Friday. March [1, I957

The Grinnoll REPORTER

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Blcinshard promotes 'usefulness of thought’

By Paul Jones

Dr. Brand Blanshard, Sterling Pm-
ilessor Emeritus and twice chairman of
the philosophy department at Yale Uni-
versity, just wasn't cut out to be a
practical man. This, he said during his
visit here this week, was his basic
reason [or taking up philosophy as a
lite-work.

But this does not mean that Blan<
shard ieels philosophy is impractical.
,When asked about the role oi the philos-

Photo by susrn kisser

Brand Blonshnrd

opher in contemporary society. he said,
“There is too much emphasis on feeling
and impulse in American society, too
much emphasis on doing things on the

spur of the moment; there is too little
emphasis on quiet reilectinn, on giving
evidence of direction by reflective
thought." He remarked that even tho
pragmatists, “though i don‘t like them
too much, Still, believe in the usefulnesl
oi thought." The role or the philosopher.
then, is “to deemphasize indulgence ln
emotion, and to answer the questions
raised by the plain man in modern
society."

Blanshard went on to say that the
philosopher is a iundamental part or
the intellectual community. But “I would
prefer to see competent professors at
philosophy in every department. Unless
the course is one dealing only with
iacts and methods, a knowledge or phi-
losophy is needed to answer the questions
brought up in every classroom. The
ultimate college, it it ever is started.
should be one of all philosophers."

when questioned about the relevance
and s u c c e s s of modern philosophy
(especially linguistic analysis and com<
monusage analysis), Dr. Elanshard
said, "On the whole, this type ni phi<
losophy is running up a blind alley,
i think it’s merely a passing iad in
philosophy. 1 don't think this method
can answer the questions or the com.
mon man that need to be answered."

Dr. Blanshard concluded by saying
that he was extremely impressed by the
intellectual community at Grinnell;
“Out of 117 colleges that I have visited
in the last couple ot years, I thillk
that Grinnell stands out in iront of most
ofthem.”

Dr. Elanshard’s visit marks the third
in the series oi visiting philosophers at
Grinnell. Professor John Compton oi
Vanderbilt who was here two weeks ago
remarked then that it there is anyone
left in America who can be classed
on the plane at the systematic philos-
ophers at the beginning of the century,
such as James, Russell, Moors, and
Santayana, that man would be Brand
Blansllard.

News perspective

Double Jeopardy 0an

By Suzanne Gelber

At the present time it is the policy at
the College to impose institutional pen-
alties on students who have violated lo.
cal civil law, even when the Violator!
have already been subject to municipal
discipline and when the civil offense 1!
not a violation of college rules.

The practice oi imposing such institu-
tional retrial for civil offenses was
severely censured by the Committee on
Faculty Responsibility tor the Aca-
demic Freedom at Students of tits
American Association oi University Pro-
fessors, (AAUP) in its statement of De-
cember, 1965, on the Academic Freedom
of Students

in light ut the justihcetions the Col-
lege protters in deienso at “double jeo
pardy" a La. the college’s responsibili-
ty to the town of Grinneli and the right
or the college to temporarily suspend
or dismiss any student Whose conduct
or academic standing is regarded as
"undesirable” — it is obvious that the
AAUP statement has been largely lg-
nored.

On three separate counts elaborated
by the AAUP committee. the college
may stand justly accused oi anachronis-
tic autocracy, with respect to the “dou-
blo jeopardy" policy. First, the section
0! the AAUP statement which discusses
the oft-campus freedom of students
makes speciﬁc reierence to the conflict
between institutional authority and civil
penalties:

Students who violate the law may
incur penalties prescribed by civil
authorities, but institutional authority
should never be used merely to dupli-
cats the iunctiun or general laws.
Only where [he lnslltutian‘l interest!

 

leggeii lakes trips:
Seattle and Paris

Saturday maria the commencement
of Grinnell‘s annual exodus to freedom.
But however eager the students are to
queue up, they already lag behind Prey
iderlt Glenn Leggett. who deserted the
campus last Tuesday to begin his spring
break.

Unlike most or the emigrants, Mr.
Leggett will spend his vacation work-
ing. He began by traveling east to pre<
sent a speech last Tuesday before the
Iowa College Foundation at Davenport.
Later, he ﬂew to New York to meet
with officials or the College Entrance
Examination Board. When these meet-
ings are concluded, Leggett will attend
a conference of the Commission of Stu-
denu and Faculty ot.the Association or
American Colleges in the state of Wash
lngton. After meeting with alumni and
trustees in Seattle, Leggett is scheduled
to give an address at the University at
Washington. While at the university, he
plans to visit his daughters.

