Scarlet and Black GRINNELL COLLEGI Grinnell. lowu A weekly newspaper published each Friday of the col- lege year by the Grlnlieu Committee on Student rubllcn. lions sepiosonfod for nailonfll advertising by Naiional Ad- venulng service, Inc., College Publisher; Represcninnvo. ls Ens: 50m Simof. New York 22, N.Y. Second class Postv age puld ar Grinnell, lowu. Subscription mi 5500 per .schom year. 1,932 omd Subscriptions. Lynn Deuzler Jim Molnryr: .lonn wolf ann Ynst’ . Susan lelor . Cymhln arusl sunny King. Rum Unruh Tom Harunen Ann shuwnlfer. Nancy oromko, Pum Clny, Susun Gelber .. . ,. Steve Casey. Kenton Clymer Dick Lovell, Nlck Nnnas, pm: Trlgg nuslNEss MANAGER MANAGING Environ com! rprron NEWS EDlTUR mums EDITOR seonrs rolrons HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER NEWS ncronrcns , spears neronrrns ,. Calendar "Commitmen’rs" Those who must plan the college social program each year invariably face the demands of different campus fac- tions, each supporting its own plan for guiding the students’ socio-cultural existence and each with a calendar of events that it deems appropriate and necessary. The student com- mittee and its coordinators, chosen especially to plan the ‘ weekend schedule of events on campus, spend hours and hours juggling dates and features, hoping to come out with a satisfactory program that will be beneficial to all students and one which will be acceptable to each faction involved, Presently, the Social Coordinating Committee finds itself in In operational dilemma —- the result of an apparent existing “policy" of blocking weekend programs. Specifically, we would cite this weekend as a classic ex- ample. The music department, in opening the Lenox Quartet fall concert series, deemed the event important enough to be “all campus” and for all practical purposes blocked the calendar by forbidding the social personnel to schedule any event opposite the Saturday night concert. Yet, this “all- campus” event, which is scheduled for a single performance Ind which has been announced as open to the public, will he presented in Roberts Theatre, which has an audience capacity of 467 people. With all due respect to the music department and the recognized value of its programs, we must point out that for its personnel to assume to block the entire Saturday evening for a program that not even half the student body can feasibly attend is ridiculous. The operational dilemma mentioned earlier comes from the question of just what the policy for calendar commitment should be and just what constitutes an all-campus event, In the years before President Bowen, blocking was considered the thing to do to the weekend calendar. An event scheduled for Saturday night took exclusive rights to that night and the student choice of what to attend was limited to one. Dr. Bowen, however, was opposed to “all-campus" block- ing of events, except for those accessible by the entire campus and favored by student wants, e.g. Odetta concert, Brothers Four Concert. During the Bowen years the campus calendar was more fluid than now — students found themselves with several weekend events to choose from. The social program was rich and varied. We would hate to see, during this interim period in administration, a return to the old policy of block- ing and the calendar limitations it would pose. It is time for a definite policy of competitive allowance on campus. The narrow-minded individual who can see only his department and his performer should not be allowed to intimidate the student social planners nor subject each stu- dent to attend his event simply “because there wasn’t any- thing else to do," We would suggest that the student social committee, along with its adult supervisors, be given ultimate control of the weekend calendar situation, and that they not only pre- sent to the student body some baSlc policy objectives, but that they work on finding out, via polls and personal contact, just what the students want in their social program and just what can be termed an “all-campus" event according to student preference. As long as it is student money being spent, let the investors have some say about the merchandise..And let’s not limit the customers to just one brand name. SCARLET AND BLACK Friday. October 9. I964 Letters to the Editor ‘Sad Freshman Don't Be Mad: We're lust Youlhful' Dear Editor: I am indebted to Master A. Sad Freshman for his profound analysis of upperolassmen’s attitudes. I was unaware of the immaturity on campus. I was so moved by his plea that I offer this letter as a “service to my fellowmen." This sad freshman dubs our campus as being immature; I characterize it as being youthr ful. Those things he criticizes are not really irresponsible acts but merely innocent exub- erances. For example, he con- demns the prepping program as lacking service and social re- sponsibility. Through the pro- gram the freshman is first in— troduced to his upperclass hall— mates. This is their finest hour. Out of this and other aspects of the hall system grows a life- long camaraderie. Are we to upset this noble tradition which has worked so well in the past? The answer is obvious. Let us consider some of the specifics of the program. Cal» Student Requests Reprint of Article The following is from an article by Dr. John A. Logan jr. president of Hollins Col- lege, Virginia in the Hollins College Bulletin. It appeared in the Des Moines Register on Monday, Sept. 14, and ap- pears here at the requested a, ,Grinnell student. Almost every college admin» istration reports increasing pressure from students to re- lax rules and regulations on smoking, drinking, cars, visit- ing hours and curiews. while the whole question of how far the college should act in loco parentls has been the subject of heated debate. Tremors from these seismic disturbances have reached Hol- lins in the form of a Wide- spread concern about the effic- acy of the honor system. It seems to be generally