Friday. March 7. I969

SCARLET AND BLACK

 

Poll. Sci. Muiors
Use EPC Power

By GARY HANSJERGEN

The corporate “we" of Gl‘inneli stu-
dents sits on its hands, rocks back and
forth, feels the winds on its face, but
sees nothing through glazed eyes. Every
so often an indiVldual starts away from
the "we" because he has been provoked
and prodded by unendurable extraneous
factors and frees his hands and eyes. I
am free. i take it upon myself to wield
the prod awhile.

I am a member of the Political Science
Student Educational Policy Committee,
the only body of its kind at a department
level at this school. I Will structure my
remarks around the work this organiza—
tion has undertaken DVE!‘ the last month
in light or student power at Grinnell.

The emergence of the Political Science
Strident Educational Policy Committee
has been a part of the current discussion
about direct student participation in the
academic and administrative life of this
college. Make no mistake, however, its
establishment was in no way a response
to articulated or perceived student de-
mands. The activities of vocal students
over the last few years have been glor-
ious but restricted. It was a surprise to
me to tum from fights where
years of concession had scraped down to
basic, uncompromisahle p o s i t i o n s to
areas where students were welcomed as
allies and fellow contributors.

Earlier this semester the benevolent
spirits in the Political Science Depart-
ment requested the election of a commit~
tee of five students which would meet
regularly with the five faculty in a
strong consultation relationship to dis-
cuss and act for the department vis—a-
vis the rest of the school. in one of the
rare moments in the life of a Grinnell
student, several majors led by Don Ma-
lum decided that the opportunity had ar-
rived to strike against continual pater-
nalis/rni They attempted to form a Stu-
dent committee by student consensus
which would go beyond the faculty propo~
cal in having a strong voice in the run<
ning of their department. The result was
a meeting of about 85% of the majors,
called and conducted by students, in
which complaints and suggestions were
aired and the student committee estab-
lished, The committee consists of Grant
Crandall, Howard Ward, Kathy Keelan,

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} Cuba

Continued from Page a

still boast congregations of up to two
and three thousand. Larry also visited
five Jewish synagogues in Havana, and
commented that while there are no pram
ticing rabbis in Havana (due to lack of
sufficient income opportunity). Jewish
congregations also remain active.

Official relations between church and
state in Cuba remain very good, said
Larry. In the opinion of most of the
people he questioned, Castro is “too
smart” to jeopardize popular support
for his Revolution by trying to instigate
suppression of religious activity

The government has not totally ab-
sented itself from the area of religion.
however. Sermons frequently attempt
to encourage congregations to support
the Revolution, especially by participab
ing in harvesting crops. The govem-
ment’s current controls over all meat
facilities make Cuban Jews dependent
upon government distribution at all
kosher meat products, The government
also has made itself responsible for sup—
plying teachers ior the education of
Jewish children in Hebrew culture. Per-
haps the greaiest indication that govern-
ment permissiveness in the area at re<
ligiiin is more pragmatic than ideologi»
cally in tune with the interests of the
Revolution is the fact that it is almost
impossible to rise within the rank of the

Mary Klippel and Gary Hansjergen who
are united in their desire to work in
presenting and fighting for the ideas of
students

Their work through February has been
a total review of department Curriculum.
There has been a remarkable attempt on
the part of the Political Science faculty
to encourage and accept student criti-
cism and proposals. Decisions have been
made by consensus and their power to
persuade has proved to be equal to that
of the faculty. The committee has had
success in most areas of removing
dated courses, renovating others, and
instituting brand new offerings. In some
cases its ideas have been accepted in
entirety. There is no doubt that the com-
mittee has changed the department for
the better, not only in curriculum areas,
but by its evaluation of teaching meth.
ads and materials and With respect to
counselling relationships between iaculty
and students. The work they do this
year will insure that no major decisions
concerning political science teaching per-
sonnel will be made in the coming years
without the students involved in that de-
partment having shaped and agreed to it.

Benevolent spirits exist in all depart-
ments at Grinnell. It is time to accept al-
lies and assume the responsibility which
power demands require. No person dea
serves to have more of a say in the flinc-
lioning of n deparlment than the stu-
dents who are subjected to its inadequa-
cies over a four year period. The time
has come to act on all fronts in move
students into positions of decision male
ing and review in our college community.

 

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Communist Party if one is "actively res
Iigious.”

One of Larry's most interesting obser-
vations about Cuban life under the Revo-
lution involved the subject of crime
The overall crime rate in Cuba is un—
believably low, a fact Larry attributed
to one form at “Revolutionary conscious
ness." Most Cubans seem to consider
crime to be “counter-revulutionary" by
nature, and therefore seek naturally to
suppress it.

