mew. May a. list

SCARLET AND BLACK

rage ‘i’iir

 

Student Issues Secondary To Main Business Of college

In the Editor;

This letter is a request from
one of your long time readers
60 remove his name from your
mailing list even though I am
gold up for the year. No, I am

at disgruntled or disgusted, if
that were the case this would
glove happened after the Boar's

ead dinner or some similar
time during the year. It is sim<
ply that here in Karachi are
so far removed from you in
distance and time that papers
mailed now (April 21) will not
reach here before our depart-
ure about June first We also

eem far removed from you in
nieresls and issues, for your
problems as reflected in the
columns of the 5&3 are very
different from those of Pakis-
tani students. Like a college,
a college here is a collection of
students (.9) and a University
is a collection of colleges, best
described by C. P. Snow in the
appendix to his book “The Mas-
iers”:

. “The University offered noth-

gig but leclul'es to which the

,oys went if they pleased.—
Their time was their own, to
talk, gamble, drink, fornicate.
,—Tlle students liked their ' e,
bul no one else did. Certainly
not the townspeople, nor the
students’ parents, nor the more
bookish and domesticated of the
gtudents themselves. So, almost

run] the origin of the Universi-
ty, there were attempts to get
them out of their lonely lodg-
ings into hoarding houses.”

Hence in the American Col-
lege the dormitory-hotel as<
geci now dominates the scene,

reates most of the student
problems, and commands most
of their attention, Not so in

 

Pakistan. There are no resi-
dences, only the University as
described by C. P. Snow and
the students’ chief concerns are
with the administration of the
university itself and with the
practical politicians who con-
trol it. It was within this setting
that Mrs. Gale, Charles and I
visited Dacca in East Pakistan
late in March. I was to partici»
pate in a Seminar at the Uni-
versity of Dacca and to lecture
at the Government College in
Sylhet, up near the Assam bor-
der,

The nonrstop flight over India
is by P, I. A35 720 jet, the fare
being subsidized by the govern»
merit as this is one of the main
links between the East and
West Wings. We arrived on a
Saturday expecting to attend
the University convocation on
Sunday with our host, a Ful-
brighter in Journalism. By the
time that he met us the Ful-
brighters, among others, had
been advised to stay away
from the convocation as the
students were planning an anti-
administration demonstration,
either during or following the
ceremony. As an alternative,
we visited the museum which
is near the University lecture
hall.

Our visit was interrupted by
the sound of gun-fire, and from
the museum Windows we could
see the mobs gathering. :itur
dents picking up sticks and
stones and bricks as they con-
verged on the University Hall.
We observed the police firing
tear gas and having great dif-
ficulty trying to control an
angry mob. During the riot

 

Rationale of Concert, Dance Choices
Explained by King, Culver - New Heads

{to the Editor:

There seems to be a misun-
derstanding on the part of
some students concerning the
dances and concerts held on
our campus. The formal
dances, in fact, are sponsored
by [lie Gadabouts committee,
an organization completely
separate in personnel and budg-
et from the Concerts commit-
fee.

The rationale behind having
8 “big name” band for dances
is as follows: Based on the
cost per student attending a
dance, it is cheaper to have a
wellrknown band than a “0.
name one. Leaving personal
preferences aside, more stu-
dents participate in formal
dances when big bands play,
especially in the spring, than
when small hands are booked.

As for the concerts, the come
mittee offers five concerts a
year, usually two in joint spon-
sorship with the music and
drama departments (this year,
“Brecht on Brecht” and the
Korean Dance Group.) Here in
Iowa it is very difficult to
find a recognized symphony or-
chestra that will tour this way,
and often the cost is very pro»
hibitlve. With the music depart-
menl, however, we have tried
to offer a symphony every oth-
or year. A year ago we had

 

the St, Louis Symphony, and
next year we are planning on
the Warsaw Philharmonic.

