April 10, 2009 Volume 125, Issue 21
The Scarlet and Black
Jeff Sinick ’09 presents his qualms concerning “No Limit”’s tactics and its effects on administrators to “No Limits” representatives Brian Perbix ’09, Neal
Wepking ’09, Dayna Hamman ’09, Latona Giwa ’09 and Kate Alsofrom ’10.
Same-sex marriage legalized in Iowa
BY DAVID LOGAN
On Friday, April 3, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that Iowa’s
marriage law—which provided only for heterosexual marriages—
violated the state constitution’s equal protection clause, effectively
paving the way for same-sex couples in the state to wed.
The decision upheld a 2007 district court ruling in a case that
pitted the Polk County Registrar against six same-sex couples
who claimed that Iowa Code section 595.2 was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court ruled that the county’s arguments in
favor of the ban—that it promoted procreation and encouraged
stability in opposite-sex relationships, among other arguments—
were either not furthered by the law or did not constitute a suf-
ficient government interest. That the law’s distinction based on
sexual orientation did not substantially further a governmental
interest made the law unconstitutional.
“Equal protection under the Iowa Constitution is essentially
a direction that all persons similarly situated should be treated
alike,” the Court wrote. “Since territorial times, Iowa has given
meaning to this constitutional provision, striking blows to slav-
ery and segregation, and recognizing women’s rights. The court
found the issue of same-sex marriage comes to it with the same
importance as the landmark cases of the past.”
Alcohol task force attempts to promote clear message
BY JEFF R ADERSTRONG
Earlier this semester, President Russell K. Osgood announced
the creation of an Alcohol Task Force to review the College’s alco-
hol policy. Mandated by federal law every two years, this semester’s
review of the alcohol policy is the first to be done by a committee,
about half of which is made up of students. In the past, Senior Re-
search Associate for Diversity and Achievement Jen Krohn con-
ducted the review when she was the Dean of Student Life.
The committee will open for input from students, faculty, staff
and community members. They will be holding a town-hall style
meeting to discuss the alcohol culture at Grinnell next Wednesday
April 14, 7:30 p.m., tentatively scheduled in Loose Lounge.
Cleveland Hall con-
Inside 1 spicuously lacking se-
curity patrols, scent of
cigarettes.................p. 3
First College Newspaper West of the Mississippi
Grinnell College
AARON BARKER
The Court’s decision invited considerable national attention
as indicated, in part, by the more than 40 parties which filed amici
curiae briefs in the case.
The response on campus was overwhelmingly positive. The
online cyber forum GrinnellPlans was flooded with posts extol-
ling the Court’s decision and expressing pride at living in Iowa.
“I think it’s cool to have it happen in a state where I’m cur-
rently living,” said Jon Richardson ’10, a co-Leader of the Stone-
wall Coalition. Following the decision, Richardson and friends
ventured across campus with pride flags on full display. “As a gay
person, any time you have your rights validated or the govern-
ment vindicate what you have believed for a long time, it’s a very
exciting thing, so that was really great.”
The decision in Iowa, which made it the third state in the
country to allow same-sex marriages, was quickly followed by a
similar event in Vermont. On Tuesday, April 7, the Vermont state
legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto that struck down a law
allowing for same-sex marriages.
The Vermont law was significant in that it was the first al-
lowance of same-sex marriages at the hands of a legislature in-
stead of a court. Court decisions have at times been criticized as
undemocratic. Following the week’s events in Iowa and Vermont,
A follow-up open forum will be scheduled after the first town-
hall meeting to discuss the specifics of Grinnell’s alcohol policy.
The Task Force, created in compliance with the Drug-Free
Schools and Communities Act, has no power to change any of the
school’s policies, but will only make recommendations to Osgood
at the semester’s end based on their discussions and findings.
Task Force members say these recommendations will not
amount to an overhaul of the policy, but will likely be centered on
increased education.
The announcement of the review came causing some students
to be wary of the intentions of the Task Force, raising concerns
about the real purpose of the group.
Are you ready for the The history, legal-
2 Zombie invasion?
Christine maps out
your only hope.....p. 12
3 ity, future and drama
of Grinnell’s self-
governance........p. 8-9
Grinnell, IA
No Limits speaks,
SGA responds,
questions remain
BY C H LOE M ORY L
During the Wednesday, April 8 Joint
Board meeting, the student-led group the
No Limits Project presented to members
of SGA their list of demands addressed
to President of the College Russell K.
Osgood and members of the administra-
tion. By the end, both parties had more
information, but many more questions to
ask and to have answered.
The No Limits presentation, last-
ing past its allotted hour, addressed is-
sues such as hate crime policy creation,
need-blind aid for international students,
staffing and funding of the Community
Service Center, among others.
“Because of time limits, it was kind
of strained because we do budgets and
the presentation was going on and the
question and answer was going back and
forth,” said SGA President Neo Morake
’09. “But for them to address the sena-
tors and SGA cabinet, [ Joint Board] was
a good place for them to address us.”
East campus Senator Holden Bale
’12, an active participant in the question
and answer portion of Joint Board, said
he was pleased with the dialogue that
occurred, but still expressed disappoint-
ment that a conversation between SGA
No Limits, see p. 5
there are now four states in which same-sex couples can wed;
the other two are Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The Iowa case is likely to have far-reaching implications be-
yond its immediate impact of allowing same-sex marriages. In
its opinion, the Court ruled that legal classifications based on
sexual orientation constituted a “suspect classification,” in part
because of the history of “invidious discrimination” against gay
and lesbian people and the group’s comparatively limited po-
litical clout. Suspect classifications are generally subject to more
stringent judicial review meaning that all future laws employing
distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation will be less likely
to pass muster.
The intermediate level of scrutiny applied by the court was
the same typically used for gender distinctions. According to
Harvard Law Professor Martha Field, the U.S. Supreme Court
has thus far examined distinctions of sexual orientation only
at the lowest levels of scrutiny which make it more difficult to
overturn government decisions.
The opinion could also pave the way for similar decisions in
other states as justices outside Iowa look to the decision for both
legal guidance and political legitimacy.
“Rulings by state supreme courts on this issue are still so few
Marriage, see p. 2
“The rest of my other fellow students [on the Task Force] were
like ‘we need to protect self governance’ and we were expecting a
full-on assault from [the administrators on the committee],’ said
Sam Forman ’11, a student-at-large representative on the commit-
tee. “It’s turned out to be not at all like that.”
