Scarlet and Black

GRINNELL COLLEGE
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xm McIntyre

John \Voll‘

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Continue Russian!

Russian ranks as one of the most important
languages that American students can learn. In scienti-
fic and diplomatic areas, a knowledge of Russian is
vital. Nor does it look like this language will decrease
in popularity in the near future.

Yet Grinnell has cut down its Russian language
program. No Russian—not even first year Russian——
will be offered next year. Those students who have
completed one year of Russian will continue with a
course of Russian literature in translation. Those who
have completed two years of Russian and who need a
third year to fulfill a combination Russian studies-
Russian language major are simply out of luck.

Several aspects of the decision to drop all Russian
courses need critical examination.

First, potential Russian studies-Russian language
majors were not notified until this week that their
major seemingly had been dropped, There is little
hope for these students of transferring to another
school at this date. The only solution that could be
offered by those in charge was a change of majors. It
seems rather curious simply to ask a student to change
his plans for the future on such short notice.

Second, the claim that there is a scarcity of quali-
fied instructors can be disputed. Those in charge have
had over a year to locate a replacement for this year’s
interim instructor, Lauren Leighton. Furthermore, with
the increasing emphasis on Russian, graduate schools
are turning out more people capable of teaching Rus-
sian. Leighton has said that he believes there are a
great many qualified Russian instructors. He noted
that he knew of several persons who have completed
their Ph. D. course work and who are looking for jobs.
Some of these people have been seeking employment in
Iowa. Leighton also said that Grinnell has a good
enough reputation that it shouldn’t have trouble at-
tracting competent people to teach Russian.

Third, those in charge have said that this decision
doesn’t preclude reinstating the program in the future,
but they would make no commitments. Grinnell is a
good enough school that it should not want to damage
its image by dropping such an important course as
Russian from its curriculum, even for a year.

Because of the importance of Russian in the mod-
ern world, because several students vitally need Rus-
sian for their major, because Grinnell should be able
to attract a qualified instructor, and because Grinnell’s
image demands that this course not be dropped, we
ltrongly urge those in charge to reconsider their deci-
sion and to make an all-out effort to unploy a Russian
instructor on a permanent basisAstarting this fall.

.lW

 

SCARLET AND BLACK

Friday, May 5. 1954

etters to the Editor

Kurash Angered Over Student Senate Pizza Purchase;
Opposes Such ‘Theft of Student Funds' In The Future

To the Editor:

My main hope in this letter
is that my anger after reading
the article in last. week‘s 5&3
(regarding the budget passed
by the SGA) does not cause me
to go astray and obliterate the
point I plan to make.

I am referring specifically to
the paragraph concerning Mari-
lyn Alt’s motion appropriating
ten dollars for the purchase of
pizza to sustain our fine student
senate in their trials and trib-
ulations so that they could con-
Linue their outstanding work.
Following are 5 reasons why I
feel that this theft of student
funds can never be allowed to
happen again,

1) The passing of this motion,
though obviously done in time
well spent, could very conceiv-
ably lead to more and more
long, drawnrout, and bogged
down senate meetings. Any
student taking the introductory
course in psychology knows
that by positively reinforcing
the inability of [his body to
function by feeding their food-
deprived little bellies will
greatly increase the probability
of this happening again. In
deed, the senate could easily be
conditioned in this way to have
extra-long meetings all the
time.

2) The students of Grinnell
College have often and right-
lully complained about the
quality of the movies brought
here for our viewing. Ten dol-
lars for the information of the
SGA, can make the difference
between Grinnell’s usual Grade
C piece of film trash, and a

Noted Math Prof
Discusses Numbers

Dr, Heinrich W. Guggelr
heimer, noted mathematician.
will give a special public lecr
ture on the “History of Num-
hers” Tuesday at 8 pm. in the
Selelice Lecture Room.

Professor oi mathematics at
the University of Minnesota,
Dr. Guggenheimer’s visit/is
sponsored by the Mathematical
Association of America, as
part of a nationWIde lecture-
ship program.

Since receiving his PhD. de-
gree lmm the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technologyi he has
taught at the Hebrew Univer-
sity of Jerusalem, Bar lllan
University, and Washington 5:.
University.

The Mathematical
lion’s program is aimed at
strengthening and stimulating
the mathematics programs at
colleges and universities, pro-
viding the mathematics staff
and mathematics major with an
opportunity {or personal Contact
with productive and creative
mathematicians. and aiding the
motivation of able college stu-
dents to consider careers in
mathematics and the teaching
Cf mathematics.

