SCARLET 8 BLACK

Student Newspaper ct Grinnell College

l201 Pout street Grinnell College
Grinnell, law will

A wcckly newspnper published soon Friday of
the college year by tnc Grinnell Committee on Stuw
dcnt Publications. Represenled tor national adverv
tlsmg by National Educsuonnl Advertising services,
360 Lexington Ave, New York, New York won.
second class hostage hold ht Grilltleil. Iowa. Sub-
scnption rute $5.00 per school year. mm paid
subscriptions.

EDITOR .

MANAGIN

BUSINESS MANAGER

CIRCULATION MANAG

STAFF WRITERS 7

Barry Anemia
Neil rlschcr
stephen Worsn
uruce slrom

. , n Christensen.
Edwards, Auuc rnrrer, ncooie Gentry,
Andy Isaacs, Adrienne Lcmmons, sue lvlillt-r,
rnul Nacnnlarl, .icii Schecktcr.

ocrold Swims-m. Anne Tnylor

. Alon hemhardt. Don Hooker,
Dick Treumnnu

Editorials . . .

THIS IS NOT AN EDITORIAL

This is not an editorial. If you were expecting the son's analy-
sis of, and pronouncements on, a critical issue facing the campus
today, I’m sorry.

There were quite a few things to write about this week. Grin-
hell was Visited by a “new politician" and a “radical paciﬁst,"
the radio station is having a hard time getting on the air, and
North Campus men can‘t decide whether their biggest enemy is
the Dean of Men or themselves.

My chief cause of concern, and the reason that there is no
editorial this week, is the problem of objectivity. Basic to any edi-

torial policy must be an objective and objectivity. My objective
is simple: I wish to see students have the greatest opportunity to
live and learn, academically and otherwise, during their {our
years at Grinnell. I am sure that this objective does not differ
greatly from the wishes of the faculty and administration, but the
speciﬁc methods to foster this opportunity will. ii I am to per-
suade anyone that my method is better than theirs, I must be Ob‘
ijective. Shouting, demonstrating, and poking fun may be enjoy-
able and sotisiying pastimes, but they will not convince anyone
or anything.

One of the most dangerous imitators of objectivity is the edi-
mrial plural, If you read "the 5&3 feels that. r . r” you will prob-
ably think about the problem a bit when I sit down to write an
editorial, and I’m thinking about my girlfriend a thousand miles
away, an hourly tomorrow, and when I have to do my next laun-
dry, I don't feel too much like an editorial we. But if I write ”I
{eel that . . .” you are likely to think “goody for you, Ancona_" If
1 am going to honestly convince you ot anything, without beguiling
you into believing that I am speaking for a committee of leading
thinkers, it must be done by me, not "us.”

Getting a clear understanding of any issue on campus is diffi-
cult, and is further complicated by sixteen credits of courses (a
lubtle plug tor academic credit lor the editorship). Getting a grasp
an a major campus issue is dilficult for an administrator to do In
a year, much less is student —- whose main concern, unlike the
administrator, is not campus problems — for a weekly deadline.

The use of reason, which is basic to any argument, seems to
be missing quite olten from discussions on campus. When I pointed
up what seemed to me to b? contradictions in Edward Holtmans’
argument during his South Lounge speech Wednesday, he replied
that it was a paradox. I guess it you‘re “right” and you face a
contradiction, you’re allowed to Call it a paradox. But how can
you determine logically if you are right beiorc reaching the cou-
tradiction? You can't. And it you can‘t discuss your position log<
icaliy, you can’t discuss it at all.

1 have barely scratched the surface oi the problems surround.
lng editorial writing in a liberal arts college in a world or change,
but if yoll see an editorial next week, do me, and yourself, a iavor.
,Think less about “where [he 5&B stands” and more about why.

Barry Ancona

Transferring out (if Grinnell? A number of students seem
to be initiating transfer applications. it you are leaving
Grinnell for soother college or university, the 5&3 is inter-
ested in your reasons and rationale and any problems you
have encountered In making application. Put your name in

Box Number 259 or the 5&3 box and you will be inter-
viewed.

Applications for the 3&1} Editorshlp for 1968 should be
sent to Mr. Cleaver, chairman of the Committee on Student
Publications, before Wednesday, November 11.

SCARLET AND ILACK

gullIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIINIIIIIMIIIIIIIII|lilllllllllllllliﬂllllllNlllillil

LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR

millilitlllliilliilllllilllilllllllillllllllllllllilillllillilllllllillillllll in:

To the Editor:

In the last issue of the 5&1!
Mr. Deblcki, of the Spanish De
partment. properly undertook
to correct some factual errors
made in u previous issue of
the paper. In doing so, how-
ever, he seems to have com—
mitted an error of his own.
He wrote: “Emphasis in the
course (Humanities) is on Ilt~
erary analysis in depth through
the irequent writing or papers
which are thoroughly criticized
by the instructor, and through
conferences.“

But the purpose of the Hu-
manities course is not “Empha-
sis on literary analysis." In
1963 Mr, Dehicki himself was
on the committee which pre-
pared 8 “manual for instruc-
tors" in the Humanities; in that
manual appears "A Rationale
for Grinnell's Course in the
Humanities". There, on p. a,
the manual states:

The course has a twofold
purpose: 1) to introduce a
student to humanistic works
with which an educated per-
son should be acquainted;
and 2) to train him in the
skills necessary to relevant
appreciation and use oi the
great creative works of men.

