SCARLET AND BLACK Page Two EDITORIAL Friday, February 28. my Truth in Packaging The KRNT television special on Grinnell began with some stock footage of long-haired, wildly gesticulating college students throwing things and shouting God knows What. A campus riot, in other words. It went on to show approximately 10 minutes of what could just as well have been stock footage: a “respectable” picture of student life exemplified by Gl‘innell College. My argu- ment with the program is based not on whether or not Grinnell life is respectable, but rather that the show served simply as an— other 3x5 card in that catalogued, categorized index of cliched “images” which the program was supposedly intended to dispel. There is nothing Wrong, and a good deal right, with such wholesome Grinnell activities as Uncle Sam’s Club, inter-racial house, CBS’s playing basketball, AWARE, or scholarship winners. But in attempting to present this as a true picture of Grinnell life—and thereby in effect relegating equally important aspects of student life such as dissention and protests to the position of campus abnormalities—somehow, a great disservice is done to both the college community and to the public in general. After all, the numbers of students involved in'each of the wholesome activities is a minority of the student body, just as those who participated in the disrobing incident were. To designate some minorities as “the way today’s students really are,” and others FREDRICKA NELSON talking wilh her neighbor Vanesa. talk of the town as “a loudspoken but unrepresentative fringe,” is not only a dis- tortion of the truth but a misleading categorization as well. I hope the college administration is not as pleased with the program as I imagine they very well may be. Mr, Leggett spoke the other night of the need for diversity on Grinnell’s campus, but this program seemed to belie students on this campus, individuals, that appeal. There are many who find different ways to participate in campus life. To select any partcular group of indi— viduals as representative of the entire student body is both un- fair and unfounded, whether they be clean-cut or not. If diver- sity is the call, let’s not try to lump all students into an homogen- ized, blemish-free product for public consumption. Let’s con~ tinue to provide pictures of campus life such as the KRNT pro- gram, which was accurate even if cliched, but at the same time let‘s provide the whole picture. And if the public comes knock- ing on our door looking for the picture of a typical middle-class, apathetic, self-centered student, let us have the honesty to say, “I’m sorry, you’ve come to the wrong place.” ' IRE ' Who Killed the 5%? By ROGER KOENKER Some may say it was a suicide, but those who knew her best could never swallow that. This was no simple death irom lack of love, though God knows her suitors are unsuited. No, our lady of Burling basement, the Forum, of open- rooms, and TV sols would not have died except by some more complex malaise. No common weavil (apathy) could kill our Sturdy Student Government. The sight or the Right honorabls (Grim) Reaper at the meeting of Presi- dential candidates in ARK was no ap- paritlon, and, as those who were there can testify, the smell of death was thick as all the suitors spoke. Only Grim had the courage to explain his proposal. Some will say that the thousand students who missed that historic meeting murdered our lair friend. Others will (and did) in- dict those "adventurers in morality and politics” who have ravaged the innu~ cent Miss S.G.A. Everyone knows the story, “HOW SUSAN G. ANTHONY FELL INTO THAT CROWD 0F UN- WASHED PINKO FREAKS AND WAS DEFLOWERED AND DISGRACED." But who knows why she is now aban- doned and why no knight has come to cave her honor? Once there was a populist confidence In the students of this college that made student government a podium of at least potential power. Student solidarity seemed to have the power to transform me college. S.G.A. elections meant a month of vigorous debate over the aims of the college and the needs of students. With the process went a great deal of politics unaltered by thought. But poli- tics here recharged a sense of idealism and‘puxposo that made it a useful exer- cise. In large part, the idealism of elections arose out of a sense of group consciousness and student unanimity ol mind about issues like women’s hours, open dorms, and credit-fail gradlng. These issues nun bound us together have dissolved; with them has gone our populism, our confidence, our idealism. Capturing student government last year was not very difficult; she seemed to want to be seduced. Since the explosion of the military recluitmenl issue last spring, it has been clear that student government will be disowned before she is misused to lead the revolution. With- drawzl of the Grinnell lell (such as it is) from politics is not simply a dissatisfac- tion with the channels of the “system." It is