THE GRINNELL REPORTER

 

Vol. LXXIV

Grinnell College. erinnell. lawn, Friday, April l4. m7

No. 2!

 

“Planning takes the fun out of life —-"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IOWA STATE UNIVERSiTY‘S student body president Donald Smith ll

“sincere. but definitely not a dynamic politician."

Photo by Susan Kaeser

 

Speak Out begins Vietnam protest

By Mary Malcolm

“It is necessary to protest because
many Americans would have us all re-
main silent. I defend protest as a pa-
triotic act and a democratic gesture."
cried Alan R. Jones (history) in Thurs-
day afternoon's Speak Out against the
war in Vietnam. The Speak Out culmi-
nated a week of active Iacultystudent
discussion meetings and preceded t0<
morrow’s demonstration in Des Moines

Over 100 members or the college com-
munity will join in the Des Moinea
march. Five students plan to march the
35 miles from midway between Grin-
nell to Des Moines. beginning early Sat-
urday morning. Others will march irom

Anti-anti
Demonstrators

Demonstrate

By Paul Nachman

Several students in disagreement with
the mobilization against the Vietnam
war staged a counter-demonstration at
the Thursday afternoon onrcampus Speak
Out. They plan to repeat their counter
demonstration Saturday.

Voicing objections to Saturday's Spring
Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam,
senior Greg Robinson at a Tuesday eve-
ning meeting in Clark lounge outlined
plans {or a “mobilization against th
mobilization."

Robinson explained to about 30
students. including several “iniiltrators”
from the main mobilization. that the
counter~mobilizers will hold a demon
stration when the Spring Mobilizers
leave ior Des Moines Saturday. Several
ccunterdemonstrators will also go to
Des Moines, he said.

Stressing that the counter mobilizers
are not necessarily pro-war, Robinson
explained that they decry the demonstrae
tors’ oversimplitication oi the issues
“Demonstrations thrive on blackrand—
white issues —- on emotionallsm." he
said. “but the issues aren’t that simple.”

See ANTI-PROTEST on Page 1

the Veteran’s Auditorium to the State
Capitol Building in Des Moines, where a
rally will be held.

The two-hour Speak Out drew a crowd
which filled the ARK auditorium and
included a small core of counter-demom
strators. One picketer carried a sign
claiming that protest would prolong the
war. Joseph F. Wall (history) responded,
“You might get an “A” in Marshall
McLuhan's philosophy of ‘the message
is the message, but you will get an “F"
in history,” citing World Wars I and II
as evidence that wars end more quickly
when alternatives to unconditional sur<
render are suggested. Wall sees the role
or the dissenter as one oi oitering alter-
natives.

Ezra Mendelsohn (history) pointed to
a psychological reaction to overexposure
to the war and its horrors as one of the
factors in campus apathy, “One's im-

See MOBILIZATION on Page 3

Outspoken ISU student body president
stirs controversy. fights impeachment

By Richard Schneirav

Ed. note:

Not to be outdone hy Lite Maga-
zinc. The Reporter sent three stair
members hitchhiking to Anies. lowa
to get a rirsthand report on the
turmoil surrounding campus leader
Donald Smith. Besides the reports
on Smith himself, an analysis oi
politics at ISU appears on Page a
and an editorial relating the situa-
tion to crinneu on Page 2.

The most striking characteristic of
Don Smith, president of the Iowa State
University student body. is his sincer-
ityr Despite the villiiication and harrass~
ment or the press, despite the present
impeachment proceedings, Smith main-
tains a candor that is disarming.

Smith is definitely not a dynamia
politician or an eitective administrator.
He is not a man of details. He looks
at issues in terms of individuals. not

ideas. Though he is intelligent, he' is ‘

not an intellectual. Thus in explaining
why he is now 8 Students ior a Demo—
cratic Society (SDS) member though in
1964 he supported Goldwater, he said.
“At that time I thought that political
conservatism offered the answer to indi-
vidual freedom. but I found this not
to be true. I found that political con<
servatives are the same people who are
trying to draft me and send me to
Vietnam. which is hardly the way to
protect my treedom."

Smith tends to personalize confronta<
tlons. Many of his friends are political
conservatives. At times it seems that
he doesn't really understand all the
criticism and blame that has been heaped
upon him. His first reaction is as Don
Smith. not as an SDS member or a
radical. He has probably been deeply
affected by the crises of the past two
months.

Looking at Smith more closely, one
discovers a thin, sensitive face that
contrasts with the original impression.
no is still, in large part, or boy from
smalltown Iowa.

But this simplicity takes the untra~
ditional role of the nondoctrinaire prag-
matist. “I live irom day to day. Plan-
ning just takes the iun out or his and

See Sivimi on Page 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pholo by Susan Kneser

ANN KIRSCHNER LEADS PEACE SONGS at Thursday] Speak Out.
Sign: in background are those of counter demonstrators.

Reporter interviews
lSU's Donald Smith

by Richard Schneirov

REPORTER! Exactly What were your.
motives in bringing the pot incident
out into the open. Was it essentiallﬂ
to shock the campus into reality?

SMITH: It was not planned to em.
barrass anybody or anything else.
The story was not broken by.
me and my trust was betrayed by a
reporter who told me she was writing
an article about marijuana. She said
that she wasn't going to use any named
and then used my name anyway. And to.
Iowa State Daily is trying to give 323
impression that I deliberately relea
this article which is completely untrue.

REPORTER:_Did you ask the Li“
reporters to come to see you?

SMITH: No, they just came and
followed me around {or three days,

REPORTER: Which of the element‘
at your Bill or Rights has gained not
ceptance by the student senate and
which oi these elements would you giv‘
priority at oils point? 1

SMITH: Well, they passed the one:
saying that the university could not
tell students where they could live on

See INTERVIEW on Page 5 i

New Senate approves
Bertenihai, Cabinet

Newiyeelected senators and their 0!-
ficials held their Iirst meeting Wednesday
night.

The Senate unanimously approved thd

appointment of Phil Bertenthal all
Speaker of the Senate. It also endorsed
appointments to the Executive Cabinet
as follows:

Social coordinator, Dale Dreyfuss
Movies chairman, Sue Pransky; Foruni‘
chairman, Jim Sebern; Assistant forum
chairman, Ann Kirschner; NSA coordin-
utor, Bill Fisher; SGA treasurer, Rage!
Koenker,

Students may make application ior
the chairmanship of the Foreign Stu-
dents Board,

CoiHP President Bill Fiigeltaub'
announced that Lee Arbetman has been
selected North Campus social chairman.

MacDowell announced that student:
Will not hold membership on the faculty,
curriculum committee. as the commit.
tee's work is already well under wa.
and the addition at new members woul
cause ditticulties. Students may, how-
ever. appear before the committee to
express their opinions. it has also been
suggested that seniors meet with thei
major department heads to recommentl
changes in the department.

Lilah Morton announced Publications
Committee plans ior two yearbooks in
1968. She explained that this woul
make better use oi people’s talents an
proposed that the Cyclone sell for $2
in the spring and be restricted to {DIR
mal shots. The Grinnell Book would com!
out in the fall. sell for $5. and [eatura
candid shots. An editor and businesl
manager would apply as a team. Morton
expressed hope that several peopll

See SENATE on Page I

 

