Editorial

 

Skip Day will survive

They can't really do this to us. can they'.7

Well. they can and they did. Last Monday, the faculty
voted to abolish Skip Day, a tradition as old and as
venerable'as the Grinnell Relays.

But it’s too early to panic. Skip Day will live. although in

altered form.

Ron Kurtz, faculty chairman, admitted as much Monday
when he said students will probably declare their own Skip

Day without faculty approval.

Futhermore, many students have indicated they expect
Skip Day will be held this semester, regardless of the faculty

vote,

Despite what Irving Fishman says, Skip Day is a
legitimate Grinnell institution, and it will show greater
staying power than either panty-raids or the Boarsheadl

Dinner.

Letters to the editor

 

1.

/

 

"'1

./k

Lamps-WWW Oawpovi Sirong.

‘\
.y

muff

 

 

Warner criticizes b—ball article, says Peterson’s statements ‘self-serving’

To the editor: Andy Schultz’s
Jan. 26 article on the basketball
team needs a reply. As the father
of two of Grinnell's recent
basketball co-captains iCarl
Warner in 1977 and Roger Warner
this year) I’ll like to make an at
tempt.

First, some observations that
generally conﬂict with the “facts"
of the article and with the self-
serving statements of Coach
Peterson.

TlllS YEAR'S TEAM is
essentially last year‘s team (when
I saw Grinnell beat Carleton just
before Christmas, all of Grinnell’s
starters were very familiar to me
and So were most of the subsl.

Last year’s team was almost
unanimous] critical of Coach
Peterson and most players ac~
lively sought his ousteriwel]
aware that they might sullermore
through their actions than would
the coach.

PETERSON WOULD have been
ousted‘ but the Grinnell powerss

thatsbe were so out of touch that
they had already extended the
coach’s contract before [he
dissension broke into the open.
(Imagine if you can: Peterson has
finished a won one, lost 20 season;
the new captain quits basketball
before the season starts; the
captainless players are in turmoil
over the practice sessions and the
iirst few games, and the ad
ministration signs the coach for a
third year before his second season
is onevthird gone)

Peterson would be gone this year
if he had followed for could have
followed) a faculty committee's
advice to get another job despite
the contract extension, The Scarlet
and Black reported the formation
of the commiitckto investigate
the situation and make a recom-
mendation. But it never reported
the recommendation. '

YES. PETERSON has bent to
the criticism and tried somewhat
to adjust, So the situation is better
this year than last But so was the

situation in Hiroshima better a
year after the' attack than during
it.

I've seen Peterson and his
predecessor, Ron Mitchell, ann
their teams at games and at
practices (although I live in New
Jersey I saw eight games the year
Roger and Carl played together for
Grinnell, and [wrote an article for
The Sporting News about ll]. I've
also seen practices and games at
Swarthmore, where my youngest
son is now a siudcntaihlclc, and
with three athletic sons I’ve seen a
lot of high school games and
practices since my own athletic
days, But I've never seen anything
like the Grinnell basketball
situation of the Peterson era.

I'VE SEEN BETTER organized
gym classes. with lower persons
standing around, then Peterson’s
abbreviated practice sessions. I‘ve
seen summer league pickup teams
play better as a unit than Petersons
couched Grinnell teams

Sutton questions SEB’S honorarium story

To the editor: I was deeply shocked
and hurt. by the opening
paragraphs of last issue’s front
page story on the SGA meeting
One of your reporters wrote
(mistakenly, I trust) of a $100
honorarium awarded to me for the
express purpose of purchasing
beer

I would like to remind the 5&8
that any use of SGA funds for the
purchase or acquisition oi alcohol
is illegal, I resent the implication
that an elected oiiicial of your
student government would involve
him or herself in such a morally
questionable activity

I believe the 5&8 owes its
readership accurate reporting and
I appreciate its efforts in exposing
urongdoing; I ieel obligated,
however, to emphasize in (he
strongest possible terms the good
Intentions of the SGA in this
matter.

To my mind, this Journalistic
misunderstanding was the result of
two factors: 1) an overly-generous
gesture by the SGA and 2) a slight
clerical error. It is true that I was
awarded an honorarium by the
SGA. It escapes me at present
what I, a mere cog in the
magnificent governmental
machine we enjoy here at Grinnell,
could have done to deserve such an
honor, words simply cannot exs
press the sense of gratitude and
humility which overwhelms me at
this moment. This. however, is not
the key element in the matter;
what is more important is the
aforementioned clerical error,

It seems that an unintended Sllp

 

of the pen has blown this matter
completely out oi proportion.
We're talking about a $1.00
honorarium, not a $i00 honorarium
as has been reported. Why, l
couldn't even buy a six-pack of
Red, White. and Blue with a buck,
much less contribute to the greater
delinquency o[ my beloved
Grinnell.

in the aftermath of this minis
scandal, I feel it necessary to
decline the honorarium. In any
case. lam dwaried by ihc grander
achievements of the SGA as (I

In praise of absten

To the editor: I have not come lo
praise Rawson's brave

 

rcprcsentalive, a man uns
trammclcd by the vagaries of
mere law, nor the public-minded
man from Langan, nor even those
who chose to honor him with our
money.

