Page Two

SCARLET AND BLACK

Friday, November 29. mo

 

Where the Truth Lies . . .

By DONALD STUMP

Besides committing political suicide by promoting student self-
determination, the student government has done one notable thing
this year: it has struck a blow, untortunately a bit below the
belt. for truth, They have shown as a falsehood the old truism
that it is what one does which really matters, not what he says.
Most oi the thrill of declaring home rule consisted of proclaim-
ing desires, openly announcing the home rule — or rather, unruie
-—Which had existed tie facto for some time, and saying to our-
selves that it is legitimate. I am heartened to see that the Word
is considered so important.

1 can only conclude from President Leggett’s letter to the
Student Affairs Committee that he. too, takes joy in proclaiming
his desires. Unfortunately. his countervrevolution is not as far
along as the Students’ revolution, and his letter contains more in-
domitable hope than realism or practical plans for turning back
the tide oi student power.

Some of his proposals are simply not well reasoned. He asks
for more offrcampils housing both as a means or satisiying the
desires of many students to leave the residence halls and as an
“official response” to misconduct in the dorms. How can giving
culprits something widely desired by students be anything but
an incentive to break the rules? If this is to become the standard
punishment for major violations, the Judicial Council will be
throngeil by gieelul deiendants. To put the cap on the absurdity,
the parenthetical comment that off-campus housing is already at
the “current limit of available rental housing" seems to blast both
proposals. If there is no housing left, how can more students
leave? Should the college build or buy houses? Will the college
not then be responsible for students behavior in them?

Such coniusions are not so important as the crucial prob-
lems with the President's suggestion that the college "create and
maintain enough differences in the regulations of individual halls
so that both present and prospective students of different expecta-
tions and sophistications can be accommodated." the plan is to
have each Student choose a hall with the regulations he Wants to
lollow. It is implicit in the proposal that 1) the administration
ought to cater to slildents' expectations, 2) students know how so
phisticated they are. and 3) they will choose a hall of less sophis-
tication, if they know they are better suited for it. Are these as-
sumptions that an “accountable" college administration ought to
be making?

By trying to fit its halls to the expectations of students, even
those not yet here, the college has made a radical shift in policy,
It used to be assumed that students chose the college because it
suited them, and then accommodated their lives to it. How far
will the president take the principle oi changing the institution to
fit the students? Will he change the curriculum to fit their expec»
rations? How many students would then “expect" the Humanities
or Social Studies requirements? Will the composition of the faculty
and the policy of admissions be based on student desires? If Dr.
Leggett does not come up with a reason why the principle holds
for social rules and not ior academic policies, the facility ought to
lsk for his head; and the Students will probably give it to them.

On the sophistication of students, an old question must be
asked: How does one know when he does not know? Most Students
have touted homenile as a means of learning what is necessary to
get along with other people. The plan of having options assumes
that Students Will already know what rules are necessary for their
happiness. Tile only consistent plan would be to let students make
up their rules as they learn which ones they preier by hard expe~
rience. Furthermore, how many students would suffer the igno-
minity or choosing less liberty than others have?

If the President's plan for various options does not in practice
boil down to having Freshman dom'ls and all the oll‘iers unre~
stricted as the college will allow, 1 will be pleasantly surprised

in all these arguments, l have taken the letter more seriously
than I think most students wtll bother to do. If students pursue
their passion to eliminate Contradictions between their words and
deeds, they thI act according to what they have said in declar~
ing home-rule and voting tor the option of 24-hour visitations. Why
should they listen to the president when they have already pro<
claimed he has no legitimate say in making their rules? He does
not threaten them with proctor power; and he offers no better
reasons to knuckle under than the assertion that “it is necessary
now to admit we need to achieve a better balance than we have
between the . . . interests of students, faculty and College Adminr
istralion ' it will be an act of grace if the students now cheerily
contradict everything they decided during the past ueeks while
those ln Burling basement looked on in silence. Most students will
not be able to stomach such concessmns as well as Schneii‘ov. Dr.
Leggett has, i fear, multed his best chance to repent ioi havmg
allowed students to ilout college rules.

