Page Tell SCARLET AND BLACK Friday, October l7. not. Call for Power in Administration, Academics, Counseling, Services and Rules ) Senate Cont. from pg. 1 floor was contacted by meni- bers of the original committee to come to a large meeting to set up committees to begin to investigate the students' role in the various areas of decl< clan-making at the college, and also to talk to the people on their floors and encourage them to participate in the formulas iion of proposals. The committees appointed spokesmen for the senate meet. ing, and these spokesmen outs lined some of the basic issues involved in the students' pres~ out and future role in the col- lege. RA SYSTEM CRITICIZED Senior Mike Penzner, Loose Hall House President, speaking for the Committee on counseb ing, criticized the present coun- seling system for being incom- petent and wasteful. He pointed but that 70 thousand dollars is spent annually for resident ad. visors who generally have no professional qualifications as counselors. Furthermore, many students have no contact with‘ their R A’s because the R A's are either incompetent or phys- lcaiiy too»far removed, Penz< ller charged. Penzner admitted tiiat some D! the R A's are serving Well, but asserted that in general students are getting poor service for what they are pw- lng. He also pointed out that twelve thousand dollars is be- ing spent on student advisors who are usually less competent than R A's. Perhaps the most important point of Penzner’o speech was that the counsel- lng service was designed by the administration and the counselors were chosen by the administration, and that stu< dents must have a future voice in determining counseling pol- icies. He also emphasized that resident advisers now play a dual role as counselors and ad- ministrators, and this impairs their function as counselors. For 82 thousand dollars the tudents of the college should ave professional counselors, eopie who can guarantee com identiality and cannot be sub. poenaed by the courts, he said. . CITES HAWN'S ATTITUDE ' Sophomore Steve Schwom, assistant Student Coordinator» gpoke about student social serv- fces, including BEtG, maids, bookstore, library, health cen« gar, Forum and SAGA. chwartz pointed out that stuo ent complaints concerning the 1:30 tum. telephone cut-off 'even in mid-conversation) lnd the present room-cleaning service have gone unneeded by Physical Plant Director Dale Hawn. He also recalled the work of last year‘s bookstore committee and the petition that over 600 students signed re- garding the deplorable state of - the bookstore, all apparently to no avail. Schwartz noted that the Forum, our student union bf sorts, is completely run by Mrs. Jewell Hawk, with stu. ilents having no say concerning its budget, policy, or hours. While committees on SAGA, the library, building renova~ tion, as well as the Student Affairs Committee already have s o m a student representation, more work needs to be done in these areas to institutionalize the student’s decision-making function, Schwartz maintained. Sophomore Marshall Barber, speaking on social regulations, questioned whether the admin- istration had any right to dic- tate rules to students without meaningful student participa- tion in the formulation of those rules. More specifically, Barr ber observed that the Student Bill of Rights passed last year provides protection for stu- dents, and makes the Mhour opens policy all the more or. hitrary and unjustifiable. He also questioned the administra- tion’s right to require students to liVe in dormitories and to decide who may live off cam- pus. Finally, Barber stated that the college ought to examine whether it should enforce laws that are legally the responsi‘ bility of state and local or fed eral officials. if the college finds that it must respond to these laws, students must have a role in deciding what action the college will take in these matters. CALLS FOR CURRICULAR VOICE Senior Jon Royal, after re- latillg some amusing parables starring the one and only Mama Alice (Dean Alice Low). stated that Student participir Lion in academic decisions is minimal and should be expand- ed. He noted that while in some departments (notably Po- litical Science) students had an equal role in decision-mak- ing, in general students had little power in their depart< ments. There are only two stu- dents on divisional EPC’s, and no students participate, in fac< ulty and trustee approval of academic innovations. Royal questioned whether the present grading system is beneficial, as well as whether the present re- quirements were appropriate. He pointed out that students should have a voice in the sea iection of new professors, and should also have a meaningful course evaluation system to de- termine ways to improve the curriculum and faculty. inter» disciplinary options might be created, he said, as well as 8. 