Friday, March 6, l9“

Graduating Class Bequeatlis Heritage
0! Challenging Attitude Toward Rules

To the Editor-x

Although it is too early in the
year to become sentimental
about the inevitably emotional
ritual of graduation, it is not
too early to take notice of what
the passing of the class of 1964
will mean for this institution.
With mixed emotions we are
now witnessing the withdrawal
from student government of the
spokesmen of the class of '64
and their replacement by a
new class which promises to
be different.

The alumni, I am told, are
more anxious to see this class
leave and would move heaven
and earth to see that nothing
like us happens to this school
again. What sort of people were
we that we have earned such
ill favor? The class of 1899 left
us the Women’s Gym; What, if
anything,’ is the heritage of the
class of 1964?

First, I believe it is proper
to speak of the class as an
identifiable entity, because,
though this year’s student gov-
ernment was only representing
student opinion as a whole,
much or the time, they were by
far the most articulate and con-
sistent forces for rules reforms
in the recent history of the cob
lege.

As a group the class, and
particularly its leadership, can
be describe we were vocal.
we were pol cal and (some~
what less) legalistic, we were
idealistic, we held very liberal
moral beliefs and we were self<
centered. Does this constitute a
heritage?

Apparently it does Students
in American colleges have al«
ways chafed at restrictions on
their freedom of action, but the
traditional response has been a
blend of smothered resentment
and covert disobedience. Stu-
dents have not admitted that
college rules actually had the
ethically binding character of
a fundamental moral law; vio-
lation of such rules was only
a crime When you were caught.

The contribution of the class
of '64 was a new, “experimen-
tal" attitude regarding rules
which was at once moralistic,
idealistic, and responsible and
a new conception of student as
a political instrument of reform.
Peter and Jack told us that a
rule was a thing we ought to
obey, and if obeying it proved
noxious the only responsible re-
course would be to write a new
rule.

The alternative for continu-
ing to beg the question with in-
stitutionalized hypocrisy (by
an intentionally inefficient rules
enforcement system) hardly
'seemed attractive The student
body responded, to the amaze-
ment of many, by electing the
most articulate portion of
1964's “beatnik horde" to the
highest office: in student gov-
ernment.

What then is the legacy of
these people? Despite the unan-
imous criticism of the Chapman
regime by those seeking his of~
fice, every platform contains
the planks of rules reform and
moral commitment to rules.
What is new, we see, is the
“attitude" which our new
leaders will manifest while cone

 

tinuing the work of the old
guard, The new leaders will
wear smiles and more accept-
able haircuts, but they under-
stand their offices in those
same terms which their prede-
cessors formulated,

There is one change in em-
phasis, however, which seems
both notable and regrettable.
The plank of responsibility met
with student opposition while
the plank of reform met with
administrative opposition. Of
the two, the administration
(along with those mysterious
foes, the alumni) proved the
more resistant. What we now
see is a new student commit»
ment to the old, obnoxious
rules.

To make matters worse, our
efforts at publicizing our cause
have put the administration
and their policies very much on
the spot, with the effect that
they now respond from impa~
tience and from an understand-
able reaction to outside pres-
sure,

College students of the late
1950's are already called the
“apathetic" or “silent” gener-
ation. If we were self-centered
and academically disinterested,
we were certainly not silent on
the issue of personal freedom

The leadership of this class,
moreover, was sincere in its
conviction that it’s beliefs were
morally defensible; it labored
to develop a concrete “student
ethic" to justify its moral
stance. This ethic, insofar as
any single ethic existed,
claimed that all decisions of
morality were “up to the in-
dividual" unless they affected
someone else's rights. The most
sophisticated statement’of this
philosophy is found in the En-
campment Report, specifically
in the report from the commit-
tee on “student responsibility."
The best embodiment of the
philosophy in 3 rules system is
found in the same report under
the Committee on rules.

