Page Tut

SCARLET AND BLACK

Colombian Girls lamliast Johnson;
Approve Birth Control, Divorce

Ed. note: Barbara Cooper. ‘85,
to teaching in Colombia under
Grinnell’s Fifth Year Abroad
program as a Travel-Service
scholar. This is a report of her
work In a girls‘ school.

The Colegio Mayor de Cultura
Feminine de Cundinamarva in BO-
guta, where i am now teaching
American history, American liter-
ature, and English conversation
and grammar, can be iound on a
hill in back of Colombia's national
museum and in What was once a
woman's prison. It. is now an all-
giris high school and junior col—
lege.

Grinneil Travel»Service scholars
are sent to the junior college's
school or languages where the Stu»
dents enter one or two programs.
They learn to be either bi-lingual
aecretaries or translators.

The girls are between sixteen
and twenty-one years of age. They
are interested in Rock Hudson, El-
vis Presley, all their iriends' “no-
vins” (boytritmds), and any new
hair style.rSome are interested in
being students. These are the ones
that malts teaching a real pleas-
ure. The others—they are called
"coca colas" here—give the clas~
res a definitely uplifting atmos<
phere as they try as hard as they
Can to apply their other interests
to the specific problem at hand,
One: in an English grammar
class when we were practicing
ut- use at the words what. when.
where, why, and how, one girl
asked another;

Q. Where did you go inst night?

a. l go—(corroction)—l went to
a show last night.

Q. What did you m:

A. i don’t know.

Q. Why?

‘There was silence. Then 1 few
giggles. Then someone explained
that she wentwith Rafael and ev-
eryone laughed and everyone un-
derstood. if it weren't tor the
"coca colds" the learning or Eng-
lish would be Isadouarand some-
times sleepy proposition. Perhaps
it is better thisty.

When there il a topic that all
are interested in, however. even
the “novios” an iorgotten mo<
mentarily, Ind‘ tho girls prove
they are not opinionless creatures
who are the products oi a tradition
and whose only purpose is the altar.
Recently a couple of de—irecked
priests have been making head-
lines in Colombia by suggesting
that divorce and birth control
should have government approval.
in English conversation we dis-
cussed these idens. The girls made
It clear that their opinions differ-
ed {rem those of their parents and
then went on to tell me that they
supported the proposals,

1 was surprised to learn that
even the birth control pills are
being sold illegally in the drug-
stores. Many were adamant on the
subject or divorce. They are no
longer passively accepting a hu5<
band's inlidelity. Here the prob
lem is so widespread that men
are no longer even discreet about
it. The girls are angry and war»
ried. Those who had personally
encountered the problem stood up
and struggled to get it out in Eng.
hslt and shouted their support or
(llVDl‘CB for reasons that ranged
irom personal dignity to inlluence
on children. Even in my limited

 

position, I can sea change occur-
ring in Columbia.

The only other discussion that
was more heated was one that
occurred in a history class when
I thought i would give a calm
lecture on a comparison and cone
trsst oi Presidents Kennedy and
Johnsoni quickly learned that
there is only contrast. Kennedy
was a god about to save the world
and we killed this god. When I
mentioned Johnson 1 saw disgust
and anger on their races. It did
no good to try.to reason out 8
comparison between the Bay of
Pigs and Santo Domingo, to show
the great domestic advances
Johnson has achieved in Con-
gress, and to explain that Kenne-
dy did not know how to handle
his Congress in this way.

Politics here is not something
that is reasoned out. The national
political program is chaotic and
ineiiicient, with a romantic poet
presently occupying the role of
president, a man who admittedly
would rather write poetry than
laws. Colombians are attracted by
saviors, by personalities. Kennedy
was both ior them. Johnson is pro
jecting his “great helper" image
no farther than the Texas border.

The discussion was not going
well. I tried to help the situation
by mentioning the Peace Corps.
This was definitely a mistake. The
Peace Corps, according to them,
is a group of spies disguised as
idealistic young Americans, sent by
the US. government to find out
what the Colombians Rethinking,
send reports back to Washington.
and thus help the Colossus of the
North better control the already
dependent Latin American coun-
tries. Examples at people i know
who are in the Peace Corps did
little good. Again it was an argu-
ment based on rumors and emo
tion rather than reason, on argu-
ment based on-iear and dislike of
the US. (it did little good (or me
to talk to a iormer Peace Corps
volunteer to find out how much
or what the girls said was true, He
told me that his- group was sent
to the University at Tunja by the
C.l.A. to collect information on
student attitudes.) It must be
pointed out that not all Colom-
bians feel his way, that those
who have personally known the
Peace Corps community develop-
ment worker or who have been
to tho US. are able to see things
a little more clearly. And the
girls gave me an argument that
i have heard used so olten in the
us. against the u.s.s.lt.: “We
like the people. Americans are

Businesses Contribute

Recent grants to Grinnell by
El. Du Pont de Nemours and
Company, The Sears . Roebuck
Foundation, and the Maytag Com-
pany foundation have been an-
nounced by President Leggett.

