ALTERNATING DORMS. N0 OPENS, SAYS LEGGETT

By ANDY ISAACS

' President Leggeti s u n d a y
night asked the college commu-
nity to consider the possibility
of a south campus of under-
class men and Women and a
similar north campus of upper-
class men and women, and of
giving upperclass students the
choice between living on com-
pus, subject to college social
regulations, or living on cam-
pus under the jurisdiction of
their landlord and the city.

The president invited “order-
ly study and response to my
suggestions for possible
Bhange” and called for other
proposals from both students
and faculty. He expressed hope
that he could present final rec-
ommendations to the trustees
by early Spring, and begin a
new arrangement by next Fall.

Leggett noted three salient
aiiiiculties with the present
system:

(1) There is no provision for
a progressive withdrawal oi
college authority as students

advance through their under-
graduate years.

(2) The separation of men
and Women onto different cam-
puses inhibits natural and easy
meeting oi the sexes.

(3) Most students are forced
into one inflexible style of liv-
ing.

He suggested that, should his
proposal be adopted, the col-
lege recognize irankly that un-
derclass residence halls would
have more supervision than up-
perclass halls, and that lt follow
a conscious policy of permitting
more upperclass students to
live off campus.

Leggett noted of his sugges-
tion “These are only notions,
but they may introduce us to
ways we can create an envi-
ronment that 1 its the Col«
lege’s responsibility to what it
can actually be responsible for
and gives sludents not simply
the option of staying here or
leaving but the several options
oi living in diiierentiy organ-
ized residence halls under var—
ious college regulations or olf

the campus and away from in-
stitutional social sanctions com-
pletely."

The president made clear
that he opposes the extension of
open rooms now as strongly as
ever, ”I do not believe in the
extension of ‘open rooms,’ and
some of the reasons for my be
lief are in line with my dissat-
lsiaction with the hall system
in general. A program of coedu-
cational use of dormitory rooms
emphasizes the single way of
living already imposed unfortu-
nately here on most students.
At the same time it gives rise
to social expectations and con-
frontations that not all student!
are prepared to meet and se-
riously interferes with the Col-
lege's responsibilities tor the
mental health of all students.

“institutional restrictions of
coeducational use of dormitory
rooms are designed to help pre-
salve the emotional sensibilities
of all Students, not to instruct
individual students in what
choices they should make in
their out-ofecollege life. In spite

of the dissatisfaction of the pro—
ponents of ‘sexual ireedom,’
(quotes his) the College is in
no position to condone such ex-
pression of freedom in the con~
text of dormllory living, and it
sees no hypocrisy in saying so."

Further expressing his dissat-
isfaction with Grinnell’s style of
living. “This is a very unsimpls
subject; it is really a cluster
oi problems, chiei among which
are two Circumstances I think
all of us find profoundly frus-
trating: first, a hall govern-
mental system whose elected
officials are often caught in the
dilemma oi choosing between a
loyalty to their constituents and
loyalty to their responsibilitieSI
and, second, at least on north
campus an almost totally in-
flexible structure of living alld
eating and talking, irorn onn
identically - organized residence
hall to the next, so that (except
tor the small option ot offecam-
pus living) any real choice
about the way a person wishes
to live is denied to him unless
he is inclined to force himself

 

- SC

Student Newspaper of Grinnell College

RLET & BLACK

 

Vol. LXXV

Erinnell, lowa. Friday. September 29, I967

No. 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gates and Rawson Hails

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Don Hecker

played with the when they

sponsored a Camp-Gui on Mac Field Saiurday night.
Fiv. couples survived the all night aciivily.

‘ CAMP-IN BRAVES GOLD

Last Saturday night, Grinnell
had a non - social - calendar
event. The event was billed as
A “Camp-Out," and students

ere attracted by such signs as
‘Bring your own bolt". The idea
was originated by Gates sopho-
more Tom Th 0 m a 5, who
thought that the idea was ull~
feasible at the time.

The idea came to the attena
tion at the presidents oi Gates
and Rawson, Steve MacDuwell
and Mel Thompson, wllo
thought it might be a good
Idea.

They brought it to the atten-
tion of Miss Dentel, program
director of the College, who al-
so thought it was a good idea.
The C. of HP. agreed, although
some members of the Council
privately expressed the opinion
that it might cause trouble.

Machwell and Thompson re-
alized that the event would
have to occur within a very
short time, before the weather
became cold. After iniomiiug
Dean Thompson and receiving
no objection irom him, the two
presidents proceeded w i t h
plans.

About a week before the
“Camp - Out," announcements
appeared, which Gates Presi-
dent Thompson, looking back,
described as “gross."

