GRINNELL COLLEGE . SCARLET 8: BLACK THE STUDENT, NEWSPAPER Vol. LXXVl Grinnell, ice... Friday. April 4. loss » Faculty At a faculty meeting March ll), History prolessor Gregory ouroii introduced a {notion to withdraw academic credit irom the Alf Force ROTC program on campus. Guroii’s motion, it passed, fould possibly mark a pivotal point in he lsyeor relationship between the De- artment oi the Air Force and Grinnell ; liege. ilt‘i 1951, during the Korean War, the college asked the Department or the Air Force to place a ROTC detachs inent on campus. This request was made {g slow the drain of male draitees. N: :(at time, the ROTC curriculum was ept under strict control by the depart— No. 27) Considering ROTC Status merit oiiice in Washington. However, these reins were gradually released and the local detachment was given increas- ing control 0! its curriculum in the period beiore 1964, the detachment of» tice was able to work iairly closely With the college. Many suggestions were made and incorporated and regular college proiessors helped a great deal in the teaching. In 1964, to replace homogeneity lost by giving them more autonomy, the Department reinstated its toll control over the curriculum. Officially, that control is still maintained. However, since 1967, the iaculty has A Justification \ ll Liberally Educated oilioor py PHILIP C. PURDOM, Capt. USAF Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies The Air Force program in its aca- demic program is designed so that stu- dents may familiarize themselves with the instruments of national defense poli- cy, with particular reference to the Air Force, and the ways in which these instruments are used in support of na— tional policy. These studies range, dur- ing the four years, from consideration of the nature at war, to astronautics and space operations, to the nature and meaning of military professionalism, to the efforts being made by the us. Gov- ernment to find a Viable peace. To me the chief value of hav- ing a ROTC program on campus is, in fact, the opportunity students have to see the interrelationships of their stu< dies in political science, history, econ- limits, and the natural and physical scie ences to the study of national detense policy and problems. To the cadets in the program, there are of course other advantages in being in AFROTC. Schol- arships and the opportunity to plan their graduate education before military ser- vice are probably two primary consid- erations to many students. The quality and variety of experience derived il'om service as an officer in the Air Force are perhaps the most signiiicant bene- fits which most of our graduates will value highly atter their period oi mili- tary duty. To the Air Force, however, the oppor- tunity to obtain young oliicers with th- verse backgrounds and viewpoints, who have had occasion to develop their knowl- edge and analytical ability as they were receiving education toward a commis- sion, is important to being effective as an element 01 national security. The problem raced by any organization is to provide a continuing intlux of new ideas, backgrounds, and concepts. This is certainly true of the Air Force because only through Willingness and capacity to change can the organization be respon- sive to the requirements of the civil society. The Air Force has therefore de- sired to maintain this voluntary rela- PURDOM— (Continued on Page 4, Column 4) A Defense \ A Question of Alterndliv it By BRUCE ARMSTRONG The issue of removing academic credit (tom ROTC courses must be seen in its proper light. It academic credit were removed from ROTC courses, students at Grinnell would drop ROTC, I have found that ROTC takes up more time per uredit than any other course i have taken at Grinnell. it would take a highly exceptional student to carry 16 credits lus ROTC as an extracurricular acti~ vity. I seriously doubt that any students would undertake that type of workload. Therefore, the attempt to eliminate aca- demic credit from ROTC is actually an attempt to remove ROTC from Grinnelll, perhaps mt by design I admit. Commenting first on just tho retention issue, there is one basic reason lor re- taining it. There are three fundamental choices available to the limit system. 1. Canada or jail — the first is a cop- out, the second appeals to very few. and neither is substantially used. 2. Being dratted — the most common choice. I. Becoming an nitrous. There are two main avenues for those of us not already in military academics, leading toward a commission. One is post-graduate olilcer programs such as DCS and 0T5. The problem with this method is that preferred status lnr erl< trance to these schools is given to those coming up through the ranks, not college graduates. Consequently, these schools are hard to enter because they are usual- ly full. The other avenue is ROTC, redd- lly available, and tor most of us, the only one available. One of the goals or this college is to prepare students for a useful career. Only the individual can decide what a useiul career is, and as long as some students at Grinnell decide that. the mili- tary is fl useiul career, than it is con- sistent with the goals of this college. and perhaps incumbent upon it, to pro vlde ROTC in a viable manner, meaning with academic credit. ignoring