“We want student input, faculty input, community input,” “We
talk a lot about the culture of Grinnell and the Harris Center and
there’s not much to do other than drink. That’s the stereotype,
whether or not that’s true or not [is the question].”
Some students not on the Task Force expressed concern about
are finding ways to reduce alcohol-related hospitalizations.
“The beginning of this year, there were a lot of people going
Task Force, see p. 4
Juan Carlos Perez has
4 been ranked number
one more times than
this college...........p. 15
 2 edited by J. Francis Buse and Brian Sherwin
busejohn@grinnell.edu, sherwinb@grinnell.edu
NEWS April 10, 2009

Marriage in number that any court that next takes
from p. 1 up this issue will undoubtedly look very
World Headlines closely at what the Iowa Supreme Court has done,” said Uni-
• A standoff between Somali pirates and the American versity of Iowa Law Professor Todd Pettys. “The fact that the
Navy has continued through the week as the pirates and Iowa Supreme Court’s decision was unanimous will underscore
an American hostage remain on a lifeboat surrounded by the importance of the decision for other courts.”
Navy warships and planes. A Navy Destroyer travelled Barry Matsumoto, also a Law Professor at University of Iowa,
over 300 miles to confront the pirates, who are stranded said the Court decision might also shape public opinion by legiti-
in four lifeboats with their hostage, Capt. Richard Phil- mating the issue of same-sex marriage in the public conscious-
lips. Phillips offered himself as a hostage after the pirates ness. “The state Supreme Court [decision] will resolve in the state
overtook his ship, the Maersk Alabama, on Wednesday. of Iowa thinking more about the propriety of banning same-sex
marriage,” Matsumoto said, “and for those who oppose [it], per-
• Tens of thousands of protestors marched on Bangkok haps changing their minds. It seems to be that we’ve been given a
in support of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawa- wonderful chance to think about this question and how we want
tra. Protests have been flaring for four-months since to treat people in the state of Iowa.”
Thaskins government was dismantled, and police esti- Political action on the issue even preceded the Court’s an-
mated the crowd on Thursday to measure near 100,000. nouncement. With the Court’s decision pending, legislators sub-
mitted two proposals in the House to change marriage laws in
National Headlines Iowa. On April 3, State Reps. Dolores Mertz D-Ottosen and
• President Obama hired Actor Kal Penn of “Harold and Dwayne Alons R-Hull introduced a bill to amend the state con-
Kumar” fame as the White House’s liaison to Asian- stitution defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.
American groups. Penn, who was heavily involved in That bill was in response to a proposal by State Sen. Matt Mc-
Obama’s campaign and visited Grinnell prior to the cau- Coy D-Des Moines that same day seeking to make the state’s
cuses, will also be hired as a liaison to the Arts commu- marriage laws gender neutral. Neither proposal is expected to
nity. He will begin as soon as next month. make it out of committee in time for the current session.
Proposed amendments would likely not be passed until 2012,
Iowa Headlines at the earliest. The amendment process for Iowa constitution is
• A report issued by the Members of Environmental Iowa unusually long, requiring that a proposed amendment be passed
entitled Hotter Fields, Lower Yields predicts that in- by consecutive legislatures before being submitted to the people
creased global temperatures due to global warming could for a vote. Currently, the state democrats have a 56-44 majority in
reduce corn yields by $259 million a year. the House and 32-18 advantage in the Senate.
Republican leaders quickly expressed disappointment at the
—Compiled by J. Francis Buse decision and frustration at supposed duplicity on the part of
state democrats. State Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley,
CDO CUBBY CORNER R-Chariton rebuked democrats for obstructing efforts at initiat-
Grinnellians often ask themselves an important question: ing the amendment process, singling out Senate Majority Leader
will my work do the world good? Can I help people and pur-
w Mike Gronstal D-Council Bluffs who said Monday April 6 that
sue altruistic goals through my work? Although not always he had no intention of taking up the amendment issue.
viewed this way, there are many different paths to improving “Those democrats who indicated they believe marriage is be-
the world. One way is to work directly with people in need,, tween one man and one woman when this was being debated
usually in the form of non-profit or government work. An- in previous years, they have not taken this up,” McKinley said.
other way is to donate financially to altruistic causes. A third “Their excuse for not doing this earlier was we didn’t need to do
way is to work in the field that interests you regardless of mis-
w it, we had a law, the Defense of Marriage Act. In the event the
sion and volunteer your time for non-profit groups and otherr Supreme Court ruled otherwise, they promised they would bring
humanitarian causes. Although there is merit to all three off this up. And now they’re refusing.”
these paths, the distinctions between them are deteriorating.. McKinley was referring to the 1998 law defining marriage in
For-profit entities are taking up triple-bottom line strategies the state as only between a man and a woman, a law that Gronstal
by seeking economic, environmental, and social goals and non- voted for.
profits need to take a for-profit approach in order to survive.. McKinley said that the discrepancy between past legislative
The distinctions between non-profit and for-profit organiza-
T action and the recent Court decision demanded resoluion by a
tions are blurring and there are more opportunities to accom- vote of the people. “We have two branches of government, the
plish a personal standard of living while also working toward legislative and the executive, saying one thing. We have seven jus-
societal goals. It is important to keep in mind that there are tices saying a different thing,” McKinley said. “I believe we need
many ways to do the world good through your work.
to do what any reasonable person would expect and say let’s take
it to the people of Iowa. The people of Iowa need to have a vote.
It’s their turn, they’re the final arbiters and they should have a
say.”
Members of the democratic leadership could not be reached
in time for comment.
It’s unclear whether or not a later constitutional amendment
would invalidate marriages performed in the interim, Pettys said.
Field, however, said the logistical issues of not recognizing
the marriages could potentially compel other states to address the
marriages in a way that validated them.
“My advice would be get married as soon as possible. They
can’t possibly throw out the marriage. Places are going to have
to think about people who are married in other places anyway,”
Field said. “For one thing, you’d have to decide if they break up
whether they have to get divorced or not. Or if they marry some-
body else, whether they’re committing bigamy.”
Iowa marriage laws do not include a residency requirement
which means that same-sex couples from other states may legally
marry here.
Cheryl Fleener-Seymour, who works in the College’s Chap-
lain’s Office and helps manage wedding reservations at Herrick
Chapel, said that office might expect an increased number of
wedding inquiries in response to the recent court decision. She
said the office had received some reservations in the last few days
but that none of the callers have indicated whether they were
responding directly to the ruling.