con- ceded that infractions of the rules go unreported and there- fore unpunished, and that there is a general disinclination to tell on anyone else, to be one's sister’s keeper. I have heard it argued that obedience to the letter and spirit of the honor code should be a matter of individual con- science only, not a matter of corporate responsibility. Pre- sumably, if an individual does not agree with a rule or with the system no one else ought to enforce it on her. Any system which leaves it up to every individual to de- cide whether a rule is just or unjust is no system at all, but anarchy. An honor system differs from any other regulatory mechan- ism only ln the mode of en forcement. It is enforced by the subjects themselves rath- er than by external authority. The concept of honor grew out of the medieval code of chivalry in a steeply hierarch- ical society. and the essence of honor was the notion of an ob— ligation to one's class or caste not to bring disgrace upon oth- ers by improper behavior. It may be that, in the kind of democracy that has evolved in this country, such a sense of corporate responsibility is an anachronism. I do not believe this is necessarily true, but I do think tihat some conflict exists between certain contemv porary currents in American democratic thought and prac- tice and the idea of a self enforcing honor code. “has the same potential, At the center of this problem is the generally sorry condition of the American family as a focus of moral authority. Haunted by ill-digested Freu- dian strictures against parental repression bedeviled by the “progressive" cult of self-ex— pression, urged toward per~ missiveness and beguiled by false doctrines of family democ- racy, parents have too often ab- dicated their responsibility for setting standards of behavior and limitations on their Chil- dren’s, freedom of action. Afraid of inducing trauma, or of being unpopular with their Children or their children's friends. they have yielded an demands for privileges and lib» erties which are clearly harm- ful. in so doing, these adults are robbing their children of an es< sential part of their education by failing to provide clear measures of right and wrong and values based on something firmer than the whims of the crowd. It is an ethic which says that because a good many peo- ple are doing something, it is normal and therefore right. It must be made clear that rules are made to protect young people from hurting themselves. not simply to keep them from having fun. We must also rid ourselves of some of our worship and indul- gence of youth and the false notion that fun is an end in it- self, rather than a by product of doing hard things well, ’or we will transform ourselves in» to a society of adolescents. We must also beware of the prevalent and pernicious mlSA conception that democracy imr plies absolute equality. and that any denial of equal worth is un-Amencan. Democracy in e a n 5 equal rights before the law and equal opportunity for individual devel- opment to the limit of one’s po» tential. and we have along way to go in achieving these ideals; but democracy emphatically does not imply that everyone that knowledge and experience are not to be valued above ignor» ance and inexperience. and that every man’s judgment is sov- ereign and that every opinion is as good as every other. in other words, democracy does not deny the principle of HONOR SYSTEM— Continued on Page l2 isthenics are definitely benefi- cial. Telephone speeches pro- vide a twofold service. The freshman learns the upperclass- men’s names and also to an‘ swer the phone before lfwo rings. The innocent humor of these greetings makes the tasks pleasant to perform. Beanies cap off the prepping program. By wearing his, the freshman identifies himself with that great institution Smith Hall (for example). Granted there may be a few instances of irresponsibility on campus. but should the vast majority of upperclassmen suf- fer the stamp of immaturity? True, youth is given to excess; but do not Confuse this with moral laxness. With the em- phasis on greater student re- sponsibility given this year by the encampment student leadA ers and acting — president Stauss, I am confident that a large reservoir of individual responsi 'lity will be tapped. Fear not, sad freshman, Grin- nell may not yet be perfect. but it holds potent seeds for the future. Sincerely, A youthful upperclassman ’Sud Freshman“ Given Rebuttal Dear Editor: I would like to take issue with a letter published last week in the S and B for three reasons: (1) the title was erroneous, (Z) the contents show a marked lack of maturity on the part of the writer and (3) fhe signature indicates that the writer doesn’t have strong enough conviction: to back up his words. The title was “Frosh look at upperclassmen." This implies that the letter was a general viewpoint held by all freshmen, This is most cerminly not true and the ~impresslon is false. Most freshmen, perhaps ex- cluding those who are socrally untalented and thus are unu'lll- ing to show themselves, are of a totally different Opinion. Air 10W me to enlarge. This sad freshman says that the answer is obvious concern- ing his queries about the use- fulness of prepping and bean- ies, etc., implying that they are not useful and perhaps det- rimental. It is truly rather obr vious that. if a person cannot go through what little bit was done in the way of prepping. or if the beannie hurts his little head or ruffles his hair. and he cannot take this. then he belongs no! at college, but at home as close to his mother as possible—at apron string length. This sad freshman also makes a very witty joke about the library, that someone is taking it. He does not know Who this some» one is but T. S. F. immediately tags the whole body of upper- Classmen with the sin. This is not to say that some upper- classmen may not fit the de» scription but to condemn all, as JONES LETTER— Continued on Page a