Grinnell College to the
E .P.C.

To the Editors:

Grinnell students seem blissfully
unaware of what is going on in
Bangla Desh (East Pakistan). it
makes me wonder if it really would
be better to just forget the situa-
tion. Unfortunately, one cannot shut
out reality by ignoring it. Merely
because Grinnell students turn their
back on the ugly facts of Bangla
Desh does not by any means cause
those facts to disappear. We must
face the facts and see the havoc
our apathy has added to.

To review the situation- -In Decems
her 1370, the people of both parts
of Pakistan were allowed to have a
free election. The East Pakistani
party, or the AwamiLeague, won the
overwhelming majority of seats in
both areas. In March 1971, nego-
tiations began to set up the new
form of government.

The military junta was unwilling
to hand the power to a party which
would not perform as its puppet.
Finding diplomacy an inadequate
weapon against an extremely popu-
lar party, the military government
sent in its troops on March 25,
1971.

There began an indiscriminate sl»
augbter, an irrational blood-bath,
the extent of which still is unknown.
A conservative estimate puts the
figure of men, women and children
murdered by the army at 250,000
(This figure does not include re-
fugee deaths, but only those shot
by the Western forces). A great
many of these innocent people were
shot with American weapons.

The dead cannot be brought to life
again. But we must do something
for the ten million refugees from
injustice. Every day, 33,000 cross
the border to India. India can
scarcely cope with those it has ale
ready, yet they keep coming.

Other colleges across the nation
have had fasts and benefits and
raised money for the refugees. But,
as of now, Grinnell has done nae
thing.

One thing that can be done by the
students as a body is a SAGA
fast. With the money from one
student’s meal, a refugee can be
fed to several days. Students as
individuals can donate money to the
relief funds, such as Osfam, the
Indian Prime Minister’s Fund for
Eangla Desh, or the International
Rescue Committee. You may either
send the money direct, or, if you
wish, you may give it to Shri lien-
katesan or Rob Rainer, who will
Send all money collected to one of
the above relief organizations.

Lyn Ramer

To the Editors:

About six weeks ago I wrote a
column in the SlitB petitioning Grin—
nell students to search their minds
in finding constructive cultural ways
of Spending $4,000. I am pleased
to report that up to how the res
ponse has been good.

In consideration of the fact that the
money the initiative-Cultural Fund
is spending comes out of students’
pockets in the form of an activity
fee, I submit the following report
for inspection. In very general
categories the fund has apportioned:

Speakers and Films: $725.00

Group projects: 55.00

Group social events: 247.89

Total: $1057.89

With half the semester behind us,
we have approximately half of our
semester allocation left ($1,000).
The committee feels that so far it
has maintained a high quality funds
ing policy. in order to continue to
fund only events of a high quality
the committee must have good
ideas brought before it.

Please keep searching for events
which would be of “campus en-
lightenment and/or refinement.”

However, please don’t let any quess
tion as to the “cultural” value of
a good idea stop you from applying
to the committee. We aim to please!
Chip Shofstall

Chairman

Initiative»Cultural Fund

To the Editors:

The new considerations for
changing the grading system re-
flect ambiguity in the Grinnell Col-
lege community about the purpose
and methods of education, The
faculty, and much moretlle students,
do not seem to have the faintest “0'
tion about What constitutes a liberal
arts education

During the three years i have been
here, haphazard alterations, addis
tions, and subtractions have been
made to the curriculum and grading
system without any cogently formu-
lated justification,

Before proposing changes we must
deliberate the nature and purpose of
a liberal arts education. The 117
forms can then be legitimate re-
formswith a view to goals

With nary a rationale, the 8&8 re
ports of seven proposals submitted
for the alteration cithe grading sys
tem. They are proposing serious,
radical change in education Grades
have been a partnan integral part—-
of the college sin its founding,
What were the ori nal principles
justifying the use of grades? Are
they invalid now?

The proposals seem to be based on
a number of unsubstantiated as»
sumptions, not the least of which is
the idea that change is an absolute
good. Evidently the nature and needs
of the students change yearly - why
else would the policies of the school
change annually7 The transcript is
now accompanied by a pageslong
interpretation of Grinnell's grading
system showing different criteria
for each of the past several years.
This indicates the dismal confusion,
lack of direction, and the constant
pandering to any whim ofthe student
body. Have these changes been for
the better? Have they Corrected tlle
inadequacies of the old methods? We
do not give any one system achance
to work beiore introducing another

As I recall, the original lustlficar
tion for credit-fail was to allow the
student to pursue study in a field Outs
side his own where his abilities
might not be strong Anotlierreason
Or at least a subsequent result, was
that the student would devote more
time to the major field oflntei‘est and
slack off in other “less important”
courses. Finally, creditrfailhasber
come a tool for padding the grade
point. Do we need m0re creditafail?
Why? There must Ilavcbeena reason
for the original limitation. Was it
wrong? Have things changed so that
the limitation must change?

Let me examine some other
assumptions which I glean from the
proposals

Creditserase means no record of
failure. If a student has failed, for
whatever reason (and how oftendoes
that mean the work was too (llffis
cult?), should henot accept thegrade
of failure. Its been kilown to shock
many into the realization ofllegli-
gence - and to incite them to action
Since we are all deemed able by vii
we of admission, do not grades ei-
ther convince us that that act ofiaitll
was justified, or, that more prepara-
tion is in order is the psycho ofthe
modern studelit so delicale that it
cannot survive the admission of falls
ure?

Not having grades during freshman
year (recommended in Mulligan pros
posal) seenis catastrophic Isn’t
freshman yeal'justlhetlmewhenone
starts to judge theextcllt oflllscapas
cities and proficiency? Is there any

See LETTERS Page 35

 