“Our language is set up so that it’s gender neutral,” Fleen-
er-Seymour said “So when we send out our wedding packets, it
doesn’t say ‘the bride and the groom,’ it says ‘the wedding couple.’”
Herrick Chapel isn’t the only way for couples to marry at the
College. Randy Brush, husband of Loosehead RLC and Assis-
tant Director of Residence Life Kim Hinds-Brush, became an
ordained minister in June 2006 using an online service and said
he was looking forward to potentially marrying same-sex couples
among his friends.
“It was one of those things where I did it because we were sit-
ting around talking about how ridiculous it was that you could get
ordained online,” Brush said. “But over one of those things if they
ever legalized gay marriage in Iowa it would be nice if I could do
that for my friends but there was never anyone in particular.
“A lot of people on Plans have said ‘if I’m ever up for it, you’re
the man.’ If someone asked me to, I’d be more than happy to,” he
said.
In the meantime, while Richardson said that he was some-
what optimistic about what the ruling could mean for the future
of same-sex marriage and gay rights, he would rather relish the
moment. “I think it does have amazing consequences for the rest
of the U.S. I think that one of the reasons that Vermont passed it
right after this is because they felt like they had to jump on the
bandwagon also,” he said.
“So I think there are a lot of ways in which it’s really good. But
right now I prefer to just celebrate.”

Apr. 10 - Apr. 16 Movie Times on Page 11

10
Friday 11
Saturday 12
Sunday Monday 14
Tuesday 15
Wednesday 16
Thursday
GSPACE EASTER EGG GRINNELL BASEBALL ART + CRAFT FAIR: SRC FLAG RAISING: APPLIED STUDIO MAIL POSTAGE SAV- ROSENFIELD SYMPO-
HUNT WORKSHOP: VS. KNOX: Baseball JRC 101, 1-6 p.m. Central Campus, 12 STUDENT RECITAL: INGS TECHNIQUES SIUM: WATER: JRC
Forum CCL Training Diamond, 12, 2 & 4 ELECTRONIC MU- p.m. Bucksbaum Sebring- WORKSHOP: JRC 101, 11 a.m., 4:15
Room, 1 p.m. p.m. SIC GUEST ART- HACK INTO SLAC Lewis Hall, 12 p.m. 226, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.
SPECIAL HOUSING DRAW: AJUST WORKSHOP: IST: Bucksbaum PRESENTATION: CDO BARN QUILT PAINT- MEN’S TENNIS VS. FRESH FLUTES
ARH 102, 4:15 p.m. Forum South Lounge, Sebring-Lewis Hall, 104, 1127, 4:15 ING: Bucksbaum CENTRAL: 10th Av- ENSEMBLE: Forum
Gender SympoSIUM: 1 p.m. 3:30 p.m. p.m. Rotunda, 12 p.m. enue Courts, 4 p.m. South Lounge, 7:30
ARH 302, 4:15 p.m. YGB CONCERT: Author Reading: CULTURAL FILM: OCS PRE-DEPAR- ROSENFIELD SYMPO- p.m.
CULTURAL FILM: A ZED Herrick Chapel, 2 ADINA HOFFMAN: PHANTOM MUSEUM: TURE ORIENTATION: SIUM: WATER: JRC QUEER BAKE NIGHT:
AND TWO NOUGHTS: p.m. JRC 101, 8 p.m. Bucksbaum Faulcon- ARH 102, 4:15 & 7 101, 4:15 & 7 p.m. JRC 209, 8 p.m.
Bucksbaum Faulconer HUMAN TRAFFICKING er Gallery, 7 p.m. p.m.
Gallery, 7 p.m. FILM: ARH 201, 3:30 LECTURE: PALESTIN- ROSENFIELD SYMPO-
MUSIC FROM THE p.m. IAN ARTISTIC EX- SIUM: WATER: JRC
MIND OF ERIC L. SGA CONCERT: PRESSION: JRC 101, 101, 4:15 & 8 p.m.
MCINTYRE: Bucks- JAMIE STEWART FROM 8 p.m. COMMUNITY MEAL:
baum Sebring-Lewis XIU XIU: Bob’s Un- STONEWALL COALI- Davis Elementary
Hall, 7:30 p.m. derground, 9 p.m. TION PRESENTA- School, 818 Hamilton
SGA CONCERT: DISCO HARRIS: Har- TION: Forum South Avenue, 5:30 p.m.
SEBASTIAN TELLIER: ris Center Concert Lounge, 8 p.m.
Harris Center Con- Hall, 10 p.m.
cert Hall, 9 p.m.
April 10, 2009 NEWS edited by J. Francis Buse and Brian Sherwin
busejohn@grinnell.edu, sherwinb@grinnell.edu 3
RLC candidates for next year trickle onto campus
Hirings will bring another round of reshuffling and reorganizing of campus clusters and duties in residence halls
BY M ANDO MONTANO
you with their problems.”
Over the next two weeks, students will Even though all the new candidates have
have the opportunity to acquaint themselves to meet a variety of different requirements,
with nearly a dozen visiting RLC candidates. Greene said that they understand Grinnell
Part of Student Affairs’ hiring process to and the student body. “I think all the folks
fill open RLC positions in LooseHead, Clan- we’re bringing understand that college stu-
grala, Jamaland and East Campus, the visits dents are adults, they sometimes struggle
by candidates for RLC positions will include with making decisions, sometimes like I do,”
lunches and meetingss with students. The Greene said. “But they’re committed to being
positions of Northeast and Southeast will be there when students make mistakes, and give
merged into the East cluster, and a Lily intern help and assistance when needed.”
will serve RLC duties for Smounker. “Even though Kim attended a big univer-
According to Dean of Students Travis sity, she understands how Grinnell works, and
Greene, the main factors in that’s the kind of quality we’re looking for in a
the job search include an candidate,” Greene said.
understanding of self-gover- RLC candidate Kat
nance, experience at a liberal “The majority of students Pickens ‘06, an alumna,
arts college, and a commit- should be able to go to you to returned to campus on
ment to stay for at least a full Wednesday for lunch and
year. trust you with their prob- a meet and greet. She high-
“What we did is we went lems.” lighted the college’s diverse
to three different confer- student body and cited the
ences and did some screen- Neo Morake ’09 difference between Grinnell
and a large university like
ing for these different candi-
dates,” Greene said. “They’re
SGA President the University of Iowa,
all really jazzed about being where she received her mas-
in a place where students ters.
govern themselves, hold themselves account- “At Grinnell it’s implied that when you get
able, and have goals and aspirations.” here, there’s a community and at [the Univer-
According to Greene, among the can- sity of Iowa] that’s not necessarily the case.”
didates are residents from Iowa, a Grinnell Pickens said. “ I know I didn’t come here for
Alumni, and employees from Bard and Vassar. the staff or faculty, but really for the students.”