Nay, my homage ls saved for
(hose who stood above petty
politics The $100 honorarium vote
of 9-5-3 brings a grateiul tear to
these cycs worn red by political
peSSlmiSm,

What acclalm is sufficient for
these eight valiant representatives
who held our funds in the balance?
My throat chokes with emotion
Wlth feet planted firmly on the
ground and an cye cast toward the
future. these eight showed the
decisive, moral action With .
which freedom is but a
philosophers prayer.

This is the kind of courageous

democracy that Madison and

body. I can only hope that lhis
money may find a hand more
needy than mine and contribute to
a world oi peace and harmony.

Had the 5&8 seen {it to consult
me before publishing their report I
would have been more than happy
to clear this little matter up, i can
only hopelhal in [he future the Sim
will takc a more responsrble
position when reporting such
potentially volatile stories. Paul
Sutton, i, igau Hall President

innit Note: Thc s & 1i stands
behind its sloi'}.l

tion

Jellerson drcamcd of This is the
kind oi action that has made
student government the vital force
it IS loday, lioh \‘ou ‘N . and

And how about coach-player
rapport? I remember a very happy
team sitting in a motel room in
Rockford, Ill , one night, with my
wife and me and Coach Mitchell
and a case or two of beer, andif
they lost to Beloit that night, too
bad, but they would beat Lake
Forest the next day, And on away
trips the captain drove the team
Van, which could be used after
games at the team’s pleasure.

[N CONTRAST, I remember a
year later when the players,
having lost to Carleton, wanted to
use the team van for a big night in
Northiield, Minn., but they were
afraid to ask the coach, so I ran a
shuttle in my rented subcompact.
hoping I wouldn‘t be blamed if they
lost the next day lthey did, when
:he coach “Slept” through the final
quarter and Carl, covering the
opposition’s bestman, fouled out in
the last. minute or so Wllhoul his
defensive assignment having been

switched and without having been
told by the bench that he had four
fouls.)

1 remember driving players
through downtown Chicago ithcir

first look at the big City) while

Peterson’s idea of a Chicago ex
pcrience was to get them up at 9
a.m. and then Sit in the motel lobby
for an hour while he decided where
thev would eat breakfast,

AND WILL I never forget our
“victory" dinner—when we
Stopped to eat around Iowa City
last year after the team had beaten
Cornell. The players and I sat at
tables in groups of three and four.
The coach sat, and ate, alone.

With rapport like that a coach is
bound to have trouble. And
Peterson has it. As for basketball,
well ll. doesn't really take much to
observe whether a team 15 wells
coached or not, But let’s say that
Grinnell officials apparently can’t

.see this. Can’t they, then, read the '

scores? Ray Warner

McKelveydefended by Porter

To the editor: I would like to
respond to Robert Meyer's letter
attacking Steve McKelvey‘s letter
lo (he editor. The problem of
printing names of Dean‘s List
students is multifaceted

First. attacking one of Mr,
McKelvey's personality (rails is
not a valid Iorm oi argumcnt,

Second. has anyone asked John
Hopkins or James Tederman what
incoming freshman think about the
policy? It could inﬂuence |heir
decision,

Thil Mr. Meyer's analysis that
harm must be done to justify the
term invasion of privacy is not
(rue Having a television camera in
your house does not do any harm if
it is broadcasting to the police
station and you are not doing

Fungi: a name for the future

To the cdito. I would like to
propose a change in our school
nickname. In my opinion (and the
opinion of Several olhcrsl the nick
name “Pioneers" just doesn't
make it. It’s a (lull name, and most
Grinnell College students can't
identify Will’l it. I think a far more
appropriate nickname would be
“Fungi "

The new nickname would solve
problems. For one, we could now
have a school mascot, Face it, a
Pioneer does not make a good
mascot. HOW do you find a Pioneer
to be mascot? And who is to say
what a Pioneer looks like or
dresses like?

With a nickname such as Fungi,
any fungus growth would do as the
school mascot. To find fungus. one
need look no further than Quad or
Cowlcs dining halls Usually at
least one ol the dishes being served
provides more than cnough lungus
for a good sized mascot

Think of the inspiration such a
nickname could provlde lo our-
sports teams. The football team
could have new helmets, with the
word Fungi on both sides, The
maSSlVe crowds at home football
games could more easily spot our
team, since all they would have to
do would be to look for the guys

 

anything illegal. Yet it is still an
invasion of privacy. «

Fourth. Mr. Meyer's comparison
of lhe ability to make the Dean’s
List with the ability to be a star
athlete, a fine musician, actor,
painter. etc. is unreasonable
Athletes and artists have lhe
choice of whether or not to par
licipate. Saying that a student
must be recognized for academics
Without preferences to his or her
feelings is simply not being
respectful of his or her rights. Mr.
McKelvey's system is very easy to
implement: thc administration
hires a secretary or they assign an
existing employee the task of
establishing which Dean's List
students desire their names
printed. Scott Porter-

with “Fungi" on the helmenls.

Additionally, we could perhaps
expect more inspired per»
formances from our basketball .
teams. who would be adorned with
new jerseys bearing the word
Fungi on the front, Who could not
be proud to be a Grinnell Fungus?

Allin all, Ifeel that “Fungi" is a ‘
iar more appropriate nickname for
our school than Pioneers. After all,
Fungus is much more a part of our
everyday lives than “Pioneer ”
From the food we eat to our brain
activity to sports teams, Fungus is
prevalent. Long live the Grinnell
Fungi. A Proud firinncllian

 

