Bowen Revisits Game of Numbers.
Offers Modified Tutorial System

. By Susan Taylor

“To free students "no learn
how to learn by themselves” is
the end of a liberal arts educa-
tion, according to Dr. Howard
fl. Bowen, President of the Col-
ege

Addressing the collage CDm<
munity for the last time before
his resignation takes effect
July 1, Bowen saw no need to
dwell on the past. ”I would like
to look ahead," he said, “to try
but some’ideas about the way
education might be conducted
at Grinnell in the future."

Making reference to his 1962
Convocation Address, “A Game
of Numbers,” Bowen said that
his present comments were a
modification of the views ex-
pressed in that speech, and
that they might be entitled “A
Game of Numbers Revisited."
He said that the modification
of his former plan resulted from
his recent tour of European
universities. He felt that
the European system had de-
cided disadvantages, but that
yaluable lessons could, still be
learned from it — particularly
from the tutorial system of
Oxford and Cambridge.

Bowen defined a Grinnell stu-
dent's aims as “progress to
ward broad liberal learning
and and progress toward a ma»
jor field." He felt that these
goals could he better met by
a modified tutorial system
which might be adopted by the
college.

Under the system outlined by
the president each professor
would teach two courses in
stead of the present three and
consequently e a c h student
would take only three courses
a semester instead of four.

“In my opinion the college
is still offering too many
courses,” Bowen stated. When
we have new educational ideas
we tend to add them to what we
have without dropping any-
thing. By weeding out courses,
Bowen hopes to free time for
independent study and tutorial
activities.

,Under the proposed modified
tutorial system he foresaw so-
lutions to some of the problems
of faculty-student relations
and the advising system. Each
student would have both an un-
derclass tutor and a major tu-
tor. Each faculty tutor would
have 300 hours a semester once
taken up by teaching a third
course free for tutorial acti

Seniors Reminded:
Reserve Rooms Now

Seniors are again reminded
that they may reserve campus
housing for their Commence-
ment guests at the Alumni of-
fice beginning at 1:00 pm. on
Monday, May 18. Office hours
will continue throughout the
week from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
during which time seniors may
secure reservations. Each sens
for will be allowed space for
three guests and will pay for
their reservations when they
are made. Miss Jones, the
Alumni Secretary, urgently re-
quests that seniors do not delay
in making housing arrange-
ments for their guests.

 

ties, As an underClass tutor, the
professor would guide his ad-
visees in preparation for their
liberal arts comprehensive ex-
amination. The major tutors
would hold work closely with
junior and senior majors, hold
seminars, and guide the majors
in the preparation of a senior
thesis and in study for senior
major comprehensives. Regular
meeting with advisees would be
the rule.

Bowen also stated that the
students should be free to take
the liberal arts exam when
they are ready. “In a sound
exam there must be allowanCS
for individuality.” or the pres-
ent JLAE he said, “We have
made good progress in an un<
charted field," but; there is still
much work to be done.

Revision of the grading sys-
tem for course work was an-
other feature. Replacement of
A and B with High Pass, C—Plus
and C with Pass, and D and F
with Failure would eliminate
the intense competition for
grade and allow the student
to do more independent work.
However, the rigorous letter
grades would be maintained for
required independent study and
comprehensive exams, This in-
dependent Work and compre<
hensive exam program would
be Weighted as oneefourth of
the student’s entire perform-
ance.

Although this system would
mean .many advantages for
students, Bowen said, there
would also be problems. The
number of courses offered by
the college would decrease,
“The range of elective free-
dom,’ Bowen countered, would
be expanded. However, he
added, “i see no way of pro‘
viding freedom with the op-
portunity to make mistakes.”
Those unable to funCLion under
the system would not qualify
for a Grinnell degree.

Those awarded degrees in
such a system. he said, would
be better prepared for graduv
ate school, for life, and for
lifetime education.

Posi Ions on cyclone
Staff Now Available

Students interested in work—
ing on next year's Cyclone

should submit a statement of
interest, noting any previous
experience or skills such as
photography, to Karen Adkin-
son, Box 9, by noon May 20.
Most positions Will be filled be-
fore leaving this year. Spots
available include: managing
editor, faculty/activities sec-
tion, junior-senior/halls sec-
tions, sports/organizations sec
tions, index section, Copy. lay-
out, typing, and photography.

Chapel Service Sunday

Regular Sunday services
will he held in Herrick Chap~
el this Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
The sermon, entitled “The
Gnats Vs. the Camels,” will
be given by Roger E. Eld-
ridge, Dean of the Chapel.

 

Grinnell College

Oldest College Newspaper West of the Mississippi

 

Vol. LXXI

Grinnell. Iowa. Friday. May 15. I964

 

Spring Day, 1944- '64 Reviewed,-
Truditions, Innovations Highlight

By Cynthia Brust

“Do you really think it will
be. . . .?" ”I heard it was going
to be on. . . ." “It has to be
Wednesday. I have an hourly
then!" Each year, as the mon-
soons end and the Grinnell cam-
pus changes from brown to
green, the question arises
again. Everyone, students and
professors alike, wants to know.
Spring Day becomes conversa-
tion topic No. l. Generations of
Grinnell students have waited
tensely for their specific form
of Spring Day, just. as we have
the last three weeks.