The 11 RLC candidates have all either at- Current Jamaland future Loosehead stu-
tended a liberal arts college as an undergrad, dent staff member Adam Lange ’11 believes
or previously worked at one. that Picken’s background as a Grinnell stu-
SGA President Neo Morake ’09 said she dent will help her if she becomes an RLC.
believes that an RLC should also be able to be “She understands the Grinnell philoso-
trusted by the student body. “I tell people [the phy that really attracts students here for the
RLCs] need to be like [Loosehead RLC Kim first time,” Lange said. “It’s important for an
Hinds-Brush],” Morake said. “The majority RLC to have the beliefs and values of self- Interviewing for an RLC position for next year, alumna Katherine Pickens ’06 listens to a question
of students should be able to go to you to trust governance.” being asked by Holden Bale ’12 during a meet and greet session. PAUL KRAMER

No more smoking in Cleveland

B Y BRIAN SHERWIN Briscoe expressed satisfaction with the residents’ response
In Cleveland lounge, the omnipresent clouds of smoke to the problems with smoking. “What I’m really happy with
and clusters of cigarette butts have vanished. is that the residents seem to be taking responsibility,” Bris-
In an April 6 e-mail to Jamaland RLC Brenda Hunt and coe said.
Dean of Students Travis Greene wrote that Cleveland Hall According to Greene, the smoking created an unsafe
has been relatively smoke-free since Grinnell College Secu- working environment for custodial staff. “What happened is
rity and the Grinnell Police Department visited on Monday, there is a [custodial] staff member who needed to be able to
March 30. As a result, security has scaled back its presence do his job and couldn’t do it because of all of the smoke and
in Cleveland hall, according to the e-mail. the health issues,” Greene said.
Cleveland was the sole dorm with a smoking lounge last “I’m glad the issue is resolved and if it doesn’t continue,
year, a situation that was ended by the Iowa Clean Air Act. then there won’t be any need for further conversations about
Director of Security Stephen Briscoe how are we [going to] deal with smoking in
confirmed decreased security presence. the lounge,” Greene said.
”We’re just doing normal rounds now,” “The reason we’re doing that On March 30, after a call from Briscoe
Briscoe said. “We’re not doing the special about a cigarette-sized burn in the Cleveland
rounds to check that area [Cleveland].” is so the state doesn’t come lounge rug. Grinnell Police Department Of-
At a Jamaland hall council meeting, in.” ficers Mike Dickenson and David Menninga
residents cited a lack of communication investigated the lounge and found a bag of
between the student body, security and
Student Affairs as a source of some of the
Stephen Briscoe marijuana.Grinnell Police Department Captain
problems. Director of Security Theresa Petersen discussed the police report
“As SAs, we felt we could have settled in a phone interview with the S&B.
the issue from our level, using self-gov,” “It says the kids were smoking in lounge
Cleveland third SA Kelly Musselman and burning the floors and leaving the ciga-
wrote in an e-mail to the S&B. “So basically we just asked rettes lying on the floors,” Peterson said. “I guess you could
that this never happen again … that SAs get consulted so we consider that arson.”
can do something about it on a student level .” Petersen also cited a lack of cooperation from Cleveland
According to Hunt, the residents claimed to be unaware Hall residents in the investigation to find the owner of the
of some of the effects of smoking. marijuana.
“People knew they couldn’t smoke in the building but “It says that everybody there was uncooperative,” Peters-
they didn’t know it was harming people and that’s what they en said. “They wouldn’t talk to them [the police], they would
cared about most, at least that’s what was told to me by the give them wrong names, that kind of stuff.”
students,” Hunt said. The investigation into the owner of the bag of marijuana
SPRING 2008 CRAFT + ART FAIR By the time of the hall meeting, only four days after the is still ongoing, according to Petersen.
police investigation, the smoking appeared to have ceased in Although smoking in the Cleveland Hall has dimin-
Cleveland lounge. ished, Briscoe said that security would continue to be aware
SUNDAY, APRIL 12 “We told Brenda at the hall meeting that the smoking of other smoking issues on campus.
and property damage in Cleveland first lounge had stopped “Now across the campus, we’re making contact with peo-
1-6PM IN JRC 101. and therefore security should stop coming around,” Mussel- ple who are smoking in areas that are unauthorized,” Briscoe
man wrote. “She noticed herself that the lounge was in obvi- said. “And the reason why we’re doing that is so the state
BRING MONEY TO SPEND ously better condition than before, passed her knowledge on doesn’t come in.”
to Travis and Steven Briscoe.”
 4 edited by J. Francis Buse and Brian Sherwin
busejohn@grinnell.edu, sherwinb@grinnell.edu
New SGA cabinet nominated
At Wednesday’s Joint Board, incoming President Harry Krejsa ’10 nominated
Loosehead Senator Gabe Schecter ’12 for the position of Assistant Treasurer, Alex
Schecter ’10 (left) for Concerts Chair, Smounker Senator Alex Peitz ’10 (center) for
Service Coordinator and and SGA Residing Officer Ethan Struby ’10 (right) for
Administrative Assistant. Krejsa said that Damian von Schoenborn ’10 and Mairead
O’Grady ‘10 would be nominated for Films Chair and All Campus Events Coordi-
nator, respectively
Task Force to the hospital for alcohol
from p. 1 poisoning,” said Adam
Wert ’10. Wert said he wanted to see the Task
Force make changes “so we do not see as many
people going to the hospital.”
Wellness Coordinator Jen Jacobsen ’95 and
co-chair of the Task Force said that the high
number of hospitalizations cannot be accurately
compared to previous years’ because the College
only has a record of ambulance transportations,
not actual hospitalizations. “This task force isn’t
just in response to the increase in hospitaliza-
tions, it’s taking a step back and asking ‘Is our
policy really working?’” Jacobsen said.
To continue to evaluate the alcohol policy at
Grinnell, Jacobsen said she would like to see the
Task Force turned into a permanent committee.
Some students echoed a similar statement.
“We should do that [review of alcohol pol-
NEWS
AARON BARKER
icy] constantly,” said Jakob Gowell ’11, HSC of
Rathje and Rose. “It’s a dynamic situation. I’m
not sure it should be changed, but we should be
asking ourselves that question all the time.”