Of the $5,000 from du Pont de
Nemnurs, $2,500 is earmarked for
chemistry and the remainder will
be divided among subjects rele-
vent to the training oi scientists
and engineers,

The other two grants are made
to a number ct lowa colleges.
Benefiting members 01 the Iowa
College Foundation is a total OI
$12,500 from Maytag. $45,800 goes
to 20 Iowa colleges and Unit/Elsi:
ties from Sears-Roebuck.

 

open and iriendly. It's the govern-
ment we dislike."

So now my strongest impres-
sion is that “gringus” who have
the us. government seal or ap-
proval are not liked or trusted.
A part of the trouble is misunder—
standing. Some of it we have
earned. The Peace Corps does not
help its cause by having the new
Volunteers iill out questionnaires
based on opinions they have gath-
ered in a particular town. Also,
Johnson can not talk to these peo-
ple the way Kennedy could. He
can say the some words, but he
says them in a different way, and
here the presentation is all-impor-
tant. I have learned to be [hank-
iul that I am here because of
some “friendly Americans" and
not because of their government.
Ii nothing else, it means that my
classes at least listen to me.

Officers To Explain
US. Space Program

All aspects of the United States'
space program Will be explained by
an Aerospace Presentation Team
at Grinnell College Wednesday.
Jan, 26.

The program, which will be pre-
sented by a team from the Air
University at Maxwell Air Force
Base, Ala, is Scheduled for 8 p.m.
in Roberts Theatre. It is open to
the public without charge.

The team, composed oi Lt. Col.
Jean B. Pltner Ind Lt. Col. Luther
R. Myers, In. will discuss such
phases of the nation’s space eiiort
as propulsion. spacecraft, and in-
terplanetary probes.

Current aerospace experiments
will be covered. along with plans
for the future, Including the de-
tails ior placing American astro-
nauts on the moon by 1910, The
presentation will be illustrated
with color motion pictures and
slides.

“This program will a pp e a!
equally to adults and young peo-
pie," noted Mai. Albert C. Omer,
associate professor of aerospace
studies at Grinnell College. The
aerospace team was secured
through the efforts of the Grinnell
Air Force ROTC detachment,
which Maj. Omar commands.

He added: “The motion pic<
tures and slides, together with the
team 5 account of visits to space
acti 'ties, talks with astronauts,
and rides in simulated space ve-
hicles, add up to an in'dEPCll look
at our space progra ”

HIGH SCHOOL 8t
COLLEGE STUDENTS

SUMMER JOB
OPPORTUNITIES

WOULD YOU LIKE TO
WORK AND PLAY IN THE
ROCKY MOUNTAINS ON
YOUR VACATION THIS
SUMMER? AT A DUDE
RANCHl MOUNTAIN RE-
SORT HOTEL ETC.

For 150 Resort Listings. send
$2.00 to Western Resort Re-
view, Box 9, Commerce city.
Colo.

 

Prim. January 2i. I9

Des Moines Project fast Planned?
$500 Goal of Money-Raising Drive .

Grinnell students involved in the

Des Moines Project are presentlyl

attempting to implement a mas-
sive fund-raising plan. SAGA has
promised to cum $500 over to the
group ii they can sign up 700 stu-
dents who will agree to lost during
dinner on Friday, February 25.

According to plans, each stu-
dent will be contacted individually
in the halls by a project worker,
The money earned will increase if
over 7m sign up. but the iast can-
not be carried out with fewer than
that number. According to one
worker, girls may invade North
Campus during open dorms to
sign up the “notoriously apathet-
ic" residents of that area.

Previous attempts to raise iunds
tor the community organization

project have netted very poor r
suits. with a few individual ha
and students contributing the‘.
majority oi tunds. ii the plans i
the last are Carried out, the fun
will cover a variety or continui
expenses. These would luau
such essentials as oiiice suppli
and gas money for transporti

Grinnell students to Des Man
tor work. The bulk at it, howev.
will go ior rent at a room
Des Moines to serve as an otii
tor Billy King, the project'sfi‘u
time worker, and as a meeti
place for members or the co
munity.

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a

 

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