Shortly before the “Camp-
Out,” the two presidents
were informed that the
College could not place the e«
vent on the official calendar,
nor could it support the event
in any way with College equip«
meni.

Explaining the situation at-
terwards, Dean Thompson ex—

SGA HEARS RAWSON’S HORN

By PAUL NACHMAN
Ray Horn's presentation oi a
concrete proposal for an open
dorms extension and a re-
quired “Human Values" course
for freshman highlighted Wed<
nesday’s Senate meeting.
Drawn up by an unoiiicial
committee in Rawson that has
been meeting regularly for a
week, the paper calls for noon
to midnight opens on Sunday
through Friday and noon to 1
am. on Saturday.
The committee further sug-

plained that the College would
never have allowed the “Camp-
Out" to occur, had it realized
exactly what was planned. He
admitted the administration
was to blame in not determin-
ing sooner what was planned.
He said the College “can’t sup-
port all night activities", fur-
ther stating that to some peo-
ple, it “had an overtone of so—
cial rules involvement."

Other objections were noise
from the band, and the in-
volvement or all of North Cam-
pus, whether other halls wished
to participate or not.

According to Dean Thomp-
son, the same type of event will
not occur again,

The occasion was attended
by a maximum of about two
hundred people at its high point
at twelve o’clock.

From then on, despite a roar-
ing bonfire in the mlddle of
Mac Field, and movies which
showed until two in the morn-
ing, the cold drove most of the
participants away.

At dawn, when the outing
ended, only five couples were
left to gather around the dying
fire.

gests that, “Each hall may re-
strict these hours as it sees fit,
with the stipulation that at
least 3 hours per day be re-
tained."

Criticized for the limited
scope of the committee’s pro-
posal, Horn responded, “We re<
alized we weren't covering all
the problems, but nobody else
on campus did anything on
this We did It’s something.”

”This is the first concrete
proposal regarding open dorms
to go through student govern-
mental channels since 1962,”
he explained “Once it has been
sent out to the student body,
we’ll have some facts and fig-
ures to talk about. We’ll get
some real numbers for a
change."

Actual figures, Horn noted,
will force the administration to
be more speciiic than they
have been previously about no
jections they may have to in-
creased opens. In the past, he
explained, the deans have cited
other schools' unhappy experi-
ences with liberalized rules but
have produced no specific,
written evidence to support
their contentions.

The statement's p r e f a c 9
reads, in part: “Only the dy-
namics of decision, not the
shelter of a protective wing
will allow, and, yes, in some
cases force, students to develop
their own indivldualityr The
college is naive if it thinks that
mature individuals can spring
iuii»grown from a protective
environment simply by donning
a magic cap and gown

“We do not ask for unlimited

SENATE—-
(Continued on Page 11

on others and be aggressive
about his “rights.” Concrete in-
stances of such aggressiveness
are excessive noise-making,
bravado drinking, and brazen
illegal visiting that other stu-
dents had better accept or else.
We might list many more aux-
iliary problems connected with
our style of living, but these
are enough. in the face of such
diiilculties the fact is remark-
able that Gtinnell Student!
have generally kept their hu<
manit and their sense of re«
sponsibility to themselves and
their college."

It was at his first encampu
ment, two years ago, Leggett
noted, that he first heard stu.
dent complaints about resi-

Photo by Don Hacker
"I do not believe in the
extension oi open rooms."

dence hall life, especially all
north campus. “That life, ac-
cording to what I heard, was
noisy, vulgar, and academical-
ly debilitating." South cam-
pus was more gracious, but
still so conditioned by north
that it was unsatisiactory. The
experience of the first encamp-
ment persuaded me that the
residence system here was in-
terfering with the success of
the academic program."
North campus appeared al-
most united in its opposition to
any change in the system, and
a special student-faculty com.
mittee recommended ll t t l a
change when it filed its report.
Leggett said that he swal-
lowed his disappointment, feel.
ing encouraged that, in view
of what looked like a working
system at communication be-
tween student leaders and the
administration, the residence
system might be made to work.
The president was “ecstatic"
about the possibilities oi prog.
ress in 1966 atter an encamp-
ment devoted almost exclusives
ly to academic topics. He was
very disappointed in the special
encampment issue of the 5&3.
which covered primarily worri-
en’s hours and open rooms.
Leggett said that these topics
had received only incidental
attention at the encampment.
Leggett felt that the sleep-in
of last November temporarily
destroyed the communications
system that so many thoughl
had been established. He sug-
gested that “There were two
lessons which . . . students
might have learned. First. the!
student actlon is as liable to
misinterpretation by the public
press as that of administrators“
and Second, that though the Col.
lege cannot control threats to
its institutional integrity, it will

LEGGETI—
(Continued on Page I) ,