According to Forman, the Task Force meet-
ings have not been much discussion about the
specifics and regulations of the alcohol policy.
“Certainly, we’ve been hesitant to discuss the
current policy or any changes at all until we get
the community perspective and community in-
put,” said Jacobsen.
Mallory Scharf ’11, who is not on the com-
mittee, said she did not feel threatened by the
Task Force, but could understand why other stu-
dents would be. “I think that if anything serious
were to come about from it, the student body of
Grinnell is highly against any limitations of our
rights,” she said. “I feel confident my peers will
work against it.”
Admissions in Early April
BY J. F RANCIS B USE
As prospective students and colleges are
changing their approaches to the application
process and financial aid packages, the offices
of Admissions and Financial Aid at Grinnell
have expressed a steady, yet cautious, attitude.
As noted in a letter addressed to the cam-
pus by President Russel K. Osgood on Feb 1,
the College increased its financial aid bud-
get by roughly 15 percent in response to the
economic crisis. Osgood stressed the schools
pledge to remain a domestically need-blind
institution, while cutting budgets in almost
all other departments.
“As previously projected, the tentative
budget features cuts for capital projects and
includes a 15 percent increase in financial
aid,” Osgood wrote.
According to Director of Student Finan-
cial Aid Arnold Woods, this increase, in the
face of cuts across the rest of campus, has left
the Financial Aid Office healthy and able
to support students. Furthermore, while the
College has increased the Financial Aid bud-
get, Woods said that there has not yet been a
spike in aid.
“Our partial aid increase was not drastic, it
was below the norm or about normal,” Woods
said, adding that the average aid package had
increased three percent, in line with the three
percent increase in tuition.
Woods said that the need-blind policy
and loan cap, in which student loan repay-
ments cannot exceed $2000 a year, would
continue, but likely under stricter review from
the College.
“Everything is subject to review of course,
and until we make our plans for future years,
everything that is on the table now will be re-
viewed again,” Woods said. “My hope is that
things will remain as they are.”
Interim Director of Admissions Nancy
Maly ’61 also expressed contentment with
the College’s current admissions policy. “It’s
a very good feeling that I don’t have to in any
way consider a student’s ability to pay when
I’m giving an admission offer,” she said.
Colleges with need-blind policies around
the country have begun to find ways to dis-
cern between those who can likely pay full
April 10, 2009
tuition and those who cannot.
Several colleges, seeking to both main-
tain the title of “need-blind” and increase
the number of incoming students who can
pay full tuition, were likely this year to rely
on international students and those who ac-
cepted a position on the wait-list. Admissions
officers are also able to factor in applicants’
addresses and parents’ educational levels, in-
formation available on the Common Appli-
cation and predictors of an applicants socio-
economic level.
The percentage of international students
accepted from the applicant pool remained
essentially even according to data provided by
the Office of Admissions, and Dean of Ad-
missions and Financial Aid Seth Allen said
that Admissions was “counting on going to
the waitlist,” a departure from recent years.
However, Allen firmly denied that Grinnell’s
admissions office had employed indirect tac-
tics to determine financial need.
“I don’t think that you can call yourself
a need-blind institution if on the margins,
when your making decisions, you take need,
or in this case, no-need, into account,” Allen
said. “That’s not going to be our strategy this
year—I think we’re firmly committed as an
institution.”
Allen cited the usage of the wait-list as
a protective measure against an over-enroll-
ment similar to 2012. The class of 2012 en-
tered Grinnell with 464 students, an over-en-
rollment of 54 students. This year, Allen said
the school is aiming for 385 new students in
the class of 2013.
Admissions rate for the year finished at 27
percent, compared to 36 percent for the class
of 2012 and 41 percent for the class of 2011.
“[Last year] put the campus size squarely
above 1,500 students, and of course, the cam-
pus plan calls for 1,500 on campus,” Allen
said. “So that’s actually resulted in seeking a
smaller class this year … This makes a lot of
sense to me that we go after a smaller class
this year and be very conservative in our ad-
missions process.”
However, Allen stressed that it is still too
early to tell predict how the admissions pro-
cess will conclude.
April 10, 2009
Pub service halted
BY J AI GARG
Lyle’s Pub temporarily shut down Wednesday and
Thursday due to an oversight involving its Food License.
According to Dean of Students Travis Greene, Director
of Dining Services Dick Williams went to Lyle’s on Tues-
day only to discover the food license had expired.
“It expired in January, but we just found out about it
now,” Greene said. “The food inspector will be on campus
[on Friday,] so it will be up and running on [Friday] night.”
According to Greene, the oversight occurred because
the contact person for the license was former Associate
Dean of Students Sheree Andrews. After Andrews’ depar-
ture last semester, the responsibility of overseeing Lyle’s
was passed on to Greene.
“With all of the staffing changes and she not being
here, I went through the mail addressed to her and could
not find it,” Greene said. “But what I did was change it so
that Loosehead RLC and Assistant Director of Residence
Life Kim Hinds-Brush is the person in charge as one of
the advisors.”
Despite the situation being resolved quickly after
Greene drove the license application to Des Moines after
hearing the license was expired, Lyle’s was forced to shut
down Wednesday and Thursday nights.
“What’s really upsetting is that we had a first-ever ka-
raoke night planned for Wednesday night, it took a couple
of weeks for us to coordinate the date,” said Lyle’s Manager
Susan Klumpner ’09. “On an average special event night we
make $250 in profit, so that is a loss we cannot make back.”
Because of the closure, Lyle’s had to cut many workers’
hours this week.
“I count on working two shifts a week. I do not have any
shifts this week,” Klumpner said. “Five employees will not
be recording hours this week.”
In addition to the loss on Wednesday and the cut hours,
the Pub also lost approximately $100 on Thursday night.
“It’s not even about the money,” Klumpner said. “Stu-
dents like Thursdays because of the atmosphere.”
Lyle’s will reopen tonight at 8 p.m. and Klumpner en-
courages students to make their way to the JRC basement.
