v.9. Two

‘ EDITORIAL

SCAR I? AND HACK

W

Notes from the Crinnell Police and Fire Station

The fire trucks, cards, cribbage set, easy chairs, and color
TV in the garage at the fire station were all very much enjoyed
by those waiting to appear in court (held in the Recreation Room)
:lor the preliminary hearing for those involved in the disrobing
incident. The perfect cribbage band hanging on the wall next to
the TV was especially interesting to Dean Low and the other
guests The museum-piece fire equipment was also interesting.
Our thanks to Police Chief Peters and the Fire Department for

their hospitality.

This playful environment helped relax the tension created
by the entrance of the outside world, in the form of the Attorney
General’s men, into our peaceful Grinnell existence. For the
first time since the Gates event the absurdity of the investigation
could not be ignored or missed by anyone, The big moment the
investigation had been working for, the newspapers have head-
lined, TV has filmed, and students have become paranoid about,
finally arrived in all its ridiculous glory.

It is more apparent than ever that politicians and the press,
those groups so concerned with the protest, are themselves moti-
vated by a Playboy sort of commercialism. Unfortunately, a dem-
onstration against this group is a bit difficult at this point.

Susan Kaesor

Fun WIS Ind by all at the Grinnell Police and Fin station.

 

|’____—_—*_

“Come on, People, Now . . .

By LEE MAIUL
Now, I am not one to defend the slate
of Iowa, or any other state for that mat—
ler, but as the dirty business of the
Playboy protest races toward a final des-

tination which, as one Can now foresee.
ls probably in exactly the wrong desired
direction, Grinnell students continue to
walk to class with their faces buried in
their coats (and not because it‘s cold) or
glued to the back of the body in front of
them. In short, when these noxious
forces fall off a dark precipice into the
shadows below, then, my friends, it Will
he too late to say in a weakened voice,
“Well, yes, maybe things have gone a
little tflO lar."

The point here is that we as students,
kids, middle class good guys, achievers,
future people of the world, etc, we, in
general, should be opening our mouths a
little wider and lening our nice, pre-
farmed, carefully - cared - for » teeth
grumble words that get beyond signing
I petition, or feeling that Grinnell’s
image has been tarnished (an impossible
thing to do), or burping in the lunch line.
Add to this Such things as badminton.
the student senate, gravy, and this did»
dley— slop that passes for weather and
yes, godvhelp-me, i hope he's not look-
ing, I, 100, would take off my clothes
but not for Hugh (he has enough prob-
lems), but for the 1050 students who
didn't take their clothes off and haven't
on: their own bodies for a month.

91

Now, anyone that saw the ten-man
Louie-Louie brass band last weekend,
which was the funniest thing i’ve seen
for a long time, wonders at the con~
trolled obscenity that passed for a band
and the gentle mob that passed ior
dancers. The last time I saw my body
was in the shower this morning, and as
I looked at it I thought of ten people
singing “You’ve Got to Walk Thai Lone
some Valley." The connection here be-
ing that if you missed the point in what
these people were trying to say then
you rank with the attorney general’s of—
fice, the Maryana (?) Trench, trench
mum, and even the seven girls who
wrote that mother-where-are-you letter
to the editor last week. About that letter
I am still thinking, it keeps me awake
at night, and even durlng badminton,
my brain Shouts, “Gee, girls, you sure
are swell, yes, you sure are swell, true
Grinnell apple~pie girls, yes, yes, yes."

Now, while those ten people may not
have pushed through the cob-web aca~
demic ivy which surrounds this school,
at least, they've pushed through my ivy,
and the banner is risen on the flagpole,
that long. thin, silver rhing in 1an or
the forum, which shines on all who walk
by. And on this old banner reads my
moral {or your life time, he the ten pro-
tesrors are not, in my opinion, obscene,
but Grinnell College is, And I’m not
talking about mining this poor old col-
lege': image and start worrying about
this poor- old college.

lElTERS

College Exists for Students

Tome Editor:

The occurrences of the last few weeks
on this campus and elsewhere lead me
to make the following comments. (1) A
college exists for the sake of the students,
but students don’t exist for the sake of
the college. It seems, therefore. that the
college must take a greater responsibili-
ly ’or its student-oriented actions than a
group of students should for their college-
oriented actions.

(2) it appears that those who condemn
my action on the pan of the student
body which mighr bring adverse publicity
to the college are in reality asking for a
completely straight campus, and per-
haps one without any students. For we
all know that the student is generally
held in very low esteem by society and
my action, statement, or appearance of
a student or student group which is even
rlighny at odds with what our society
presently demands can only bring nd—
verse publicity to the college of attend-
nice.