Jazz, too, is a difficult prob-
lenl. In the past, concerts ofr
fered by the Modern Jazz Quar~
tel. and Dizzy Gillespie were,
campusrwide, not successfull
Nor can Darby Gym be said to
be a good place to hear such
music, and more performances
in Roberts to seat everyone cost
much more money.

Vocal jazz, with groups such
as Lambert, Hendricks, and
Bavan seem to be able to trau-
scend the airplane-hangar ef-
fect better than other styles.
Furlller, since only three con-
certs remain to be scheduled
after cooperating With the
other campus departments, it
seems unwise to give more
than one concert in the jazz
idiom if a balanced program is
[0 be maintained.

It is hoped that the proposed
social increase that is to be pre»
sented to the trustees will enr
able the various social com-
mitlees to meet the rapidly l‘lS-
ing costs and to present the
campus with high quality
events.

Dave Culver,
Gadabouts Chairman
Keith King,
Concerts Chairman

much property was damaged,
many students badly hurt, and
as near as our journalism friend
could determine later some
students were killed, hence the
reference in the following
newspaper appeal to “murder-
ous assaults." The day follow-
ing, the University was offi-
cially closed, probably until
next September. Tlle examina-
tions for which the students
were preparing were postponed
indefinitely. Our own seminar
was rescheduled at the United
Sta t e 5 Information Service,
with only partial success, Two
weeks later, April 5, the Morn-
ing News Carried the following
appeal to the students [mm the
University teachers:

“DACCA, April 4; The teache
81‘s in the Dacca University
have appealed to the student
community to l'ealile the gravid
tyrof the present situation and ,
help create an atmosphere in

which “our alma mater can
function normally again."
in a statement signed by its
‘ teachers, they said “if the stu-
dents felt that the work of the
University was of paramount
importance to the life of the
community, they would certain-
ly, not want the forces of evil
and darkness to triumph. Ev-
eryone would like the Universi-
ty to be rescued mm this posi-

 

 

tion."

The teachers pointed out that
no one could be happy over the
‘unlonuuate’ circunls t a u c e a
which had led to the closing of
the University of patch. It was
impossible to conceive of any
‘sulle persnn’ approving of what
was done by . ‘section of stu-
dellts' at this year’s convocation

 

and thereafter. That differences
of opinion among the students
should result in ‘lnurderous as-
saults’ on one another was a
thing which ran counter to All
notions of civilized conduct.

The teachers believed that
every student shared the feet
illgs of “horror, dismay and
pain" with which they had
viewed those developments
which had “lowered the preslige
of the University in the eyes of
the world." The real issue was
whether the University should
be allowed to be wrecked in
that fashion.

Concluding, they urged the
guardians to exercise their ins
fluence with their wards so that
the University might resume
its Work and once again play its
role as a seat of learning and
cultural”

There is not time nor space
to present the grievances be-
hind the student riots, well
founded as some of them may
be. The object of my letter is
to point up student government
at its Worst. The University all
year had been obstructed by
numerous holidays, scheduled
and otherwise; prolonged vaca-
firms, often one hundred per
cent absenteeism, riots and
strikes so that our host Ful-
brighter had by this late date
in March met only 38 classes
since arriving last September
and now the University was
closed. The year before had
been similar but the authorities
had expected a better year.
Fortunately, conditions in West
Pakistan are better and the
Universities are less controlled

 

by the students.

i
This letter is prompted by
the February 28th issue of tho
5&3 which ’has just arrived,
and which is devoted to the an-
nual student elections. My n1)—
peal to you Grinnell students in
to arrive at reasonable areas
of student government which
are not too demanding of time
and energy. For whatever the
issues, be they open houses or
quad closing hours or open
cars for everybody, they are
secondary to the main business
of the college which is why you
and I are at Grinnell. It is said
here that 80 per cent of the
populace is illiterate and of the
remaining 20 per cent, eighty
per cent work for the govern<
merit and are hence pretty well
muffled. Of the twenty per cent
literate nonrgovernmeilt group
eighty per cent are students.
Eighty per cent of the students
spend eighty per cent of their
time on practical politics, devel.
oping cleavages easily coir
trolled by pressure groups.