Twenty years ago, Spring
Day “finally sprung just about
5 minutes before everyone was
ready to give up.” Spring Day
during this period was unan-
nounced at'about 8:30 in the
morning. The rest of the morn-
ing was spent doing assigned
campus improvement projects,
followed by a picnic, games
and a program in the after-
The event in 1944 was very
much girl-dominated, for this
was the “New Grinnell” of
the war years. The few men
remaining, however, managed
to turn the mud fight (one of
many now-defunct traditions of
the day) into an ail~out brawl.
The 5&3 reporter, not Without

 

pride, declares that “For the
first time in the history of Grin»
nell Spring Days, everybody
was thrown into the mud pit.”

Spring Day, 1948, was held in
the mud and rain that only a
Grinnell spring can produce.
The day included the traditional
projects, tug-of-war, egg-throw-
ing contest and picnic. By now,
Spring Day was also the time
of the initiation of the new
members of Grinnell Players.
Their rites, which consisted
mainly of impromptu satiric
skits, took place in Merrill
Park. 1948 also saw the first
softball game, pitting faculty
men against the Coil-1P and Stu-
dent Councii members, _

May 14, 1949, saw a wild
Spring Day, dominated by the
contests and races of the many
married couples who attended
Grinnell in the post-war years.
Pie-eating contests and wheel-
barrow races were highlighted,
as was a beard contest. Tugro
wars and softball games were
also part of the day, which
ended with a dance on Cowles
Hall roof.

The afternoon storm of May
5, 1952, didn't hinder either
Spring Day or the sunburns that
it always brings, A ferris wheel
near ARH was the major at-

 

Senate Shows Concern Over loss
0f Profs. Courses for Next Year

By Wade Stevenson

The student Senate passed a
resolution Wednesday night ex~
pressing the concern of many
students “over the apparent
lack of funds for the hiring of
professors for next. year."

The resolution, which was
directed to the Trustees and
Administration, stated in part
that: HBecause we as students
feel that our primary purpose
in attending Grinnell is to re-
ceive an excellent education.
and because the tuition rate is
rising each year, we wish to ex-
press to you our desire that
the quality and quantity of fac-
ulty members be maintained
and increased, even though this
will perhaps mean using some-
what less elegant physiCal fa-
cilities."

A letter from Marilyn Alt, the
sponsor of the resolution, Was
read to the Senate. Miss Alt
noted that “I ran a compara~
tive study of faculty size and
course offerings this year with
those for next. year. At this
point there is a net loss of ten
faculty members—this includes
those who are on leave, and I

 

am told that some of the posi-
tions are still trying to be filled.
There is also a net loss of six-
teen courses fcr the next year."

Many senators gave the dis-

continuation of funds from the
Ford Foundation as a reason
for the difficult financial situa-
tion of the College; however,
John Black said he “under-
stood that money from the
Ford Foundation went into
building programs and not into
the operating expenses of the
College."

Black moved to place the fol-
lowing amendment at the end
of the resolution: “We would
request an expla ation from
the College Administration as
to why, in view of the tuition
increase, the College finds its
finances severely limited.” The
amendment was passed.

In other business, Anne
Campbell, chairman of the Ju-
diciary Committee, indicated
that the committee had found
new flaws in the student court
system. Nevertheless, Miss

SENATE—
Continued on Page 2

 

traction, and a movie and
d a n c a on central campus
brought festivities nearer the
form we know.

Early in the second semster
of 1954, an sea editorial urged
a re-examination of the Spring
Day program. The evening and
day period we celebrate, a day-
and-next-mornlng plan, the pos«
sibilities of extended hours,
and the controversy between I
surprise element and a more
formally-executed holiday were
considered. In spite of these
proposed changes, Spring Day
1954 was a very traditional al-
fair.

Many of this year’s Seniors,
including Jack Chapman-
whose Senate began with I
bang—have vivid memories of
their first Spring Day, As the
student body stormed the usual
Wednesday-night Senate meet-
ing, all regular business was
suspended in order to discus:
Spring Day. Chapman’s origi-
nal motion, to suspend the al-
lotment of the Spring Day com-
mittee unless the affair wal
held Thursday, was withdrawn.
lts replacement, that Spring
Day be Thursday “if at all poa~
sible,” was passed over the ob-
jections of the committee, De-
spite the impromptu nature of
the celebration, it was editor-
ially lauded as the “best Spring
Day in three or four years.
Features were a showing of
Pal Joey, picnics, a variety
show, and a greased pig race,

Bermuda shorts and umbrel-
las combined on central cam-
pus this year to start the
Spring Day festivities for 1964.
The announcement was mad.
at 4:00 by the traditional caril-
lon performance and the inno-
vation of a black convertible
carrying three girls across the
campus. (You didn't leave any
nasty tracks, I hope!) The sun
insisted on beating down about
ten minutes out of every hour,
just enough so that everyone
thought MAYBE there would
be a sunny Spring Day, after
all. However, Tuesday morning
was as dark and wet as any
yet this spring, and Grinnell
students retired to Darby for a
"gym-dandy” picnic and pro-
gram. Taiiangers, Scarleteers,
folk dancers, the West Guys.
and BrookslHicks-Cohon and
company made a valiant effort
to replace Lake Acre and sun-
bathing, but somehow this
week hasn’t seemed right with-
out everyone’s red faces and
tender shoulder blades. It's too
bad the Spring Day Committee
couldn’t have set aside an al-
lotment for bribing the weath-
erman, to insure the complete
success of their \vellrplarined
holiday.

 