NEWS edited by J. Francis Buse and Brian Sherwin
busejohn@grinnell.edu, sherwinb@grinnell.edu 5
No Limits
from p. 1
and No Limits took nearly a month istration, No Shame has been perceived as a student
to arise. response to No Limits demands. “[No Shame] was
“With No Limits and SGA it was obviously a response, it wouldn’t have come out if the
a very good conversation,” Bale said. “I feel like some demands hadn’t come out but I don’t know that it was
people restrained themselves on both sides because there meant to antagonize us as much as just ‘we disagree and
is a lot of disagreement. I think a lot of people are sur- here’s our perspective on it and I think that ’s good,” said
prised that No Limits didn’t come to us first because No Limits member Mary MacDonald ’09. “People want
SGA is specifically supposed to represent student voices to know if this is not representative of the student body
to the administration.” and that ’s a conversation that needs to be happening.”
Despite this being the first documented interaction One of the most polarizing rumors in circulation on
between SGA and No Limits, Morake campus involves interactions between No
said that she has met with members Limits and prospective students during
of No Limits outside of their group upcoming prospective student weekends.
meetings. “I would like for [more in- “I think a lot of people are Members of No Limits have said they do
teraction] to happen,” Morake said. surprised that No Limits didn’t seek to approach prospective students in
“We have met with them as students- the coming weeks, but have clarified a po-
at-large but not as a collective.” come to us first because SGA sition different from the assumed antago-
No Limits member Mark Sullivan is specifically supposed to nistic intentions. Members of No Limits
’10 said the lack of contact with SGA are advertising in the form of chalked
was partially intentional, as a result of represent student voices.” sidewalks and wearing t-shirts encourag-
past involvement with SGA leading to Holden Bale ‘12 ing prospective students to inquire about
dead ends at times. the project.
“I don’t think we will go to SGA East Senator “We have this rhetoric of being green,
on all of our issues because, as previ- queer friendly, diverse place, and it doesn’t
ously stated, we want to work outside match up with what ’s actually happening
the system,” Sullivan said. “I think a lot of people in No here and the fact that Grinnell is talking about it and
Limits think that working within the system—they’re marketing itself that way is great, but that means that
very disenchanted with that and people in SGA are very hopefully that ’s what the prospies want to be,” Sullivan
good at working in the system and I think they should said. “So we’re showing prospies that if they’re looking
continue to do so. So we can use both.” at this place because of those reasons, you should come
In reaction to No Limits’ demands, an opposing here because you can help us fix those reasons, fix those
group No Shame was formed in order to foster a discus- things.”
sion of positive aspects of Grinnell College, No Shame Members of the No Limits Project said the group
co-author Anna Gilbert ’09 said. doesn’t have any concrete future goals beyond the con-
“A lot of the No Limits demands are very valid and tinuation of current demands.
very important and I think that discussion should con- “By saying that we have plans after that is kind of
tinue as it has,” Gilbert said. “But I also think a key like saying that we’re anticipating the administration
aspect of any discussion with an administration is thank- not meeting our demands,” Sullivan said. “We’re going
ing them for past successes and acknowledging that to have to keep going next year and I think that I would
when students ask for things at this school, almost 100 say that as along as the administration hasn’t met our
percent of the time they are listened to and a majority of demands, there will be a no limits group.”
the time those things happen.”
Though demands have yet to be met by the admin-
6 NEWS
edited by Ari Anisfeld and Johnny Buse
April 10, 2009
anisfeld@grinnell.edu; busejohn@grinnell.edu

Trans advocate Rose mixes humor and gender awareness

As a transgender activist, advocate, and speaker, Donna Rose has
been a prominent face of the transgender community ever since her
book “Wrapped In Blue: A Journey of Discovery” came out in 2003.
She was the first and only transgender member on the boards of the
Human Rights Campaign, where she resigned after the HRC sup-
ported an equal-rights amendment without protections for those with
of any gender identification. She still serves on both the Gay and Les-
bian Anti-Defamation League and the National Gay and Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce. In her work, Rose focuses on issues of equality
and has helped to craft guidelines for corporate America on how to
treat transsexuals in the workplace. She was Thursday’s speaker as
a part of the symposium of gender variance that brought diversity
trainer and educator Jessica Pettitt on Wednesday and will be hosting
gender theorist Heather Love at 4:15 this afternoon.

I guess I think the first question should be something you

mentioned a lot in your talk. What role does humor play in
your life, not just as a trans person but as a person in general?
Well my favorite trait about me is my sense of humor. This
particular topic can make people uncomfortable. I think humor
sometimes helps to lower the discomfort level. It lets people see
things clearer. My sense of humor is an integral part of who I am,
of how I see things every day. It makes me smile.
Does it play a role in your advocacy and activism?
My activism has any number of different shapes. Coming to
events like this and talking to them is one of them but sitting
in a boardroom and making decisions about money is another.
Making decisions about politics and about leadership is not the
place for humor. I think it’s really important to use humor, or to
be wise enough to know in what context it will help, but there
are also times that it’s really serious business, and that’s just what
it is.
Does it break down barriers? Does humor play a social
function?
I think it does. As a trans community, we’re very uptight.
There are those in the trans community who will see a drag show,
and they’ll get offended. There are those in the trans community
who don’t see any entertainment value, any community value,
in that. But when you look at the folks who go to these things,
they’re a lot of fun. There’s no one thing that makes something
humorous or not, but I do think that it plays an important role,
especially in these kind of discussions, because there were some
people today who felt that some of the things I said were humor-
ous and some who didn’t, and that’s just the
way it goes.
I guess I’d like to add on to that. You had
a lot of support during your transition and
maybe the people who are very serious about
these issues are thinking of the people who
had no support. Do you feel like you’ve had a
lot of privilege or gifts in your life?
I am the first to admit that I still living in
the world of privilege. That being white in
this culture carries some privilege, that having
a skill and a career especially given the current
economy, are things that you really appreciate.
Having the money to go through some of these
expensive procedures that some of us have to
go through; it’s just a very expensive thing. I’ve been privileged in
many ways, and I think I continue to be privileged, because I’ve
been able to continue my relationship with my son, I’ve been able
to maintain my relationship with my family. So I don’t think any
of us needs to apologize for those things, but they have been key
aspects to why or how I’ve gotten to where I am today.
I thought it was interesting when you said that you loved
to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Sometimes in these minor-
ity communities, some feel that a sense of strength needs to
be projected to show the oppressive forces that they have their
own strength. You were a wrestler and a football player, and
you did talk about how estrogen therapy opened you up, but
when did this idea of leading a life which would have a “legacy’
of vulnerability come around?
