Page 8

House D Ideal

TWO llIl SYSTEMS SEEN

BY DAVE RENAUD
S E: B Staff Writer

Contrary to popular belief,
The resident advisor (RA) sys-
tem at Grinnell College is not
one system, but two. The two
systems are run by two dir-
ierent people, Alice Low. dean
in women, and Eugene Thomp-
son, dean of men, with two difs
ferent ideas on what the system
is supposed to do.

A poster which was sent out
for recruitment purposes to col-
Ieges and universities in various
parts of the country reads. in
part:

“Responsibilities i n c l u d e
counseling or approximately
100 students, with special
emphasis on advising lresii-
men, and generally contrib-
uting tn the quality and so-
cial and academic life in the
residence halls in cooperation
with elected studentvgovem.
meat officers, house councils,
Ind the Dean of Men Ind
Dean of Women."

The poster goes on to say that
“In addition" the resident ad-
visors can be involved in ac-
ademic or admimstrative ac-
tivities of the college commun-
nity.

INTERPRETATION OF

DUTIES

John Martell, former RA ior
Cowles and Dibble, interpreted
lhis as meaning, “an adult in a
dorm for counseling."

Zelte Crawinrd, RA tor North
Younker, South Younker‘, and
Smith has the same view.
(Martell left at the end of last
semester, commenting: “theu~
reticaily it (the job) is interest-
ing, but the way it has turned
out, it isn’t.")

Myrna Aldrich, RA ior Cleve-
land and James. moreror-less
agrees with this. saying; “The
purpose of the RA system is to
have somebody here who is in-
terested in the students and
the campus.”

”To provide counseling,” iI
what Bette Davis, Loose RA,
thinks this clause means, "all
long as we recognize our own
limitations."

The RA for Langan. Gates
and Rawson, Joe Krausman,
thinks his job is to “keep the
boys from doing things like
breaking lamps and throwing
footballs through Windows,” as
well as “havmg people talk to
me.”

John Miller has an entirely
rliilerent interpletation or what
the clause means. He thinks
that "more than being an RA
my job is being an assistant in
cducation.” In other words he
summer: the “in addition”
clause of the poster to be more
important than the “responsibil—
Ities” clause.

Mary (“Suzie") Argentl and
Christie O’Loughlln, resident
advisors ior Hailles and Read
and Meals and Main, respec-
tively, go along with Dean Low
in taking the “responsibilities"
alause lor exactly what it says.

According to Dean Thompson,
however, the resident atlvisors
are “supposed to be there as a
non-student person in the
dorm." Their job, says Thomp-
'0", is to “get to know the stu-
dents." This is a duty that is
only implied by the poster.

Dean Low says that the RA}:

do not have any day-to-day
specific duties written down,
but there is “a general outline
ot what they are supposed to
do." Those duties are the ones
listed on the poster as “respon-
sibillties."

0n the other hand, Dean
Thompson says: “There are no
rules written down."

VARIED ORIENTATION

Before classes started this fall
and before the students arrived,
Dean Low had an orientation
for the women resident advis-
ors. During this orientation she
outlined what she wanted the
R.A.’s to accomplish she left
it up to the resident advisers
as to how they were to accom-
plish these ends, which were
the same nds stated in the
“responsib ties” Clause of the
poster.

During this time Dean Low
also told the RAJ! about the
Baffle Board. Theoretically one
or more girls on each floor of
each dorm meets with the
woman resident udvisor once I
week to report on how the floor
is coming along with its prob-
lems.

Dean Thompson had no orien-
tation for the men R.A.’s. When
asked if such an orientation
would have helped, he said:
“Maybe. When I interviewed
them I told them that their
first job was in get to know as
many people as possible. They
were supposed to iniorm them-
selves about hall government.”

The men R.A.'s all agree that
an orientation would have
helped, even if all it involved
was telling them what they
were supposed to be doing.

