PAGE 2

Swift Compares life

by Laura Snook

This interview is the first in
a 5&8 series about programs
available to Grinnell students
who wish to spend time in an
environment different from
their own. The possibilities
are varied, witharrangements
ranging in length from four
weeks in the summer to a full
academic year, in other schc
0015, cities, or researchareas
in the United States orabroad.

These programs enable Gri-
nnell students to usefacilities
otherwise unavailable to them
(such as the Newberry Libs
rary, or New York Arts), to
do scientific research on lo-
mtion (including the Wilder
ness Field Station in Minnee
scta, and Introductory Geo-
logy ln the Rocky Mountains),
or to experience the life and
culture of a different part of
the world (Central America,
Japan, or Europe, among oth‘
ers). These opportunities ale
low the student to take part in
learning experiences apart
from the ordinary classroom
academics and to broaden his
comprehension of the world.

Following is a briefdes cripc
(ion of a talk with Dean Swift
about his year in Singapore
(sponsored by Don Ligget, of
the Education Department),
and how and what he got out
of it.

Dean left for the University
of Singapore the end of May of
his sophomore year, which
was the beginningoftheirata-
demic year ending the next
February. He attended at the
Bukit Timah (long Hill) mm-
pus (2500 students) which
holds courses in English. ,

The faculty was interna-
tional, with Chinese teaching
most science courses, Brits
filters" making up/the English
and Philosophy departments,
and Americans or American?
educated Orientals in charge
of the social sciences. Alth’
ough Dean considered the fac-
ulty to be quite good, they
taught according to the Brit-
ish system, which is archaic
in comparison to the Grinnell
education, and restricts the
student’s intellectual develop-
ment in many ways. Courses
consisted of lectures andhea-
vy reading, with little writing
and no'discussion, all in pre~
paration for a final comprec
hensive examination in each
subject.

There was no contact betw-
een students and faculty out-
side of classes, except for

academic conferences,
cause position and age re-
main as communications bar
riers in the Orient.

Yet more important by far to
the ‘success' of his year ab~
road than academics was'the
experience of contact with the
Oriental culture, which Dean
sees as "dependent entirely
upon the individual."

The student body was made
up chiefly of Chinese, with In-
dians and Malays also. The
national groups tended to keep
to themselves, but since Eng“
lish was their common lang~
uage, Dean was able to meet
students of all nationalities.

He spent two of the three
terms in a University dorm
which exhibited "all the one
maraderie of dorm life any-
where”, although one was com
stantly aware of the separa-
tion of social groups among
the students. Another obvious
difference in outlook was the
students’ acceptance of the
existing system. As a group,
"they were submissive to the
establishment", and the idea
of revolt never occurred to
them despite limitations on
their activities which Ameri-
can students would probably
not tolerate today (no coed
visitation of alcohol in the
residence halls).

Yet to Dean these dissimil-
arities were minor, and he
found the sole barrier betw-
een him and his fellow stud-
ents tobe theirpreconceptions
of stereotype Americans.
Nonetheless, these were even-
tually broken down enough‘for
him to “make some deep frv
iendships with Asians", par-
ticularly among the Indians.

Women at the Universitywe-
re still "very meek and un~
liberated- -the male being doe
minant socially", and there
was less pairing off" than
at Grinnell. Because of this
Dean felt that an Amerimn

woman student at the Univer-
sity would run into difficult—

ies of adjustment that a man
would not. She would have to
fight to overcome the lack of
respect for women as intelli-

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In Grinnell, Singapore

gent people as well as th’e St’
ereotype idea of American
women as "surrounded by
mystique-cand easy game.

Dean picked up enough "baa
zaar Malay” (the universal
language in the area) to get
along with the local people,
and was able to expand his
environment to include life
outside the University. He
found the natives intolerant
of American ”freaks" (except
to boost their economy), and
that although some of the best
grass in the world comes from
Singapore, any native smokers
are social outcasts. The rural
dwellers do chew beetle-nuts
for a high, but Dean “found
the taste unbearable, and cou-
ldn‘t chew enough to feel anyc
thing".

Travel also gave Dean a diff
ferent perspective on thearea
outside Singapore. He found
the people most friendly, and
"the hitching was good”, so
during his various vacations
he was able to get as far as
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesr
is, and India. Some ofthe pho-
tographs he took during these
explorations are now on dis*
play in the Forum Basement.

As well as travel and photo-
graphy, Dean "really got into
Asian food". Singapore is full
of good, cheap restaurants
representing all the resident
ethnic groups, so it was easy

WE HAVE every
thing you need
to make mndles.

ALSO new ideas in
wooden beads for
stringing.

to become an, Oriental gour-
met v and' 'even learn the
names of all the dishes!!"

Another “Extra-curricular
activity" was religion. Thr—
ough his Indian and Chinese
friends, Dean was able to ate
tend various rites and fesii’
vals, very enthusiastically ore
ganized and attended. These
remain an important aspect
of life in the Orient.

Dean summed up his year in
Singapore as having given him
a "feeling for Asia"moreac-
curate than most Westerners
ever have the opportunity to
obtain. His advice to anyone
interested in taking part in the
program is to “come talk to
me about it -- or talk tosome
one else who was there" (John
or Pam Merkle); and to real*
ize that transplanting a small
Grinnell community to Singa»
pore does not enlarge one‘s
perspective, and defeats the
‘whole purpose of the trip.

Gordon E. Brown ofIndianA
ola, Iowa has beenappoint-
ed editor of The Grinnell‘
Magazine as of January 1.
Brown was alumni secre—
tary and director of pubr
lications at Simpson Col-
lege from 1968 to his ap-
pointment here.

 

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938 Main