It’s not an easy answer. My approach to being a guy was a
pretty simple one, and one of the main tenets was avoid being
Kelsey Morse-Brown ’09, Nik Jameson ’11, Donna Rose and Margie Scribner ’10 discuss Alexis Arquette, West Hollywood
and Entertainment Tonight in the SRC during a reception organized by Erin Duran ’09 who coordinated the week’s Gender
Symposium. M IKE K LEINE
perceived as vulnerable. When I felt I was being attacked, my own. As one of the questions tonight talked about gender as a
response was one of anger. When you hurt me, my response was construct, and I answered that I’m not out to break down gender
one of anger. When any number of things happened, it was really as a construct, I’m not out to rationalize feminism, or other very
easy for me to turn them into anger. But the key to life for me important things. At the same time, the key isn’t how you feel
these days, the key to just being human, is that we are vulnerable, about your gender, it’s getting people to respect how you make
and vulnerability is not a trait is not a trait we need to apologize decisions about yourself. That’s not the same topic.
for. For the longest time, I was concerned that those were walls I So you would support the work of feminists and theorists,
could not take down, that I had been conditioned over the course and then say “that’s not my thing, my thing’s political activism
of my life to be that strong person, to allow yourself to be put in and speaking”?
that position where you could be hurt would When I first started to get involved in advocacy, someone
not be something I could do. But I have been told me, “Don’t be a martyr for your cause”. And I don’t even
hurt, and I have grown from it, and I have know, necessarily, what the cause is. Part of the problem is that
grown to appreciate it. my cause is equality. I’m reviewing a book written by a trans
Do you feel like you’re still in a process woman that defines trans gender as being contrary to traditional
of discovering? There’s male/female, but gender norms, but realistically, I fit into traditional gender norms
also this idea that you mentioned, “I find for women. I believe in the construct of gender so much that I’ve
myself to be a mutt.” gone through a lot to fit myself into it. It would be disingenuous
I think we’re all are. To me life is a con- to say that gender doesn’t matter to me, because I like who I am,
stant process of growth and change. Many today, inside the construct of gender. I never planned to be an
transsexual people are of the opinion that the activist, and at some point I think I’ll eventually fade away, and
transition ends at some point, and too often, settle down with my partner, and do the things that other people
that’s with the surgery. One of the questions take for granted. Right now, there have been too many opportu-
that I’m often asked is did I have a mental nities to be involved and to be in the workplace not to take them.
picture of what Donna would be like, or what Can you speak specifically to how men have difficulty
life as Donna would be like. It’s light years away, and that’s just expressing themselves in society as feminine, to how narrow
based on the fantasy, or making assumptions based on your own masculinity really is as a paradigm? Is it more or less difficult
head instead of your life experience. I find that I’m very much as a man, or is that kind of eluding the question of what it
David sometimes. The discipline that I learned as a wrestler was means to be either one?
something I would have had trouble gaining as Donna. At the Each of expresses our gender, and feels our gender, in unique
same time, it’s the blending that makes the difference. ways. That’s why I said if we had five people up here, each one of
At the same time, I wonder about what was brought up as us would express a different reality. Each of those realities would
a critique of your work in the talk- the naturalizing ways of be true. We’re looking for easy answers to really complicated
talking. I’m wondering if you think that living your life and questions and some things other trans people think may not af-
discovering is a kind of experiential counter to these ways of fect them, like same-sex marriage, or AIDS [matter to me]. I live
thinking, because what you say and how you talk about your in a world that is interconnected. What happens in this broader
identity is a controversial issue in many of these queer com- LBGT spectrum matters to all of us, and we have to see how
munities. the rest of society looks at us. They don’t make the distinctions
It is a controversial issue. To me, the fact that it’s complicated, we do.
that can’t keep people from having the discussion or respecting
that there are many people whose realities are different than your —interview conducted by James Anthofer

Check out what’s happening during Pride Week, Saturday, April 11-Sunday, April 19
Saturday, April 11 Wednesday, April 15 Saturday, April 18
BBQueer, 12 p.m. Loose Beach Queer Music and Open Mic Night, 9 p.m. Bob's Flip Cup Tournament sponsored by StoneCo and the
Underground Football team, 7:30 p.m. Gardener
Monday, April 13
Pride flag raising, Noon., Behind Herrick Thursday, April 16 Sunday, April 19
Spoken-word poet and activist, Andrea Gibson per- Queer Movie and Bake Night with GCCF and CRSSJ, Pride Parade!
forms and speaks, 8 p.m. Forum South Lounge 8 p.m. JRC 209 East campus parking lot to Norris,
Norris to Younker,
Tuesday, April 14 Friday, April 17 Younker to Loose. 11 a.m.
Drag Workshop and Discussion, 8 p.m. SRC in Day of Silence
Younker Pit QPOC Drag Show, 10 p.m. Harris Questions? email [srcenter]
April 10, 2009
Grinnell Coffee Crawl
Over the course of three days, J. Francis Buse ‘11 and Alysia
Vallas ‘10 ventured into the Grinnell community in order to
sample beverages from the wide ranging array of coffee houses
that Grinnell has to offer. This is their story:
Let’s not lie, throughout the week we drink coffee by
the gallons, not because we’re connoisseurs, but because it’s
a life source. We drink coffee for all sorts of reasons, to
keep awake while writing that term paper, to have a reason
to meet that friend you don’t often see, and of course, to
cure the occasional, oppressive weekend hangover.
Throughout the last week, we frequented and pur-
chased coffee at the following Grinnell establishments:
A&M, Kum & Go, Bob’s Underground Café, Saints Rest,
and Grinnell Coffee Company with the hopes of discover-
ing the coffee joint for any occasion. In order to be fair,
we sampled the house cup at each joint, one black and one
with the works (whatever creative cream and sugar con-
coction they offered) in order to provide you with the full
experience.
Saints Rest
Our first stop on the coffee tour was Saints Rest,
the coffee establishment generally most familiar to
Grinnell students. Determined to convey our reactions
to the experience, we tracked our emotions via smiley
face drawings and are pleased to announce that our
faces, saddened by the rainy weather and the looming
Monday before us, turned right side up.
Despite the dreary weather, the environ was filled
with cheery staff, local artwork, warm lighting, and the
curious conversation from a posse of ten-year-olds sit-
ting at the table nearby. We left the shop with higher
spirits. It offers a nice break from campus, an opportu-
nity to mingle with town residents, and an excuse to sit
at the window and shamelessly people watch. Although,
seeing children on leashes is mildly disheartening.
