Scarlei' and Black

GRINNELL COLLEGE
Glinueli. Iowa

A weekly newspaper published eicl-i Friday or iii: col-
legs year by mi: Grlnuel] conimiiicc on Sludcnl publica-
iions Represented for nniloiinl admiismg by Nuiionnl Ad-
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age paid at oiinnell, lown. Sllbsci’lpuon {its 55 ml per
school year. 1,932 paid subscriptions.

Lynn ouiizlcz
Jim Mclniyi-e

.ibiiii Woll-

mmna Ynsi

siisnn nylox

. cyninia inns:

in, min. umuu

. Tom Hnmnnn

, Nancy Gmmko.

rain Chly, Susan Gelher

. Slew: Casey, xenion ciymei-
Lovell, Nick Nun-s, Plul mu

BUSINESS MAN
MANAGING rulrox
coev EDITOR

Nrws EDITOR
FEATURE EDITOR .
srom‘s canons .
HEAD PHOTOGRAPH}:
NEWS REPORTERS .

scours REPORTERS ..

The Speaker of the Senate made it clear to us this
week that he feels the editor of the Scarlet and Black is
shirking her duties by not. reporting the activities of
Student Government officials. Such an accusation irri—
tates a thorn in our journalistic side that has been pret-
ty well salved for several months by a general aura of
good will and a lack of specific problem. Now the Stu—
dent Government has what it considers a specific prob-
lem—lack of communication with the members of the
student body. And we have again noticed that thorn in
our side—the idea among some on campus that the $813
should be a house organ for SGA.

At the beginning ofrthe semester the President of
the Student Government Association and the Speaker
of the Senate were approached by the S&B and asked
to Write a column on a regular~basis that would pre«
sent the problems and procedures of Student Govern-
ment officials as they went about their business. The
answer, returned by phone several days later, was that
the potential columnists didn't have time to write such
a piece and that it might tend to show that they “were
blowing their own horns." .

In an effort to keep students up on the activities
of SGA, the S&B made multiple inquiries into the Open
House question — contacting SGA officials as well as
administration members. Each time we were told to
wait. We have made similar inquiries into the workings
of the senate and into the various complexities of the
Forum. Each time we hit a dead-end that says — wait
until we are ready to say it. A few brave advances on
our own — the question of student administration co-
operation and the problem of proctors — have been
met by comments froln SGA officials of “why did you
say that now, just when things were going so well?"

It seems that for the 5&3 to be responsible it must
cover SGA. But we will not serve as a house organ that
dishes before the student readers what has been spoon-
fed to us by our leaders at what they consider the most
appropriate time.

To print the news on SGA available to us now
would limit our coverage to an insignificdnt article
about how each member of the executive cabinet
spends nearly 26 hours a week in meetings. Or we
could substitute in the band and blow their horns for
them. We refuse to do either.

When SGA is ready to invite us into their realm
so that we can examine all areas of inquiry and present
at our own discretion what we deem of interest to the
student and Grinnell, then we can function in a “news”
capacity rather than as a propaganda sheet. And when
SGA officials are ready to put themselves bcl'ore the
student body without their usual pomp and circum-
stance they might find the lines of communication
more opcn. LD

 

SCARLET AND BLACK , '

Friday, onlobcr 30, mm

Letters to the Editor

Grinnell Graduafefxpresses Concern Over Developments

To the Editor:

1 graducicd from Giinneli
College many years ago. and I
have spent most of my time
busily forgetting yesterdays,
but for some reason I’m finding
renewed interest in Gn‘nnell.
Perhaps it is because my boys
are reaching college age now
I’ve been doing some reading
and talking about the old place.
What I've concluded, I’ve con-
cluded hesitantly. Perhaps the
easiest way to express my con—
cern over the developments
that have taken place or Grin»
hell. I presume gradually,
mlght be to direct my remarks
to one specific, glaring incident.

A letter in last Week‘s “Scar-
la! and Black” by an irate stu-
dent, who painted his room vol-
untarily, spelled out the words
that I could only mouth.

Since time began, elders have
looked down and spoken the
hallowed maxim, “If we did it
for one, we’d have [0 do it for
all,” a statement that has i3
valid expression only before a
mass of a thousand mumbling
and gurgling morons. It seems
that if Grinnell is to continue

 

selling itself as an institution

kept purposely small, with an
Openrminded, relaxed ' atmos-
phere, an understanding faculty
and administration offering per-
sonal attention and guarantee-
ing the freedom of student
query and challenge, it cannot
allow this kind of blind reaction
to become typical.

Repainting a freshly painted
room is needless punishment.
Punishment? Punishment for
what? Aren’t there any other
jobs to be done? What about
painting the unpainted rooms,
the ones that haven’t been
painted since I was at Grinnell’.’