I sometimes feel that there is
a small very vocal group of
students at Grinnell whose
minority voice is heard out of
proportion to its place on the
campus. I hope that student
government can be at its best at
Grinnell, representative of most
of you, for I have great faith
in most of you—but not all of
you,

Sincerely, and a fond
farewell to the Seniors
Grant 0. Gale

Professor of Physlol

 

The

By Jim Herzog

The Student Senate approved
the appointments of the Chief
Justice and three Associate
Justices tb the High Court
Wednesday, though the chair-
man of the Senate Nominations
Committee said that his come
mittee was dissatisfied with the
quality of the appointees.

The head of the Nominations
Committee, John Lisher, said.
“There could have been better
people," Lisher further stated
that there were ollly seven ap-
plicants for the four positions.

Approved as Chief Justice of
the High Court was Peter
Klein. Associate Justices pass
ing the Senate were Nonnie
Goldman, Vincent Anku, and
William ZWink.

The Speaker of the Senate,
Jim Parkiscn,‘ announced that
the $270 bill for the Science
Building window had been
anonymously paid by the man
who broke the window. This ac-
tion followed the Student Sen-
ate’s refusal to appropriate
student funds for the window
and pressure exerted by the
Coil-[P to find tlle guilty party.

Parkison also announced sev-
eral committee appointments:

Senate Scene

Secretary of the Women’s Pri-
mary Court and to pay $200 to

past Social Coordinator, Joe
Stiffler,

Adena Peterson, the Chief
Justice of the Women’s Pri-
mary Court, told the Senate
that the position of secrelary is
"unexciting and unrewarding."
She said, that the job involves
four to five hours of work a
Week.

Stifflel"s 3200 represents the
figures paid to all Social Co-
ordinators. However, no salary
had been appropriated for Stif-
fler last year by the Senate,
but this year the Senate has
reversed last year's decision
and decided to pay the present
S o c i 31 Coordinator, Palmer
Hartl. $200 for the year.

The chairman'of the appro~
priatlons committee, N an c y
Cox, noted that Stiffler was
named Somal Coordinator last
year thinking that his position
was to be salaried and con
tillued as Social Coordinator
when no salary was given.

The appointment of Sue Tay-
lor as Encampment Committee
chairman was approved, as was
that of John Fiske as head of
the Foreign Student Board.

A move by Chuck Wall to de-

to the Foreign Aiiairs Comlnit- lay discussion oi membership in

tee, Ken Coleman (chairman),
Nord Bl'ue, Jeff Burnhaln,
George Witlgraf, Ellen Deter-
ing and Dan Friedlander; to the
Curriculum Committee, Ellen
Delering and Jim Stilh.

The Senate approved two Ap-
propriations Committee recom-
mendations to pay $50 to the

 

the National Student Associa-
tion for two weeks was defeated
and discussion on that subject
will occur next Wednesday.
The Senate had decided last
week to place the NSA issue on
the May 13 docket, but Wall
argued that SGA President Phil
Johnson will be away froln the

 

school on that date and asked
another week’s delay.

Marilyn All argued that the
May 20 meeting may lack a quo-
rum because of the late date of
the meeting, and that the issuo
should be handled whether or
not the former NSA coordinate!
and SGA President Johnson is
available.

‘Shuiierbugs’ May
Pul Taleni to Use

Grillnell College “shutten
bugs” who specialize in color
Slides of the 35mm Variety may
have an opportunity to see
their works included in a new
color slides series being pro«
duced by the college.

Fred C. Hess, director of
public relations, has invited all
who have color slides of came
pus scenes or college activities
to submit them for study by
those involved in production of
the series.

The slide series, being pre-
pared for showing to alumni
groups and to other friends of
the college with a running con-
tinuity, will be completed dur-
ing the summer months. Those
who wish to do so should sub-
lnit their slides by June 1.

H555 said all slides submitted
will be carefully treated and
reLurned to the owners, He said
Llle college will pay a nominal
sum for any slides included in
the series.

 