12, and ldrcredit independents when jusflfied, and students should also be able to initiate courses more easily than they can now. Royal concluded by saying that the important thing was to acquire a voice in the decisions concerning academia matters rather than to effect specific changes. TELLS ADMINISTRATION’S POWER Sophomore .ilm Silverman then presented an effective understatement 0f the fact that when one examines the power of the faculty and administra< tion, he finds the ultimate and final power in virtually all as. pects of campus decisionrmak- lng. He noted that the admin- istration or the trustees had the final say on admissions. curriculum, requirements for graduation, and social rules Silvermun outlined the [l'BnleiF dous power of the faculty's Executive Council, which has no student members. The coun- cli has oversight of the cur- riculum, advises the piesident on faculty appointments and tenure, building construction and renovation, and divisional and departmental organization, Furthermore, it acts as the board of review for the com- mittee on academic standing. This, Silverman pointed out, is a far cry from “trial by your peers.” No students sit on the Committee on Academic Standing, or on the Board of Trustees, and all of these bodies hold closed meetings. TRUSTEES UNDEMOCRATIC The Board of Trustees at Grinneii is a self-perpetuating body that fills vacancies and makes new appointments with- out any regard for a democratic process that could involve alumni, administration. faculty. and students. The board has complete financial control of the College, and has the final say on the approval of new faculty, Silverman concluded by saying that students and faculty clearly deserve an institutional- ized role in these administra- tive bodies. 8 e n l o r Mick Schaalnian finished the formal speeches by telling the students that any move to institutionalize student power at Grinneil would fail without strong student support. He urged students not to be dissuaded by past failures, and to get together and work so that the student body as a whole can take a proposal to the administration and the faculty and demand action. The meeting was then opened up to the floor. Sophomore J oko Mai-golin expressed a pessl~ 'nilstlc View, and wondered what the students would do if they met stiff opposition. Sophomore Dave i-lechler quoted some incomplete but revealing statistics that he compiled that indicated that a vast majority of the Grinneii student popih lation favored at least an equal role for students in all facets of the deCiSanrmaklng process. Several students called for a show of strength and unity when the final proposals are Submitted to the college. I personally urge all students to take part in formulating a student philosophy and state- ment of position, one that can be backed by a majority of students. For the first time i’ve seen the possibility of mass student action to provide the students with an official role in college decisions, a role that can be utilized by the present and future students of Grinnell College, ' GDIC FUNDING REQUESTED In a special 9 o‘clock meeting Tuesday night the senate wrapped up its usual business SD that it Could devote its 9:30 meeting at Roberts Theater to the question of student power at Grinnell. The earlier meeting was held in Burling Basement. The senate passed a resolution asking the administration‘ to fund the Grinnell Draft In- formation Center ae it is a counseling service and there- fore not in the realm of student government. GDlC needs funds badly, and the senate felt that the service was an important one to the student body. A referendum was scheduled for Thursday on the question of whether the student body wanted a homecoming queen. The referendum will effect this year’s homecoming. A refer» endum Tuesday was ruled lil- valid for procedural reasons. Dean Connie Kimho asked the senate to formulate a coni- mittee to propose parking rule: for the college parking lots. The committee was formed, and in general, the senate felt that while students should be restricted from service areas. they should be able to park where they please. SENATE OKAYS LOAN S e n i o r Tom Thomas petitioned the Senate for a loan of $200 to enable him to print a special iii-page supplement to the sea. The supplement will be Thomos’s exclusive report, with pictures. of the militant demonstrations that were held by the SDS Weathermen faction in Chicago last week. The report will be free for all Grinnell Students and Faculty.‘ and will be sold to others tn defray the original printing costs. The Senate approved the loan unanimously. The speakers fund committee allotted $150 to my to get a member of the Chicago 8, “the Conspiracy,” to speak at 'Grinnell. A committee member has been in Contact with John Froines, one of the. “con- spirators," and the chances of getting him to speak at Grinneil are Very good, he said. in other senate news, A special meeting was held last Thursday to inquire into tho policy of the initiative fund. Hall presidents and social chairmen should have copies of the fund‘s guidelines by now. and any questions should be submitted to the Initiative Fund Committee. When you fix up your room — Remember Vosburg Building Center Ahrvano’s Folk Tales, Chapter 'I THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY GRINNELL‘ Once upon I lime 'J. B. Grinnell gotI lost "in the dark woods of'lowo, and fell asleep. When he woke. he saw a mysterioui light. Evenfuolly he came to a house coiled Ahrvano's, where many people were playing at fen-pint. They told him he had been asleep for more than a century. "I mutt be hungry." he sold, and at» heartily of Ahrvano's biggest pizza. "How do I get out of the forest?" he Asked. "Go west, old man,“ replied Tom Gorbixon. 50 J. 3. did, and lived happily ever after. (Well. have and girls, it lost goes to show you can't believe everything you lead in the 5%.). The moral of this story: Have An Ahrvano's Pizza You Might Live Happily Ever After Too.