Your students are not
morons. They are basically in-
telligent moral human beings.
ls painting a room such an out
rageous immoral act? Was it
done in defiance? It has been
my experience mat acts of de-
fiance are destructive acts.
Constructive acts are to be en-
couraged, not discouraged. The
student should have been con»
gratulaled, Granted, if his
work is inferior, it must be Cor-
rected, elther by him or by the
school. However, I doubt that
any crew of maintenance men
could improve on the work of

 

Student Questions Validity of
Grading System. Counseling

To the Editor;

Much has been said by Dean
Stauss concerning the respon-
sibility and role of the student
at Grinnell; now, I think the

role and responsibility of the
administration Should be dis—
cussed. I am particularly con-
cerned about the apparent lack
of concern of the administra-
tion in an area most vital to
the student body—the future at»
fer Grinnell.

Two factors are involved—the
present grading system and
the ditch in adequate counsel-
ing about future education: Why
is a system continued that does
not relieve grade pressure but
expands the scale to the dis-
advantage of the student? I ap-
preciate the desire to maintain
high academic standards, but
if lhe student body and the
college has the reputation pur-
ported by the administration.
why isn't a grading system es-
tablished which favors (or, at
least, doesn’t disfavor) the slu»
dent; or is this reputation a
facade?

I recall from my impressions
as a prospective the theme of
capable, knowledgeable coun-
seling. 1 find this strikingly
lacking in graduate school guid-
ancc. Faculty committees, now
responsible for iliis lunciion,
are inudequnie. Sometimes they
are vaguely familiar with the
personality of the siudcnis in-
valved and frcquenlly arc uni,
familiar Willi schools Outsidel
of a limited Iew. If the college‘
can maintain an extensive de-
partment dealing wuh slu-
dents considering entering Grill-
ncll, why isn’t there a dcparb
merit dealing with one of the,

 

most critical concerns of the
majority of students in Grin»
nell?

I feel the students’ supposed
indifference about Grinnell’s
future is almost matched by
the administration's apparent
indifference about the future of
Grinnell students.

H. S. Berk

SDX Coffee Hour

Planned Tomorrow

Members of Sigma Della Chi,
professional journalism frater-
nity for men, is planning a cof-
fee hour following Saturday‘s
football game to meet with
Donald H. Clark, ’18, prospec-
tive SDX members, and invited
guests. The meeting is sched-
uled for Younker Lounge.
Clark. a Grinnell trustee, is a
former national president of the
organization and sponsor of
the local chapter. Campus pres-
ident is Jim Herzog.

Four Allend Theta
Sigma Phi Meeting

Four Griniiell girls attended
the statewide “Communicw
tions Workshop" sponsored by
Theta Sigma Phi last Saturday.
The gathering, held at Drake
University, featured a speech,
small workshop scssmns, aiidl
a reception. ‘

Giiimcll pol‘liCLpants includ-
ed Lynn Dcllzler, Bunny l-limi,,
Cynthia Ernst, and Susan Toy!
lor. Also attending was Mrs.
Jana Pichleaco-adviser of the
campus Chapter of the ihlilonrl
a1 journalism fraternitv.

 

a student who has shown so
much interest, concern, and in—
itiative that he paints his own
room. I’ve seen and can well
imagine the caliber of improve
mems mat institutions make in
their disinterested efficiency;
light SWltches obscured, floors
speckled and dotted, and paint
splashed over edges, work that
would disgrace a child with a
crayon.

The school could save thous-
ands, simply by letting and en—
couraging any and all students
to paint their rooms. The same
people who seem to have such
an overbearing, parental atti-
tude could easily find time to
check lillat work is adequate.
With this generation of stu-
dents, the job would be a
breeze.

Grinnell is Small. I used to
think it was one of the few
places left where reason had
time to thrive.

Jacob B. Browning
Class of 1941

’Sludenl Apathy ls
Maior Obstacle lo
Functioning of SGA’

“A Youthful Upperclassman"!
I read with interest your pm-
posal for the future of Student
Government at Grinnellf How-
ever, it did not seem that you
described any new or different
function for the leaders of Stu-
dent Government. For as long
as I have been at Grinneil, the
Student Government has been
expected to "clean up" after
the irresponsible minority. We
have expected ou r elected
leaders to convince the Admin-
istration that we are mature
and responsible enough to be
granted the privileges which
we demand. We say, “We need
more freedom” and While Stu-
dent Government is trying to
achieve this end, we abuse the
freedom we already have.

if the energies of student
leaders were channeled as you
have proposed, they would only
be doing in a literal sense what
they have been doing all along
in a figurative sense. We can
not, in either case, expect a
handful of student leaders to
clean up the mess resulting
from the irresponsibility or the
whole student body.

You have stated that the leg
islative power of the Student
Government has been usurped
by the Administration. I do not
believe this is so. In fact. it is
we, ourselves, who have
usurped this power. I do not be-
lieve that the Administration is
now, or ever will be. closed to
responsible and constructive
student legislation,

If We Wish Student Govern-
ment to ever funClJOn as it was
originally conceived, we must
first remove its biggesl ob-
Stacie, not the Administration,
but student apathy and li'l'E~
sponsibility. Let each clean up
his own “Saturday night's ref-
use, thus saving lhe hall exor-
bilanl 5&6 assessments.”

Carol Yenaivlne

 

