Page Two

Editorials . . .

A RADICAL EXPERlMENT
lN GRlNNElL GOVERNMENT

'Aiter only three meetings an efficient and conscientious
Senate constitutional reform committee has drafted a preliminary
proposal to alter radically Gl'inneli’s student government into the
most progressive student democracy ever attempted by a college
or university in the United States.

The proposal would change the large and cumbersome suiclent
Government Association (SGA), with its Council of House Presi«
dents (Coil-lP), Associated Women Students Board (AWS), and
Senate, into a unified Committee of Thirteen, employing a stream.
lined system whereby any student can recommend legislation, seek
redress from administrative oversight, and understand all of the
workings of the student government and administration policies.

Ten of the members of the Committee of Thirteen would be
elected atelarge from the student body, under the proposed plan.
Anyone, including ireshmen, who meet academic eligibility re-
quirements, could seek election. The AWS and Coil-1P will be re-
tained solely in an enforcement and advisory status in the halls,
but the Coil-KP and AWS presidents would serve as voting members
of the Committee of Thirteen. A Chairman of the Committee —
like the present SGA president — would conduct meetings and
have a vote. The social coordinator will act as an ex—officio non-
voting member.

Standing committees on all phases of student life —— eg., li-
brary committee, rendence hall committee — will feed proposals
into the Committee of Thirteen for action, The chairmen will be
lelectecl by the Committee of Thirteen (Corr) from people who
make applications, and all interested students may apply to the
chairmen to serve on these committees. The standing committees
will meet regularly, and regularly propose legislation to the Ccrl'.

Underlying the entire structure, an office of student ombuds-
man will be created. The ombudsman idea originated in Scandi-
navian countries as a people’s watchdog or official to investigate
grievances against administrative agencies’ oversights; his job in
Sweden, for example, was to protect the little man from the large
bureaucracy and to explain its policies and rationale.

The ombudsman — elected irom applicants to the Cofl' — will
have an office and regular hours and would receive a salary equiv-
alent to that of the present speaker of the Senate. A student who
feels that he has a valid legislative proposition seeks out the om-
busman to find out which committee would be the proper channel
for it.

A student Wishing to deviate somewhat from the academic
requirements of the college because ol 8 special situation asks
the ombudsman where to turn in the College administration. A stu—
dent indictetl by the judicial council can ask the ombudsman how
best to be assured of his rights.

The ombudsman would meet weekly with the deans, and would
sit on the ColT as a non-voting observer. He would receive min
utes from all of the standing committees and hopefully have access
to minutes of faculty committees dealing widi student life, al-
though the contents of the latter would not be publicly divulged.

The ombudsman would report to the Con". His power lies in
the prestige oi his office, and the investigatory publicity (sets, ra-
dio station, etc.) attending his reports.

In short, anyone can go to the ombudsman, and find out how
his government works and is working. Any student can play a part
in the representative government on a committee. Any student
can run for an office. Any student can propose legislation. All stu-
dents will have a voice in the smoothrrunning democratic process.

Ombudsmen . type proposals have been offered in several
state legislatures and many congressmen have agreed that this
approach to democracy works well with populations oi one or two
thousand. Colorado, Pennsylvania, lowa, New York, and several
other states, have dmfted ombudsmen bills.

One or two American colleges have considered a government
employing an ombudsman, but they were lost in struggles for
other reforms. If the Grinnell student body and the Senate have
the courage to create a government like the one proposed by the
Senate constitutional reform committee it will be a First.

A student govcmment can be more than a mirror image of
American political process; it can he an experiment in progressive
sziciency. It can put Grinnell on the map.

We hope that the trivial difficulties in passing any revision of a
governmental system are transcended with all the celerity of a
thinking student government.

The Senate cornmittee on constitutional reform is to be cork
maimed tor its rapidly evolved and wellvfounded proposal. This
is something that should be talked about and noted upon . . . soon,

The new Grinneil Plan lot Student Governments is good enough
not only to streamline Grimeil but to serve as a guideline for every
other college and university government in America,

The Committee on Student Publications announced today
that Neil Fischer (Langsn senior) will be editorinchief of
the Scarlet and Mack next semester.

Fischer, the present Sails managing editor, interned as a
reporter with the Des Moines bureau of the Associated Press
and with the Denver (Colo) Post. He was named mitstand-
ing notional summer reporting intem’for 19W by the News-
paper Fund or the Wall smet Joan-L

SCARLET AND BLACK

"I illlliiilillliiiiilliiiilliiiiiilliiiillllliiilllliiiillliiilllliilllllii

LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR

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To Neil Fischer:

I’m not sure whetiler it's
worth evcn answering your col-
umn on Ron Miller. You're a
big buy now and you know
that people aren’t consistent
machines.

You don’t seem to have
shown much propensity for tak—
ing action toward what you be-
lieve is proper tor society. I
can’t condemn you for that —
personal or social. So Ron isn't
perfect; even somewhat erratic
sometimes. So am I, and all
my friends, and most feeling
human beings

li you want to knock Miller
for being human, please don‘t
waste space in public bulletins.
it doesn’t make you seem like
very much,

Dick Kamp

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NEWS
= BRIEFS

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$100,000 GRANT

The Old Dominion Founda-
tion has awarded Grinneil a
$100,000 grant to assist in the
expansion and research oppor-
tunities for members of the hu~
manities and line arts faculties.