an admission of deleat in the effort to move student opinion. Now, why no Knight? It would be easy to say, son, is an instrument or motion; those committed to stasis are excluded. The righteous indignation of students over Senate opposition to Mal‘me/ recruiting, support of Richard Schncil‘ov belore the jud‘cihl council, and support of the Playboy demonstrators have not created a united rightist backlash. In- stead we have live candidates with little hope and no energy. This death-wish may be what representative student gavem— ment on zhls campus means. An election with neither thought nor action will be a ruling tllneral. "She said. ‘I know what it's like to be dead; I lmuw what it is to be sad’; And she‘s making me Ieel like 1 never been born.” by [redricka nelson Since the fashion these days is to be gin with a quotation, i will suhmll to speak to you irom events of the past week, this piece irom ms in society magazine: “the ‘permanent manllesta- tions’ of course did confront people with a situation completely new, unaccusA tamed, even unpleasant, but they did so to force them to a new reaction to the world, to a new gesture of self-conscious- ness, in ‘3 faithful interpretation Di man's existence encircled by objective reality." ‘ lrom (no issue on happenings and imennodia springrsummer, '53, on arriols by iiudrich oh upccky, and translated by w. s. hrrkius, prugue, inns 1967 i should comment that the magazine ls kept in the cities of hurling and would be available in the layman usually by virtue of spending about four hours in the index looking for something “appro- priate.” i never was a natural academi— clan. now l leel relieved to beg an apology for my opening on such a pretentious note. my anicle today has almost noth- ing to do with the scholastic scene. i am going to write about the liule girl whose picture should appear at the top of this column. venesa mcelmy is our Very favorite live year old. she lives in the building next door and we share the stairwell and the mailbox wall. some mornings vanesa stops in to Visit us when she goes to get the mail. this is a small routine deslonde and vanesa and i enjoy together several times a week, our interests are Very much the some. sploob’s babies to be and vanesa's new Cat, mimi; the weather; making pictures and exchanging gills of load and pretty things and toys. today deslollde and i had to make an expedition to the alley to {ind our tardy car and we invited valiesa up {or an aitemaon With us. bill ruiierty came to take pictures, and though vanesa was very modest about being photographed by a newcomer to iho apartment, all or us got warmed up to each other talking and playing with blocks. there was a little strain in the air defined by vim» esa’s shyness and qlllel listening ior large parts or the “party." usually she is eager to iroop through rho apart» mem, investigating things and discuss» mg beads or baubles. vanesa has asked us many [lines it we are hippies and we try and (lelllle ourselves in somewhat more precise terms. our conversations are like this: “ale you and deslonde hippies?" “he. nor really, because we're going to go and get jobs.” “but aren’t your pictures ones?" “they might look like that. don't you think they’re pretty though?” (silence) "don’t dirty?" "i was just going to sweep the floor. you know it's really hard to keep a place lrom looking messy some of the-time." (or) “i was just going to take a bath,” standing there in my towel, “goadhy now, vanesa, we'll see you tomorrow.” “hippies don't take baths do they?” "see you tomorrow, vanesa.” (silence) ‘ “bye." (vanesa sometimes makes slow exus) "goodbye, vanesa, be sure and stop in tomorrow." "goodbye, fred, see you tomorrow." and then our young lady swooshes out and away, dawn the hall for lunch at home. vanesa and her family are our best neighbors and we’re proud to be their. friends. we share an 3271/Z perspec- live or grinnell with lair shares of resig- nation and surprise. there really are lots of Vista down this street and around our building. . except for a short reminder to lriemls of mrs. king in malcom that she will be open again in march, and will show you the best collection of treasures « antiques etc. — in the state, for unfor- tullatcs who haven’t seen or heard of the wonders), i think i should say goodbye tor today. ‘hippie‘ hippies keep their houses The Scarlet & Black swam Newspaper oi Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa An ludcpcndcnl "m. and. published \r s mo men during llo " and examination p 8 “by on Grinncll - Nag minu- sn Student nun r, summon. sun or.- no Qvétl i all on ammusrrrb‘ m school , 5USAN KAEsER BRUCE Sl‘ROM BILL nAl'l-‘ilin' , mum swcc [dixul Huslness indoor lliuuuglug Emlur , Asrorinle Edltnr coav Editor SARAH ANDREW sums Eflllnr , . won STOAKLLY Cnlct rhoroxmohsr .,DA\'m LINDBLOM noporlors Miclnel nrnuo l .nmhy Bull, clm rrolwllch. Tod GI m Hirsch, Molly man June! Smllu, Mark thlem Rich Schmikcncn, Mury zrck