The strain Of idealism has

succumbed wholly to frustra-
tion. The recent notorious open
rooms oath was signed by
many who saw nothing Wrong
with taking “any" approach to
the administration, "so long as
it works," The idealogical as-
sault did not get results; it is
hardly likely that an opportun-
ism which lacks Conviction will
succeed.
’ Cynicism‘and disinterest are
the dominant moods of the stu»
dent body now, The political ex-
periment clearly fizzled. Yet as-
piring student leaders, despite
disappointment with the Chap-
man administration’s inability
to produce the sought reforms,
are unable to reject the politi-
cal approach to the rules prob-
lem, '

So Where do we stand with
respect to last year? Relations
with faculty, trustees, admin-
istration and alumni are con-
siderably deteriorated.‘Students
are enforcing rules they con-
sider obnoxious. The political
approach to rules, having
failed, remains the dominant
self-conception of student gov—

GROOM’S LETTER—
Continued on Page 7

 

SCARLET AND BLACK

Page Three

 

Tom Follmer

Miscellany and Digression

Next Tuesday the first big
political contest of the year will
take place The New Hamp-
shire primary, which will pro-
vide the first contest for the
Republicans in search of their
party’s nomination, has ale
ready displayed some fascinat-
ing aspectsr There are so many
candidates in this primary that
for the first time in history it
might be possible for the can-
didates to outvote the elector
atel

Polls indicate that Nelson
Rockefeller is.leading the race
so far. Happy recently made
a pitch for teen-age support by
endorsing the Beatles as a good
singing group, Rockefeller
claims that his leading oppo-
ncnt, Barry Goldwater, is
against social security. Gold-
water says this is not true at
all; that he just doesn’t want
anybody to receive social se-
curity payments unless they
are holding down a full time
job,

Richard Nixon wants it firm-
ly understood that he is not a
candidate for the nomination.
And to get his point across,
he has been carrying out na-
tionwide speaking tours in-
forming Republican organiza-
tions of this fact. Supporters of
Governor Scranton suffered a
severe jolt when it was learned
that presently he cannot even
carry his own family

Henry Cabot Lodge may set
all distance records by run-
ning from Viet Nam Lodge,
however, is expected to be back
in the States sometime in
April. His plane leaves after
the next: coup. Supporters of

 

George Romney are working on
a plan to annex Mexico some-
time before the Republican con<
vention. Margaret Chase Smith
is apparently making a play for
the early vote by beginning her
campaigning each day at 6:30
in the morning.

So much for the minor can-
didates. Now we come to the
real candidates, the people who
have devoted their entire lives
to politics, the professional can-
didates. There is some question
as to whether it is fair to place
Harold Stassen in this category.
since he once held an elective
office. Most observers, how-
ever, feel that he has long
since paid for that mistake.
Stassen belongs to that select
group of 500 Republicans whom
former President Eisenhower
has urged to run.

Last and certainly least, is
Lar “America First” Daley,
perhaps the greatest profession-
al candidate ever to have the
honor of not being elected Mrr
Daley, who campaigns in an
Uncle Sam’s suit, has been
turned down more times than
an old bedspread.

In fact, losing elections has
become too routine for Mr,
Daley, Lately he has tried to
vary the routine by getting
eliminated before the election,
Recently, as in New Hamp-
shire, he seems to be unable to
file petitions of candidacy which
conform to the law.

But never} fear. There is al-
ways the write-in vote. How-
ever, if the voters writedn the
initials of Lar “America First"
Daley, one might be able to
question their seriousness,

Peter Miller

Sanity ot Stones

Ernst Aust, editor of a week-
ly newspaper in Hamburg,
West Germany has been sen-
tenced to a year in jail for
writing articles against the re-
armament of Germany and for
peace and military neutrality
Officially the charges against
Aust, the editor-publisher of the
peace oriented Blinkfeuer, are
“endangering the state,” “in-
suiting the federal govern«
ment,” and “supporting the
Communist Party.‘ ’ \

During a three month trial
that ended January 6, the pros
ecution “proved" that Aust
consistently endangered and in-
sulted the government since
1956 by writing untirrearma-
ment articles. Aust’s “support
of the Communist Party,"
which incidentally is outlawed
in West Germany, was proven
through the following rather
subtle form of reasoning:

The Communist Party, it is
”widely known," advocates
peace and disarmament; thus
by simple extension, anyone, in
this case Aust, who favors these
goals is obviously ”lending sup—
port to the Communist party."