HELP STUDENTS

All of the resident adviSDl‘s
said that a lot of students come
in to “chihchat,” in the case
of the girls, and “shoot the
bull,” in the case of the boys.
All except one, Joe Krausman,
said that they had helped stu‘
dents With emotional problems.
Krausman said, “Kids come to
me with money problems, girl
problems, and house problems.
They come in to ask‘me about
the army and they Just come in
to talk; but they don't come in
with emotional problems."

(Dean Thompson slutfed on
this remark by saying, Kraus-
man just isn’t the kind of guy
that admits he has helped kids
with emotional problems")

When asked what he looked
for in the hiring of these people,
Dean Thompson said: “All have
to have an academic job it they
are interested. Also they must
have the ability to live in a
dormitory." (John Martell lived
in a dorm ior one year and
Ll'links dorm life is Stupid.)

Dean Low looked lot girls
that “you can talk to easily.
Someone who is really interest-
ed in young people. I also looked
ior some kind of counseling in
the girls‘ background."

IMPROVEMENTS

All oi the resident advisors
had some ideas lor improving
the system. Zelte Crawford
thinks integrating the dorms
would help. Suzie Argenti. Bette
Davis. and Myrna Aldrich think
it would be a big improvement
ii the R.A..systems on North
and South, boyu and girls,

SCARLET AND BLACK

campuses worked closer to-
gether.

John Miller and Joe Kraus-
man would like to see a lull-
time facility member paid a
“couple oi grand" more to live
in the dorm.

John Martel] went one step
further and said that they
should hire psychologists for the
position.

Even the two people who are
in the position to do something
about improvement or the sys-
tem have suggestions.

Dean Low thinks: “The pro-
gram should work together and
there should be a combined
training program for both men
and women R.A.'s. It would
also help if a group at tipper-
classmen were set up to work
with the resident advisors."

Dean Thompson thinks: “We
should make sure the guys we
get are going to be interested
in talking with students about
problems~both house govem-
merit and academic. There has
got to be some kind a! formal
part of the house government
set up lor the R.A.’s."

Thompson who hires the men
lays that the {act that therc
are the right kind of people at
Grinnell as RAJK “is question-
able in a couple of cases."

There are, indeed. two dif-
fel'ent systems. Dean Low sees
this and wants something done
about it. The resident advisers
see this and want something
done about it. Dean Thompson
says: ”I don't think there are
two dilierent systems."

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INTERIM
SCRAPPED

SGA President Ric MacDow—
ell — representing the Interim
Committee — told the senate
Wednesday night that “there
won’t be an interim as such
next year."

MacDowell said the Idminis-
tration had decided not to con-
tinue the program, and he nt-
tributed Ihe end oi Interim to
poor attendance at event! and
luck of funds.

A Carnegie grant which had
financed part of Interim events.
he said, had expired this year.
It costs around $10,000 to curry
an Interim, he added.

The cost was around 330 per
student this year, he guessed.

Interlm was “unbelievably
poorly Ittended,” the Interim
chairman concluded. “We had
580 students buck plus athletes
plus lhe seniors."

“We spent $400 to bring in
three speakers on minorities,”
he noted, ”and had about 80
people show up for it (Le. their
presentation).”

Mac Dowell also mentioned
that the College may usa
money formerly expended on
Interim for convocation-like ac-
tivities during the school year.

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TEXAS JUSTICE

HOUSTON, Tex., Jan. 17
(LNS) — On March 4, five black
students from Texas Southern
University will face trial and a
po. his death penalty on a
charge of killing a white police-
man.

The arrests iollowod a polico
riot May 16 at the TSU campus,
in which guns and tear gas

SUNDAY
IN DES MOINES

By BOB WILSON

25% of Iowa families — less
than $3000 in annual income.

51% of Iowans over 25 -—-
without a high School diploma.
So begins a statement of lowa’s
social problems,

Last Sunday night, with Gov-
ernor Hughes as speaker, an
Iowa ecumenical council chal-
Ienged Christians and Jeivs to
follow their laith by working
to roll back Iowa's growing
problems in discrimination and
poverty.