The grant, which is fora five-
year period beginning this year,
will be used for faculty re-
search and study purposes and
for sabbatical leave assistance
in the areas of history, philoso-
phy and religion, language and
literature, and fine arts.

it will support iaculty and
faculty-student summer re-
search projects, and other re-
search or study opportunities
which will improve the quality
of the faculty and its instruc-
tionai capabilities.

“This grant is especially
well-timed, following as it does
a substantial grant from the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
aimed at the natural sciences
and a National Science Foun-
dation grant in support of both
the natural and social science
programs,” President Leggett
noted.

“it offers new evidence that
ioundations are recognizing that
the humanities and fine arts
programs at American colleges
are as worthy of support as
muse oi the social and natural
sciences. The Old Dominion
grant will greatly assist Grin-

Fridny. November 14. l9”

ANIMAL BEllllhlﬂllR

By Ne FschEI‘,

There seems to be nothing to complain about at Grinnell this
week, but something is radical (and therelore interesting) in the
state of Denmark.

Tile independent republic of Bird Island —- located in the
middle of one or Copenhagen’s several city lakes _ has de-
clared total war on the United States.

According to reports irom the British News Service, the newly-
proclaimed republic was founded last month by Danish students
representing an organization called Zenith.

The ultimate goal of Zenith is not known.

Danish police on the banks of Lake Sortedamsseoon were
“making invasion plans" November 9, according to a Collegiate
Press Service (CPS) release, as the students refused to surrender
their lztldsquareyard nation.

Bird Island has a population of six. It was seven, but one D!
the iouiideis apparently ieu overboard from a landing cralt and
had to swim back to the Copenhagen shore.

“The group has sent a telegram to the United Nations seeking
membership," the CPS reported, “and a cable to the US Em-
bassy here (that is, Copenhagen) declaring total war.”

The Bird Island War — unlike the Vietnam conflict »— is al<
ready picking up open support of American college students, espe<
Cially in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest,

An editorial in the November 9 Beloit (Wisconsin) Round Table,
for example, proclaimed "SUPPORT OUR BOYS 0N BIRD lS‘
LANDl!"

“Join the new Peace Group on the Beloit College Campus,"
a news story in the Round Table suggested. “We are foresightedly
protesting the War in Bird Island."

"We oppose the Administration's stand on the isme," it cork
tinned, “They are choosing to ignore it although this one 15 a de‘
clared war."

“We have been challenged this time," the Beioit story Con<
eluded, “We want to iighfill”

Now I suppose I could relate the Bird Island affair to the
Grilulell campus. i suppose I could beiahor it in typical GSM <
The Paper—Mariotype satire. I suppose X could suggest a Saga
last to give out to Bird islanders or u Mobilization Against the
War in Bird Island or a Bird Island Committee.

1 could ask you all to get in the groove and consider off-cam-
pus, national and international affairs.

I ought to, really, because when I attempt to analyze onrcam<
pus, irritating problems, I get nothing but sweat.

You tell me I should be more concerned with off—campus, na<
tional problems,

You tell me I shouldn’t attack individuals who have been irre<
sponsible.

You tell me —— in letters — not to “waste space in public
bulletins."

Okay, kiddies, this week you just get what you tell me you
want — a typical news-type release from the phantasmagoric,
netherworld of GSMs everywhere. It’s real, documented news,
you know; it‘s really real. 1 hope you enjoy it as much as
you’re supposed to enjoy The Paper.

But really, you know, there are other things to talk about at
Grinneli — like the gross conservatism of the place, as a little ex«
ample. the conservatism that underlays GSM thinking and GSM
lack of action.

And if you'd like me to talk about that kind of thing again.
you know where to ask.

But if we don’t. want to reform the little irritations at Grin-
neii H if you really don't — l’li be happy to give up and let The
Paper tell you about other Bird Islandsr

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Old Dominion Foundation in
in December,

nell College in bringing into

better balance the opportuni-
ties for iaculty scholars to im-
prove their professional compe-
tence as teachers.”

This is the second large gift
Grinnell has received from the

SCARLET 8 BLACK

Student Newspaper of Grinnell Collego

1101 Full Sm" Grin.“ Gill's.
Grinnoll, Iowa 50”:

A weekly uswspupsr published each Friday o!
the college year by [he onnneu committee on sm-
dent Publications. Represented [or national Adver-
tising by National Educ-donut Advertising Services.
m Lexington Ave.. New York, New York loo".
second tluss postage paid at Grinnell, rowu. Sub~

mlptlon rate $5.00 par school year.

ruhserlpttnns.
lumen _____ m.
MANAGING normn
COPY mrron .
nusmrss MANAGER __

cincuu-rton MANAGER ____
.._ __ on

“Arts WRITEIS

law polo

- Ierllc’y. Mn! Cbrhlenrel.
susui mot-nu, Debbie Gznlry,
Andy lulu. Adi-tonne Lemmas.
hut Nadir-nun. .mr Smother.
oer-id Sill-HM Am Tuyicr
Aln- luau-rd rm new.
a m

mcent years.
1965, the New York City foun-
dation awarded the college a
iiveyear, $50,000 grant for the
upgrading of faculty salaries.

PEACE CORPS
DEFERMENT HELP

The Peace Corps will inter-
vene on behalf of Volunteer!
seeking draft defermenis for
two years of overseas service.

Agency Director Jack
Vaughn, concerned by mount-
ing induction calls to Volun-
teers serving overseas, said he
will take an “active role" in
seeking future deferment case-
before the Presidential Appeal
Board — the court of last 1’64
sort for draft reclassifications.

in the past the agency per-
formed a largely informational

news BRIEFS—
luntlnind on M I)

 