Thrust in Agriculture

In general terms, changes in Cuban
life as a result of the Revolution are
most evident in the country, Larry re-
ported. The combined forces of expand-
ed education, improved health meas-
ures, and increased emphasis on the im-
portance of agriculture have resulted in
great improvements in the living con-
ditions of Cuba’s rural populace. City
life, which was relatively affluent before
Castro’s Revolution, has understand-
ably suffered due to the shift in interest
and expenditure of resources, and it is
in the cities that real dissatisfaction Is
now to be found.

Agriculture, the focus of the Revolu-
tion’s interest and endeavor, is as yet
still unmechanized, and depends almost
entirely upon hand labor. It is one of
the hopes of the government that if this
year‘s goal of producing 10 million tons
of Sugar is realized, the economy will
then be able to support expansion into
other industries eventually abandoned
after Castro’s first abortive attempw to
channel labor and resources into other
areas of production.

Larry mentioned that the government
officially attempts to give the impres-
sion that all land In Cuba is owned by
the government. an eventual goal of the
Revolution. In truth, approximately 60%
of the land in Cuba is still privately
owned, Larry reported that the govem—
ment has no plans at present for force-
able takeover of private lands, but that
a program aimed at inducing landlords
to donate their land [0 the government
is now in progress. The government as-
signs voluntary laborers to assist in
the harvest of crops, hoping to create
sufficient gratitude on the part of the
landowners that they will eventually
give their lands up to the state.

Castro's Rapport Genuine

Among the highlights of Larry’s stay
in Cuba was his attendance at a rally
of 300,000 people gathered in hear Castro
speak on the occasion of the 10th an-
niversary 0f the Jan. 2, 1959. Revolu-
tion. Larry stated that he was at first
disturbed at what appeared to be a
"lack of enthusiasmH on the part of the
“quiet, rather subdued” crowd which was
listening to Castro. It became gradually
apparent however, that the relationship
between Castro and the Cuban citizenry
has by now evolved from emotional
rapport to one which is “pitched more
intellectually." Larry found Castro’s
speech to be “amazingly educational” in
tone and nature.

In Larry's opinion, Castro apeared
“incredibly comfortable” during the
speech. The crowd was attentive and
interested, Larry stated. and seemed to
reflect an honest, pervasive tnlst in
Castro and his intentions to meet the
needs of the people through expansion
and explanation of the Revolution. None-
theless, Larry added, there is still a
minimum or one assassination attempt
made per month on Castro's life.

Page Nino

Film Sabotaged

while Larry prolessed coming away
from Cuba wah a general confidence
that present government controls and
programs can be justified as necessary
to the ends of the socioeconomic Revo-
lution, he also left Cuba with an en-
tirely personal grievance with Castro’s
government and at least one oi its seli—
protective policles. It was not until he
turned to Grinnell and began develop
ing the pictures he had taken during his
stay that he discovered that 201 rolls of
his film had been either x-rayed or ex-
posed tu radioactive material, thus
“fogging" the film and making any kind
oi legible print almost impossible. Larry
expressed doubt that any rolls except
for the 10 or 12 he was carrying on his
person at the time of his departure will
be salvageable.

Larry left Cuba Feb. 4, traveling by
Cuban freighter to St. John’s. Newfound-
land, and from there back in the United
States, Summing up the general nature
of his newly-updated impression of
Cuba, Larry emphasized the peaceiul
nature of the present moment of Cuba’s
socioeconomic revolution. "1 went 9»-
peciing to find signs of a violent socb
ety," Larry stated. “What I found was
a government and a people engaged in
an orderly effort to achieve economic
stability anil social Change.”

—————1

} Committee
Continued from Page 1

of occupants in the dormitories. Neverthl
less, the college has yet to determine a
speciiic off-campus apartment policy.
In the future such a policy might include
the decision that, to enable greater
variety in living options, the college
would increase the number of people cit-
campus by a certain percentage each
year. The capacity of the town and the
proposed enrollment for each year will
continue to be controlling iactors.

As changes in the oil-campus offering:
affect only a small percentage of stu—
dents, Lhe Student Affairs Committee
will spend a substantial amount of time
planning new dormitory changes for
next year. The possibilities for further
relieving overcrowding, for upgrading BX-
Isting dormitories, and for making
another coed dormitory hold top con-
sideration at this time. Change in dormi-
tory structure is a slow process, but one
which can make a significant. difference
in the climate at Grinniell.

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