Speaking of discrimination,
Hughes showed he possesses a
knowledge of ghetto despair
and hopelessness. Saying that
“the solution will not come from
the banks of the Potomac,” he
stressed action by individuals
within their community.

Pointing to the economic paw-

Frirlay. January 26. IN!

er present in a congregation
the governor challenged his
audience to put their resources
into ridding their community of
discrimination, poverty, and the
handout.

Some of the council‘s recom-
mendations are: big brother
programs, youth center facill<
ties, iree legal advice, hiring
of Negroes and other under»
privileged, housing renovating,
volunteer teaching, vocational
school aid and adoption 0! fed-
eral programs.

The churches and synagogues
oi Iowa are a large. powerlul,
prearganized group holding
great promise in community
improvement.

Integration can not he leg~
islated, nor can segregation be
tolerated by the faithful Chris-
tian or Jew. The religious have
been challenged, and to many
the fate of the church and the
synagogue rests on this demons
titration of their faith.

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AFRO-AMERICANS:
IN TOWN. ON CAMPUS

By SUKI FOWLER I SUSAN HAMANN
sails Staff Writers

“Insults, rockthrowing, general disrespect and accosting oi
Negroes in the Grinnell Community." said Lou Kelly, Was the silly
ject of a meeting last Sunday night at Grinnell House.

The meeting was the culmination of Kelly’s so—iar unirllitlul
attempts to form an Afro-American group on campus.

it was attended by president Leggett, Dean s. Eugene Thomp-
son, Kelly, and other leaders or the Aim-American group mm the

college.

Townspeople who attended were Bill Weeks (High School Prim
cipal), Police Chiet Peters. Al Pinder (of the Grinnell Herald-Reg.
ister), and “Frosty" Mitchell (of KGRN).

Kelly explained that most or the meeting was spent in “con-
vincing the members or the town group that a Negro problem

existed in Grinnell.”

The problem comes mostly from persons under 25 who take
out their "boredom" by insulting _ physically and mentally —
members oi the Grinnell Community, especially Negro students,

states Kelly.

Kelly felt the need {or an AfroAmerican group ior seltrpreser-
vation has developed against the town's attitude of “rampant in-

action."

The group was formed last semester originally to participate
in the nation-Wide project of defining the role of the Negro in the
United States. They concluded that considerable alienation re-
sulted when the term “Black Power" was used too loosely in con-

nection with AimAmericanlsm.

, Defining “Black Power," Kelly says it suggests the “idea oi
self~respect oi the Negro as well as emphasizing tin appreciation

of the American Negro culture."

He observed that the Grinnell Negro is not really a part of the
subculture, because he can, Kelly said, partially escape through
his education. Still, Kelly said, the Grinnell Negro will have to do
considerable “soul searching" in deciding whether or not to ignorc
the problem: of ”inadequate housing. poor jobs, and inferior edit-
cntion which produce the Negro who is ashamed of his Negro cul.

ture."

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were used and police invaded
student dormitories.

The death of the policeman,
Kuba, took place when the cops
attacked the dorms.

According to the current issue
of The Movement, “there are
no windows on the side of the
building from which the police
attacked; therefore, a student's
bullet would have had to make
two right angles to hit a police-
man,"

“The accused are: Douglas
Wallace, who was already in
jail at the time of the murder;
Floyd Nichols and Charles Free-
man, who were on the olher side
of the city; Trazewell Franklin
and John Parker, who were in
bed when the police attacked."
Movement said funds are l|r<
gently needed to support the
iivc.

BEAR TIMED

A 1939 Grinnell Pill Beta
Kappa has been promoted to
Vice President-International 0i
Time magazine's Time-Life ln-
iernational.

Formerly managing director
of Time’s publishing operallons
abroad, Charles Bear will exer—
cise “final authority over all
corporate intematiollal mat-
ters," according to oiiicials oi
the magazine.

A native oi Washington, la,
Bear received his BA. in his-
tory at Grinnell. He took his
Masters Degree in Internation-
al Relations at Tufts College's
Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy.

Bear is presently serving on
President Iaggett'a advisory
Committee on Student rite. ,