for the moment that academic credit is directly linked to retention of ARMSTRONG—- A (Continued on Page 1, Column 4) maintained its effort to offer curriculum suggestions. Last tall, a faculty commit< tee on Aerospace Studies was iormed to coordinate faculty suggestions, though this committee still had no controlling power. The college remained on the de~ fenswe. Gurotf commented on the reversal of this defensive position in explaining the rationale ior his motion. "1 believe the ROTC program is inconsistent with the established college standards for granting credit. In the present situation, it stands outside or the college. i am also aware of two simultaneous move- ments. One is the Air Force’s movement away from local autonomy; the other is the movement or U.S. colleges and uni- versities toward greater control at the curriculum. These are movements in opposite directions." Guroii expressed the hope that, if academic credit is with- drawn. the Air Force would retain the campus detachment, but change the ROTC curriculum requirement to in- clude a choice (it regularly scheduled courses. Guroff concluded, “whatever action the Air Force takes, at least Coll‘ tl‘Dl would be placed back with the col« legs, which is our purpose.” Three Levels ’ Faculty Ended on now By ROBERT GREY Instructor in Political Science Two proposals are now being consid- ered by the Grlnnell laculty: (1) termi— nation of the college-ROTC tie, or (2) removal of academic credit from ROTC courses, and removal of professional Status iol‘ ROTC instructors. There are three levels on which the argument is being conducted: that too- using on national issues, campus issues and that iocusing on advantages to stu- dents. The level on which one chooses to argue seems to largely determine one's position on these two proposals. Some of those who argue on the nation- al level leel that Grinnell should, in how4 ever minor a fashion, contribute to the liberalization of the military by “inlil- trating” liberally educated young men into the military. Those who make this argument assume that either because or our selection process or the “Grin- nell Experience,” Grinnell students are more liberal than, for instance. Air Force Academy students, and are therefore capable oi liberalizing the military. This argument also assumes that subsequent military experiences will not reduce these Student's liberalism to the level of the average Air Force Academy graduate. Others. equally opposed to the role oi the military in American life, [ind these arguments unconvincing, being unsup« ported by any relevant evidence. While few of these feel that Gl‘innell's termi- nation of the ROTC contract would rep resent a devastating blow to the military, they nevertheless feel that. Grinnell should terminate the contract. Their are gument largely rests on the symbolic grounds that this act would represent an explicit attack by a relatively pres— tigious institution on the morally dis- astrous policies and politically danger- ous influence of the military in Ameri- can policies. They also feel that substam tial pressure irom the academic com. niunity might aliect the military's role. The iew laculty members who con- centrate on the national level are those most likely to support termination oi the GREY-— (Continued on Page 4, Column 1) A Challenge ll Limit to Freedom By RICHARD SCHMlECHEN it is argued that removal of Credit for ROTC is the removal of the freedom to take this alternative. Within this limit- ed context, there ls the removal of free- dom, but in a more subtle but more real- istic and important context; academic credit ior ROTC limits freedom to: all Grinnell males. ROTC is included in the college cata- logue, in all the general inlormation on Grinnell. This is a subtle and often not so subtle encouragement by not only ROTC but also Grinnell to join the pro< gram. Neither the college nor ROTC en- courage: the other alternative to mili- tary service. No [acuity ls hiled, no space provided, and certainly no aca- demlc credit is given to those interested in the other alternatives. This is neither tree nor equal nor liberal. Filing a CO form is just as time consuming as a ROTC course, and it takes a great deal more thinking. Grinnell type thinking. Not military thinning. All the departments at Grinnell Col- lege am in some way preproiessional. My objection to the ROTC program is that it is preprciessional in a particular way, antagonistic to the Grinnell policy of freedom of academics. The ROTC boys will often argue that the program will help them in their careers, that ROTC is no different than teacher training or journalism. The teacher training pro- gram at Grinnell has its curriculum con- trolled by the school and the faculty hired by the board of trustees. ROTC iaculty is hired by the military, and ROTC curriculum is not subject to any kind of review. To get a clearer view of what thll means, one needs only to imagine what Grinnell would be like, would General motors move an executive training pro« gram into Pine Tree and the Saturday Evening Post move 3 Journalism school into White House. Such a program may have saved the Saturday evening Post but it would certainly harm Grinnell College and its students. Grinnell would SCHMIECHEN— sconunued on Pay I. Column in