Associa-

 

lsame with open rooms.

first rate film that the vast ma-jis undoubtedly concerned about
jority of the Grinnell sludentlthe Welfare of our hard work-
body could enjoy. l
a) The use of this ten dolars

ing senators (and, judging
from the outright obesity of
some of these senators, male
and female, we have a right to
be concerned), 1 am sure we
would not want it upon our con-
sciences that we helped com
tribute in this way to the fur-
ther degeneration of these in<
dividuals.

for pizza is outright theft of stu-
dent funds by the SGA. The
Senate's concern about doing
their work in the shackles of
Washington red tape is a mat-
ter of common knowledge,
Thus. I suggest that before ap-
propriating any more funds for
its personal use, the senate is 5) I think that if the outsIand-
sue a student referendum to ing nourishment provided us by
find out If the student body SAGA is not good enough to
these senators allegedly reprev sustain our poor, undernour-
sent is interested in treating ishcd senators, then perhaps
them to a late evening snack. we had better consider repldo
It might be added that most of mg ‘SAGA, 0r, —hey, wait a
these senators would have .minute; come to think of it,
managed to do Without other» maybe We had better consider
wise. replacing the student senate.

4) Because the student bodyl Don Kurasch

 

Mintell Urges Introspeclion:
Guilt Also Reflects 10:1 Ratio.

To the Editor: anything been settled definitely
in these two examples? Noll
Rumors flew, some halls were
denied open rooms, ”Action
will be taken in the high court,"
etc. Now there is a proposal
to make a coherent study oi the
car rule to establish order in
the midst of that Chaos. Two
years for petty issues to float
around unsettled. Two years of
inactivity. Two years of a lack
of lnlerest in progress.

While issues are still unsct<
fled, SGA continues to add more
red tape to its existing sys-
tem. A recent “innovation" is
the Curriculum Committee.
why a student committee? Per-
haps because the students here
are alraid to voice an opinion
without the auspices of some
fatherly student committee.
Grinnell students are afraid!
The student leaders have done
llltle to remove this fear. Per-
haps they never will lead us«
lead us to lead Ourselves indi-
vidually. What, then, do the
student leaders do? Perhaps
they just stand in the limelight
for a year per office to die ben-
efit of no one except maybe
their own egos. But SGA is not
all folly. The senate drew up a
budget and neatly balanced the
last three figures to a nice,
even 5500,

The solution to ten-elevenths
of Grinnells “problems" lies
with each individual student.
Introspection rattler than cir-
cumspection. In other words,
“Grinnell students, get off your
dead ends and do’somethingl
Pull the silver spoons nut oi
your mouths and try to stand
on your own two feet.” Abolish
inactivity, abolish nonprogress,
perhaps even abolish SGA, the
den of regression. Whoops! I
lei—got. This is a democratic
community, and we can’t do
anything like (hat. We must
blunder along blindly on this
road of stalemate.

Ralph Mintel ,

About ten to one. Ten stu-
dents in one member of the
faculty and/or administration.
From a purely mamematical
approach, chances are ten to
one that any given fault with
the Grinnell College commun-
ity lies with the students. In the
past two years (and possibly
even more than two years)
there has been an abundance of
criti sm of the faculty and/or
administration, While there has
been little criticism of the stu-
dent body. Perhaps it is time
for every Grinnellian to reeval-
uale the situation. On this cam-
pus there is a lack or serious
interest in progress. The solua
tion lies with each indlvidual
student here.

The lack of interest in pro-
gress is perhaps a lack of self-
motlvaiion within the students.
Most students here desire an
authoritarian director'a direer
tor to lead him from all trou-
bles, to guide and_to keep on
guiding, but never to let the
student stand for himself. An
outsider might comment that
the students sure are busy here.
Yes, we are busy—busy doing
nothing for ourselves. The so-
called “academic pressure" is
a good example of the lack of
selfvdrive. The student feels as
if he is fighting everyone else,
including the faculty. How ab-
surd! Were the students deeply
involved in work, both academ-
ic and extra-academic. there
would be no pressure. This false
atmosphere is created by the
students, not by the faculty.

SGA is a prime example of
the lack of serious interest in
progress. And SGA is made up
of studenu, not college admin-
istrators. In the past two years
there has been a big hullabaloo
over rules, changes, etc. For
two years the car rule has been
tossed back and forth. The
Has