(3) Any college which fears for its life
because of a bit of adverse publicity
would perhaps in reality fear for its lite
because of its own inability to survive.
This might imply that such a college is it-
relevant to its students and that it has
nothing bi value that should even man<
date its survival.

(4) Any individual or institution that
reasons that every action and statement
must be carefully thought out as lo all
its possible and profitable implications
and consequences before implementing
that statement or action must be male
gated to its own particular hell of inac-
lion.

(5) I would indicate to the student body
that experience now tells us that the
single voice, or even the dozen voices,
really never has much of an eflect on
the institutionalized establishment. It is
becoming more and more obvious that
there is strength only in numbers. I
would therefore counsel you (in the
plural) that the ultimate goals of your
education must be established by you
and it must be done in mass. It is about
time that you all tell us what is relo-
vanl to you and what direction you want
your educational experience as take. 0r,
must orinncll College really fear that
adverse publicity?

(6) Since we have now rached the
point in the evolution of our society at
which dialogues between the establish-
ment and anti-establishment factions are
not only unsuccessful but also dis-
couraged, I now see the rationale for
mass action. it appears, in this con-
text, that America and most specially
American colleges are reentering a
period or the dark ages, exemplified by
its witch-hunts, its inability to innovate,
and its lack of desire to either change.

The Scarlet & Black

swam Newspaper of
Grinnell College.
Grinnell. Iowa

An independent news-
[“1 paper published weekly,
a... ”g except during holidays

, and cxnmmnhon periods,
9: lg by 'rhz Grinnell Com‘
“Um/3N1

mine: on Student Publi-
cnmyns. suhsmnuon
rat: $6.00 per school
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M an Editor

Aisoclalt mm

SUSAN KAESER
nucn smom
.mLL RAFFERTY
, navm swan
copy rduor samn ANDREW
spans Edllor won STOAKLEY
Cnlet rhormphs mvrn LINDBLOM
Reporters .. .. Michael anndon,
Kinny null, cull rrohiich, Ted Gllck.
u mmh. Molly McClure,
Jam nil-Ii. Muri- Mom.

In launch-u, uni-1 lick .

Friday. February H. ”M,

m:

or modify. its existing mm in order
to either improve or simply nah edu-
cation more relevant

(7) I agree and compliment, fit what-
ever it's worth, the motlvattm of the
demonstrating group. However, I do not
as yet have enough information to either
condone or conmn their mom. They
should at least be complimented on haw
ing the courage of their convictions,
which the rest of us all too often lack.
it appears that they also have I: cour-
lg: to accept responsibility but to; their
words and their aeuons, another quality
that too many of no lack.

sma- Puma

International Suppali

! February 1*

fl Blvd. St. Mimi
Paris 5. France
Dear- Editor:

We in Paris are pleased to him! that
the students at Grinneil are not only
concerned with important ”menu like
open dorms, but are ensuing their
pmtesLs to issue: ouch a "mull in

packaging.”
Your: from
Margaret no:
Editor’s Noll:

This letter was accompanied by all
article explaining the Playboy protest
from the International Herald Tribune
(Paris), which is published jointly by
The New York Times, The Won
Post, and John Hay Whitney, ion-her
publisher of The New York M Trib-
one.

Peaceful Revolution

To the Editor:

A sizeable part of the radical move-
merit seems to include a polidcal view-
point of change; power, control, and gov-
emmental systems 0! economics in gen-
eral are common targets of attack. The
Establishment is the object 0! almost
categorically negative comments directed
by the radicals at Grinnell and chewhere.
Agreed, we need some change (revolu-
tion?) and political action. But there are
a. few areas that could be expanded and
more or less opened up in term. of view-
points,

First oi all, the curegnn'czl Ippmachll
“The system is all wrong." This kind at
generalization is nearly as ever—stated
as saying everything is all right. When
you get down to actual mechanisms, any .
system, old or new, is going is have a
few problems which have to be worked
on —~ and after a new order is estab-
lished it ceases very quickly to be new
and comes under attack like its prede-
cessorl If it dictates ideas similar in
categorical content even though different
in actual policy, the new establishment,
too, is faulty.

Obviously, some systems are a lot bet-
ter for certain people than others, but
the universal perfection hr lau of it is
at least doubllul. The pmblem Iith yes-
no categories is that neither one leaves
much choice to individuals When this
happens to anybody’s system. mple's
rights to decide what they want to do are
being stepped on. A freedom movement
should be just that, not another categori-
cal set of rules replacing the old ones

Not everybody potentially interested in
change is politically oriented. u is possi-
ble to be not nearly as worried about the
structure of a government wiui its size
and impersonality as you are with the
structure of your own 'world‘ and the
way you find it. Artists, poets, or musi-
clans, ior example, all have their own
ways of seeing things and communicating

IEVOLU'HON
, Continued In: I. Col. 1