GEORGIA LEGISLATOR JULIAN BOND. one or the speakers rat the
upcoming spring Mombilizaiion protest against the war in Vietnam.
speaks out also against compulsory military service at an American
Friends Service Committee conference in Des Moines last Saturday. For
Bond's comments on war protests, on the draft and on a new Negro

political organization tee page a.

Photo by Kryx Neunian

Vietnam protests across country:
Grinnellians march in Des M mes

“What will characterize the April 15
‘Spring Mobilization’ as unique among
antiwar demonstrations will be the par-
ticipation oi people with a wide variety
of Views about war and the activities
of the preliminary ‘Vietliam Week',”
This is how the upcoming protest is
explained by Miss Patti Miller, a cam-
pus organizer for the midwestern (c i—
cngo) office of the Student Mobiliza-
tion Committee to End the Vietnam
War.

Miss Miller was in Des Moines last
Saturday to attend a conierence on
military conscription at the American
Friends Service Committee headquar-
ters and to interest area students in
the spring anti-war movement.

Tile mass marches and rallies on
Saturday, April 15, will take place at
the United Nations in New York and
at the birthplace of the UN in San
Francisco. Organizers of the demon-

strations say they are marching to on
sites “to affirm our respect.ior tho
principle of equal rights and selfrdeten-
mination oi peoples, acclaimed by man-
kind and embodied in the UN CharterI
but violated by the United States'
(because of the Vietnam war. Miss
Miller more particularly encouraged
mldwestern students to organize bus-
loads of students to travel to one or
the sites.

The week preceding the clay of mass
demonstrations, “Vietnam Week," April
8 to 15, will be marked by discussions
like the one on conscription, by teach-
iris (the organization oiiices proVide a
speaker’s bureau) and demonstrations.

Students at Grinnell are organizing a
"speak-out" for Friday afternoon Aprll
14th. At least two bus loads of students
Will depart from Grinnell Saturday noon

See VIETNAM on page 8

 

The Grinnell
REPORTER

 

Vol LXXIV—Grinncll College—Grinnoii, Iowa. Friday. April 7. l9b7—No. 14

 

Controversy surrounds confused issues
concerning change in theatre directorship

News Analysis
By John Wiles

"The recent resignation of Richard D.
Meyer, director of theatre, is represen-
tative both of a complete shake-up nnd
changeover of personnel in the Grlnltell
College theatre and of an impending
shiit oi emphasis in the theatre program
here, There is little question that theso
pervasive alterations within the theatre

r;
Photo by Susan xaeser

Richard Meyer

department bear direct relation to and
will have a significant effect upon the
Ontire college community.

Recognition of tlie eminence, as well
as the imminence. of those effects has
aroused considerable studentrfaculty in<
wrest in the facts and issues involved in
these theatre developments. A decided
lack of clarity and consistency in the
Bommunication of said facts and issues.
however, has resulted in markedly Corr
Med impressions of the entire situation.

Controversies have arisen from the
contradictory natures of the following
reported facts: 1.) that Meyer did him-
self, or his own volition, resign, yet ex-
pressed, as well as firm conviction, an
admittedly unhappy reluctance to do so;
2.) that administrative officials respond-
ed with frank regret to their acceptance
oi Meyer’s resignation, yet had admitted-
ly neither invited nor expressly encours
aged him to continue as director of
theatre; 3.) that Meyer's withdrawal of
his application ior director — and also
his eventual resignation —- appear to
have been inseparably related to his oc-
cupation of an unavoidably awkward po-
sition as principal interviewer of all oth-
er candidates — and, therefore. of his
own competitors —« for the directorship
appointment.

It has since proven relatively impos-
lible for The Reporter to ascertain com-
plats explanations for, or to acquire sat-
isiactory Clarifications of these ques-

See MEYER INTERVIEW on Page 3

New lire-safely features
include loggia panic bars

TreasurervBusiness
w. Lombie has announced plans to i|l<
stall a number of new fire-safety fea-

Manager Donald

tures in residence halls. Panic bars
Will be installed on several of the outer
doors of the Quad loggia as directed
by the lowa iirc saiety code. A door
between Gates and Rawson Towers will
be out immediately, as there is now
only one exit from each tower. Other
features will he installed during the
summer.

Deputy State Fire Marshal George E.
Soderquist recently made his inspection
of the college buildings, ending with
praise for their general condition. Seder-
quist felt that chances of a fire tragedy
in the residence halls were remote, bu!

See FIRE on Page I

E oven faculty members to lea e

Eleven Grinnell faculty members will
be quitting their posts at the end oi
this year. They are Thomas H. Charl-
ton (anthropology), Kenyon Knopf (econ-
omics), Oliver Luther (Spanish), Richard
Meyer (theatre), Mario E. Ruiz (Sloane
15h), Thomas Somerville (speech and
theatre), David A. Sutherland (music),
Miss Edith A Sternield (arr), Bruce R.
Thomas (physics), and Marion G. Van-
fossen (sociology). Ned D o n a h o a
(speech and dream), now on leave of
absence, tentatively will not return to
Grinnell.

Bruce Thomas

Bruce Thomas, Assistant Professor of
Physics since September, 1965, is leav-
ing Grinnell after this semester to take
I teaching post at Carleton.

Thomas, whose primary interest is
elementary particles, hasn't been able
to do research here due to lack of
time and Grinnell's isolation. A! Carle<
too, he explained, his lighter classioad
(one class per trlmester) and the in-
terests represented in Carleton's physics
department will allow him more oppor-
tunity for independent work.

Thomas expressed no great dissafis
faction with Grinncll as compared to
Carleton. “The basic commitments of
the two schools are very similar and
they're facing the same problems -—-
problems of student culture, curriculum,
and educational philosophy," he ex.
plained.

Regarding the special problems con—
fronting undergraduate science curricula
and students, Thomas said, "The status
of a science major at a liberal arts
school is under review because the
amount of major-field instruction needed

to compete with the universities fill!
the students' time.” He attributed tho
necessity for a heavy course load to
the rapid rate of scientific development.
Citing solid-state physics as an example,
he noted that fifteen years ago it was!
a relatively minor field; now, a largo
percentage of physics research mane]
is channeled into solid-slate work,

A 1980 Grinnell graduate, Thomul
earned his doctorate at Comell Univer-
sit .

y David A. Sutherland

David A, Sutherland (music) hfll
resigned, due to a change in the dines
tion of his career which will requlm
post-graduate work. Presently is musl-
colngist, he plans to enter the fleld ol
ethnomusicology.

When asked to comment on student
life, Sutherland stated that although he
has experienced some student irresponsi-
bility and realizes that all institution
must act in a considerate manner to-
ward the society oi which it is a part,
he nevertheless takes what he under-
stands to be the liberal position on in:
question of open dorms and other issue:
vital to the student body.

Says Sutherland, “The more responsi-
bility is heaped on the student, tho
more responsible he will be."

Thomas Charlton

Thomas H. Charlton (sociology and
anthropology) has resigned his assistant
professorship at Grinnell to take q
similar position at the University of
low.

Charlton, who will finish the semester
at Grinnell, cited greater opportunity

See FACULTY on Page 2

 

I'I DON'T M I N D
bearded or sockless
or unit-iced Students."
Governor H a r o l d
Hughes spoke here
yesterday as part of
the fourth Shire Leg-
islature Seminar. See
story on page a.

Photo by Harold Eusou