Aiter spring break, Mr, Leggett and
his wife will take a two week vacation
touring Europe. They plan to visit
Rome, Milan, and Florence, before
ioining the Kleinschmidts (Prolessor oi
French, on leave 1967) tor a drive to
Paris.

New hall president

Since last week's announce-
ment of newly elected North
Campus house presidents. South
Younker has Elected Bill Shani
as its new president.

Illllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllillllllllllllllllll

Bogart in
”The Big Sleep”

lllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
By Dale orcyiuss

Just about everybody knows
that you don’t spit into the
wind, you don't draw against
the Lone Ranger, and you
don’t swordsﬁght with Zorm.
But just about nobody, even
people who follow these great
dicta, ever gets it straight that
you don’t mess with Humphrey
Bogart; and that, or course,
is what Howard Hawk's The
Big Sleep is all about.

Bogey is called to the man-
sion oi an aging, eccentric old
millionaire to check out some
busmess about the youngest
daughter’s gambling debts. As
soon as he arrives, he is vamped
pretty temptingly by Lauren
Bacall. Now this in itself is
more than enough reason to
see the ﬁlm, but wait -- there’s
more.

Unruliled, Bogey takes up
the case, only to iind that it
involves blackmail, a murder,
and all sorts or other exciting
intrigue (including more oi Miss
Bacall). How will it all end?
Bogey wins, natch, but the inn
is in seeing him back down the
tough guys while he unravels
the mystery.

This is a classic example at
the rougllrandrrcady mystery,

See FILM on page 4

Uncle Sam’s Club—

 

Photo by Susan Kacscr

WORKING wrrH GRINNELL CHILDREN
in afternoon and evening sessions, mem-
bars at Uncle Sam's Club continue the
organization's long-standing program at
community service. Here, Ruth Ann Fay
communicates with a young irtend.

Catch - 22

as an academic community are dis-
tinct from those of the general com-
munity should the special authority at
the institution be used."

To be more specific. recurring college
imposition of a fine on a student who
has already been fined in the municipal
court for using false identification to ob4
tain liquor is not only a clear example oi
duplication or function. but an instance
where the academic community cannot
logically exercise special authority
based on a distinction of interests. In
such an instance, the College falls prey
to the authoritarianism which is an irr
herent danger in any powerful institus
tion.

in fact, invoking “double jeopardy” in
cases which involve no violation of cul-
lege rules places the institution in a po-
sition unduly subordinate to community
pressure. As the AAUP statement etu-
phasizes with regard to the exercise oi
inslltulional authority, “Institutional ao-
tlon should be independent at community
pressure." The college, then, has the ro<
sponsibllity to function as an autonom-
ous institution wimin the community. II
this not the ”idea of the university?”
It seems that Grinnell has confused the
notion 0t its “Social responsibility” to all
extent which belies what should be Lila
“separate but equal" status or the edu-
cational institution in nil its affairs.

A third Objection to the “double jeo-
pardy” policy rests on the total inado.
quacy and autocracy oi Grinnell’s own
calchsall, “Catch-22”, to quote both “13
handbook and the catalog-

“The college reserves the right to

require the temporary suspension or

the permanent dismissal oi any stu-
denl whose conduct or academic
standing it regards as undesirable,

Without assigning a deiinite reason.

the college and its olficers Shall be

under no liability whatsoever for

the expulsion of unsatisfactory stu-

dents."
N0 statement in the handbook Dr cata-
log contains evon indirect reierence to
the extent or the college’s authority in
disciplining Civil violations. What, Orin
may justly ask, is “undesirable con-
duct;" who is an “unsatisiactory stu-
dent?" Does a petty cwil violation autor
matically assign a student to the “un-
desirable” category? Where has the col-
legc established its right to exact Ii<
nancial penalties for civil violations?

One can do no better than to quot.
once more from the AAUP statement:

Offenses should be as clearly de-

tined as possible, and such vague

phrases as “undesirable conduct" or

“conduct injurious to the best in-

terests of the institution" Should be

avoided. Conceptions oi misconduct
particular to the institution need
clear and explicit definition.

While we are in the process oi estab
lishing a community court. it is essen-
tial to object to such inequities in the
jurisdictional system as the “double
jeopardy' policy and the solemn
hypocrisy of “Catch-22 " It is not:
enough, however, merely to register dis-
satisfaction. Student protest is all too
oiten “sound and tiny, srgntiying noth-
lng,"

We must insist upon a clear and ex-
plicrt definition not only of the rules
which govern this community, but the
philosophical precepts upon which they
are based. in the event that such explica-
tion is sidestepped by those who are
ostensibly in authority, as in the ques-
tion of the justiﬁcation ot academic
penalties for social violation. we must
develop, practice and adjust our own
dellnitions of conduct.

 