The new report on curriculum
currently under consideration
lists the purposes of the Hu-
manities course as lour in num-
ber; they are substantially the
same as the two listed in the
manual whi ch Mr. Debicki
helped to prepare.

It would be unfortunate if
the Humanities were ever re
duced to the status of being
merely a course in "literary
appreciatlon", like “chemistry
appreciation” or "physics ap<
preciatlon" and other such
courses in science lor non-
majors. The idea of a non-
majnr in Humanities is direct-
ly counter to the aim of a
liberal arts college.

John Crossett
Classics

To the Editarl

I am one of the “Requiem
people” mentioned in last week’s
5&3 in the editorial and in
Neil Fischer's column, and I
am keenly interested to learn
of any Convocation events I
may have missed. I attended
every panel (with the exception
of the Saturday morning con<
ﬂict): ate two meals with plan
ticipants; was a Campus guide
for the entire weekend for all-
other participant: and attended
5 e v e r a1 informal discussions
with participants in the balls. I
even got to the dance. In no way
did my pcriorming the Requem
impede my involvement in the
rest of the Weekend activities. . .

Ann I. Kirschner

UNICEF CARDS

UNICEF cards will be on
sale at the downtown Post Of-
iice. The campaign for the in-
ternatiunal humanitarian organ-
ization is being run by the
Griunell Chapter of the United
Nations Association. Cards will
be on sale from nine to live,
weekdays, until December 1v

Nov-min! I7. ”2]

ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR

By Nei Fischer,
MEMO

T0: Ron Miller, Vietnam Committee, GSM (et 31.)
FROM: Neil Fischer, 5&3

SUBJECT: Is there a Vietnam petition or isn’t there a Vietnam
petition or where in hell is the Vietnam petition or whatever
happened to the Vietnam petition, anyway?

“I’m copplng out."

That, Mr. Miller, is what you told me a few minutes ago after
I saw you sit through a tworhour discussion with an Iowa protessot
who just turned in his draft card.

I believe you, Mr. Miller, and I think you ought to he blasted
this week. ‘

i wanted to turn this columns garish little scarohlight on po<
lin‘cal animals _ democratic and republican — at Grimell in this
issue, but I’m going to turn it on you instead.

Two and o hail weeks ago you, Mr. Miller — in the midst
of a long forgotten Convocation and long before a lengthy mid-
sem break — fired up this campus to sign an anti-war petition
bombasting a war “immoral in its useless loss of lives.”

You were very concerned, Mr. Miller, about the precise syn.
tax or your sentences. 1 made a mistake in writing about your pe.

titiorl, Mr. Miller; I called the War “immoral and a useless loss
of lives."

You seemed so genuinely concerned for your petition that the
sail; ran a special boxed correction pointing out the mistake, it
was a little change, Mr. Miller, but I was happy to make it for
you because I thought you were genuinely devoted to your causal

I tried to give you more coverage in the 5&3 than any othal
convocation event I made sure you got your picture in the paper,
Mr. Miller. I saw to it that the Des Moines newspapers and wire
services got stories about you, Mr. Miller, and about your petition
and your Vietnam Committee and your GSM.

i signed your petition, Mr. Miller.

Forty percent of the student body signed your petition,
Mr. Miller. Ashley Montagu signed it, Mr. Miller; so did Mar- ,
tin Luther King.

A nice lady from The New York Times even interviewed you.
Mr. Miller.
Mr. Miller, you told me Lyndon Johnson would he sent a copy,

of the petition . . t and Dean Rusk and Rockefeller and a whole
lot of other people.

You told me, Mr. Miller, that if I paid for it I could send coplel
to my congressmen at home.

What will you write my congressmen now, Mr. Miller? Will
you tell them that “about a month ago less than hall of Ihe
students at a tiny, isolated college bus stop signed a petition?"
Is that what you‘ll say in the letter you’ve been drafting for
two and a half weeks, Mr. Miller?

That’s old news. Mr. Miller.

If you had sent it out when it was fresh, Mr. Miller, tl
might have meant something. What does it mean now, Mr.
Miller?

You told me that some of the signatures were falsified and
some of the names non-existent. You told me you had to check
them, Mr. Miller.

Does it take you and your committee — you, who lired up al~
most half the campus in a week — [Wu and a half weeks and more
on check twenty potentially-false signatures? Twenty, by your own
estimate, Mr. Millerr

Does it take two and a half weeks and more to make a public
announcement of how many signatures you got, Mn Miller? well.
does it?

Does it take you that long to type them out and write a letter
giving background on your petition?

What, in fact, have you been doing with the Vietnamese peti-
tion since October when it was signed? It is now the middle Of
November, Mr. Miller,

I have seen you in the Forum gleefully poring over yuurrpetl-
tion on several occasions since convocation. l have asked you,
several times, for a breakdown of the signatures, Mr. Miller.

Mr. Miller, I think you have done all of those who signed
that petition, all of those who considered it everywhere ironl
Main Lounge to the Wednesday night Senate meetings, all ot
those who thought about it and publicized it and wrote home
about it a vast injustice.

And this week, Mr. Miller, I want you to do something about
it.

I only have one more rhetorical question for you, Mr. Millenl
Are you going to send copies of those signatures out or are you
going to use them for notebook paper?

I hope you take this column personally, Mr. Miller, I hope
people come up to you and ask you about the petition. I hope
people get angry about it, Mr. Miller, and about you.

And then I hope you crawl out of your lethargy and print thou
signatures. Mr. Miller. And 1 hope it isn’t too late.

 