Aust, who was a paratrooper
during the Second World War,
recently wrote that as a result
of his military experiences, “I
swore that I would never again

 

acquiesce in the misleading of
a whole generation of German
young people.” Blinkfeuer is
still being published as the edi-
tor appeals‘the cases

Here’s a story with a some-
what “happier endingr” About
a year ago Talmadge Balsar,
of Delaware, was convicted of
stealing in Wilmington by
Judge Stewart Lynch to 25
years in j 'l and 20 lashes to
be administered during a public
whipping. Last November the
State Supreme Court ordered
Judge Lynch to resentence Bal-
sar~not on humans grounds, to
be sure, but because the origi-
nal sentence was invalid since
the judge had neglected to set
a specific date for the whip-
ping, as required by Delaware
law,

In the interim period. it ap-
pears that the judge’s con-
science became operative, and
in resentencing Balsar January
7 the judge decided to reduce
the prison term to 15 years and
the public whipping, which took
place January 28, to ten lashes.

Plans are now being made for
the 1964-65 French House, Any
girl interested in living there
should contact Victor Verrette
(French) or Carolyn Halftei' as

 

soon as possible.

From
The
Audience

A review of the play. “The
Tidings Brought to Mary,”
presented by the Grinnell Col-
lege Players February 22 and
23.

By Sam Schuman

”The Tidings Brought To
Mary" is a peculiar and diffi-
cult play It attempts to pre-
sent a Christmas miracle,
without becoming a Christmas
miracle play, Claudel has
achieved this purpose largely
through characterization. He
has made Violaine, the central
character of the play, a saintly
human being, but not a saint.
Mara, Who should be the evil
sister is, in her way, admirable,
and, in the final scenes of the
work, pathetic, Thus Claudel
has avoided simplemindedness
and created a complex and
worthwhile piece of drama,

But this factor of literary
subtlety becomes a matter of
great theatrical difficulty.
Gretchen Geyer as Violaina
was forced to attempt to pro<
sent a character whom the
audience could accept as both
a human being and a miracle
worker, Miss Geyer success-
fully created this demanding
part. This success was due in
large part to the honesty and
simplicity in both her speech
and movement,

The role of Mara, played by
Sue Monro, also seemed quite
well done Despite her entrance
as the wicked witch of the
West (an entrance demanded
by the play), Miss Monto gave
us a Mara who was, in her own
words “a naked sword," which
is a far cry from the bloody
axe which might have been
forced upon us by a lesser ac»
tress.

Keith Felton, as Jaques the
knife~throwing farmer, played
quite well Claudel’s character
whose feet are planted so firm-
ly in the soil that he is con-
fused by anything more spirit~
ual than crop rotation

The fact that no one left the
theatre during the long and dif.
ficult prologue is sufficient
praise for Ken Freedman’s pre
sentation of Pierre de Craonr

Terry McCoy as the father
was particularly outstanding in
Act 1, scene 1.

Although the technical as<
pects of the show, designed by
Mr. William M,,Sherman of
Bennington, were superb, we
are rather saddened and
ashamed to think that Grinnell
must have outside support, both
intellectual and financial, to de«
cently stage a show which was
otherwise competent, exciting,
and worthwhile.

Oellie Is a Baylor Guest
M Medical conference

William Oelke, Dodge profes-
sor of Chemistry and chairman
of the college's committee on
premedical education, was I
recent guest at Baylor Univere
sity College of Medicine in
Houston, Texas, where he took
part in a conference on “The
Education of a Physician."

 