Now, although the administration has given no reason for stu-
dents to retilm to the fold, either in the form oi coersion or per»
suasion, i think that accepting the President's proposal on “opens”
is the most reasonable course students can take. I share his hope
that they will act in contradiction to what they have said about
selfdetermlnation and visitation hours. it is more important in the
recent crisis to make one’s actions true to the nature of the col-
lege than true to past declarations. The old lie about deeds being
the things that count turns out to be true in this situation.

What will those who think that this column is simply an ex-
pression of archaic absolutisrn say about that? i not only admit
that an old truth lies, but the same old lie is true. The truth al»
ways lies in equivocations.

 

 

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1 Les Danseurs Africairls: Vulgar I

By PAUL ROTHMAN

Les Danseurs Afl‘lcalns,
shown twice Saturday night,
was the most grossly overrat—
ed production Grinnell has
presented this year. Although
the production was somewhat
enjoyable, many of its ideas
and methods verged on a med-
iocrity which forced the use of
vulgar, nonpmfessional stage
techniques. The initial act,
‘L'Oiseau Sarce,‘ set a pattem
of plays which was main-
tained throughout.

Choreography was true and
lifeless because it consisted
almost entirely of a repeating
series of simple claps and
turns, foot stomping, and hip
swiveling. The eliorts oi the
dancers were often half-heart-
ed and the movements of the
dancers were not coordinated
with one another. The ”Broth-
ers’ ” cheerleaders did as well,
it not better. The large num-
ber of dancers on the stage
doing sever-a1 diiierent things
proved that strength lies more
in numbers than in the adroib
ness or any of its members.
“Les Acrobats.” however, need-
ed no camouflage, and each one
was quite spectacular.

The accoutrements were
most exquisite but should
have been used to accent the
agility of the Danseurs rather
titan to disguise their clumsi-
ness. Specifically, in “La Super-
Dame Dogon Masque” the
masks and costumes could have
been far more effectively dis—
played with an intricate dance.

The ineptitude was not only
shown by the dancers. The mu-
Slc was often lifeless. Its rare
praiseworthy moments cannot
be attributed to the vtriilosity
of any one musician but rath-

er to the effect of the iner-
twining primitive beats of
many individuals.

The artistic use of bare
breasts was indeed beautiful
and gratifying but, I fear, its
use was for the salacious ex-
ploiiation of desires harbored
in a temperate but pusillani-
mous male audience. These
brandished busts were a
means of “selling" the show.

My main objection to Le:
Danseurs Africans was that
the performers were used
merely as props. They should
have been the show rather
than a part of an extravaganza.

The atmosphere of the per-
formance was one of abject aha
sequloilsness. The dancers do
not use the emotional ges~
lures their roles call for, but
cater to the Uncle Tom dispo-
sition that white, middle~class
audiences love to see. In "The
Funeral Ceremonies of the
Dogons." the men play with
their guns as ii they were toys
instead oi assuming the vi-
ClOiiS temperament of savage
hunters. A work with the po—
tential of becoming highly
emotional while culminating
on the theme or the unnervtng
unknown dissipates wtth the
foolish antics of these Mali
Davy Crocketts. It is almost
as if they are saying, “Black
Power? not us. We are all
good black folks."

This pi-etentiousness was not
only displayed by the danc-
ers, it was even more evident
in the fact that the guilty
white audience refused to see
any laults in the doings of
black men even when the
shortcomings were as obvious
as they were in Les Danseuts
AfricainS.

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} Reaction
(Continued irom Page 1)

lance of Leggett's proposals.
thinking that it would be a step
backward to the “hypocrisy" oi
the system before the SGA refer-
endum.

AWS Board President heathr
er Foote Said that she saw "no
point in arguing whether you
like what Leggett says or not."
She said that she would “ac-
cept it as a temporary meas-
ure," but continue to work for
24 hour opens, possibly for
next year. She said that “ii
good number" oi women house
presidents will go along with
the proposal.

it appeared that the large
majority oi house presidents
were willing to go along wuh
President Leggelt’s proposal.
The main concern of both men
and women house presidents,
however. was over enforce-
ment at the rule. Many house
presidents were concerned with
what kind of enforcement would
be required, whether they
would be required to eniorce
the rule, and whether enforce-
ment would really be possible.

BEYME R'S

King's Food Host U.S.A.

 