SB
FEATURES
&
Grinnell Coffee Company
Grinnell Coffee Company, the shop immediately follow-
ing our stop at Saints Rest, proved a significant departure
from the homey and bustling Saints Rest. The coffeehouse
was larger and darker than the main room at Saints Rest,
seeming to purposefully take a more urban, hipper approach.
Its subdued lighting and soothing jazz music provides the
college student with the right atmosphere for studying for
semester finals—that and they offer bottomless cups of cof-
fee, a perk for the perpetually penniless college student. The
joint has two blends of coffee available daily, which are roast-
ed on location, as well as the typical selection of specialty
drinks and sandwiches.
Bob’s Underground Cafe
We meandered on over to the ever-accessible and con-
venient Bob’s Underground Café where students occupied
almost every table. Some scribbled notes for their classes,
others engaged in lively conversation, a few were even passed
out on the sofas. The coffee hit the spot—it was strong,
plentiful, and served out of a random coffee mugs, in true
Grinnell fashion. You can even pay for it with your p-card,
granted you haven’t blown all your campus cash on piles of
dirty laundry. Bob’s is the place to go if you want to kill two
birds with one stone and knock out that homework while
meeting your oh-man-I-need-to-stop-doing-homework-
and-start-making-human-conversation quota.
edited by Chloe Moryl
morylchl@grinnell.edu 7
Kum & Go
The infamous Kum & Go, a convenience store that
shows up on both the food and gas signs along Interstate-80,
offered us a chance to satisfy our substance cravings in the
simplest and cheapest of ways. A 12 oz. coffee was moder-
ately priced at $1.19, and, with the help of a bevy of cream-
ers, syrups and questionable caffeine additives, all available
at no extra charge, the coffee tasted like, well, whatever you
put in it. However, with the presence of burritos, nachos and
hot dogs, the coffee was a secondary concern. The small shop
was filled with conversation and a certain brisk happiness,
surprising for a chain gas station. For those who are look-
ing for a quick pick-me-up, or a stomachache, try the Kum
& Go Strikeout—a drag of a cigarette, followed by a bite
of a steak and cheese burrito, all washed down by scalding
“Columbian” coffee.
A&M
Although it’s customary for students to visit A&M dur-
ing a rough weekend, after visiting on a Wednesday afternoon,
we suggest that you don’t write it off during the week. The
seating was instantaneous, the usually slow service was snappy
and the portions seemed larger. Also, the coffee, as always, was
endless.
Although it tasted like your typical Folger’s drip, the end-
less refills that were always a waitress away made it worth the
taste. The price for coffee was typical, but the food’s still cheap,
such as the face-sized $2 cinnamon roll. Look out for the non-
dairy powdered creamer—it contains milk—and don’t even
think about asking for a latte. This is, of course, A&M.
 8 edited by Chloe Moryl
morylchl@grinnell.edu
What is the actual definition of self-governance?
Self-governance is a uniquely Grinnellian
tradition, but unlike other philosophies, the
real-world applications of self-governance
are fluid. Back when the campus housing was
separated by gender, students made decisions
during dorm councils on topics such as opposite
gender visiting hours. While now self-gover-
nance is utilized in other aspects, the general
idea is still there. “There are, most likely, as
many definitions as there are people at this
College,” said Dean of Students Travis Greene.
Trying to define self-governance is tricky,
but the best way to understand self-governance
is in practice. The utilization of self-governance
in our daily lives isn’t something students
usually notice, but it is everywhere. The fact
that the open curriculum allows students to
take that amazing painting class regardless of
WhoWhatWhenWhereWhyHow: History of Self-Gov
It is hard to precisely identify the begin-
ning of self-governance. Ken Christiansen,
Biology, who came to Grinnell in 1956,
remembers, “there has always been a great
deal of democracy at this institution.” At the
opposite end of the instructional spectrum,
Leda Hoffman ’09, who is completing a
history MAP on self-gover-
nance and has read the S&B
since its founding, asserts that
“self-governance starts in the
beginning.”
Hoffman has found refer-
ences to self-governance in the
bulletin language of the first
dorms. It was first dubbed
“self-government” and has
had various names since then.
Inviting students into the
residence halls has brought many struggles
beginning with curfews and continuing today
Students and faculty: self-gov in the classroom
When discussing self-governance, aca-
demics don’t necessarily come to the forefront
of people’s minds, but self-governance prin-
ciples are embedded in Grinnell’s academic
policies. “Self-governance also fits with the
overall academic philoso-
phy,” Osgood said.
The close student-fac-
ulty relationships clearly
demonstrate how self-gov-
ernance appears in the class-
room setting. Faculty, such
as Max Leung, Sociology,
actively seek to further in-
corporate the communica-
tive and communal aspects
of self-governance into their
syllabi and discussions. “It’s more than just
getting feedback but also allowing students to
improve and invest in the course,”Leung said.
Often, students feel comfortable ap-
proaching faculty about issues beyond just
what they are learning. After a professor
A Timeline of Self Gov
major, having a College president who is will-
ing to talk to students and hear their problems,
the fact that Student Advisors aren’t mandated
to report students for activites that wouldn’t fly
at other colleges, that peers will approach you
about turning down the Britney album we all
know you are blasting at 2:00 a.m. instead of
doing homework, and more importantly the
sense of independence that you have in this
supporting community—yes, self-governance
is in practice.
For SGA Vice President of Student
Affairs-Elect Ben Offenberg ’11, self-gover-
nance involves “the actions of the community
working peacefully, you don’t have to run to
someone to solve problems. The biggest tenets of
self-governance are respect and accountability.”
In addition to determining relationships on
with alcohol. Back in the day, student boards
were established to keep Grinnell classmates
from coming home too late at night or having
illegal visitation. Violators could earn more
hours on their graduation requirements or
even a weeklong suspension, depending on
the severity of their case and the seriousness
of the students trying them.
While these punishments
may seem extreme today,
the process of student-led
regulation mirrors systems
that still exist on campus
such as the Judicial Council
( JudCo).
Christiansen, who has
seen residence life policies
liberalize over the past few
decades, adds “students
were much more rigorous in their report-
ing.” Hoffman explains that “students always
wrote student exam scores in a public location,
SGA Vice President of Academic Affairs-
Elect Joanna DeMars ’10 thought this action
was “unnecessary and potentially hurtful” so
she went directly to the professor with “the
expectation that he would
understand this and talk to
me about it at the very least.”
Professors are always
encouraged to work with
students. “It is definitely
something members of the
College promoted as a dis-
tinct feature,” Leung said.
“There is a more in-depth
introduction to the culture
of Grinnell, [and] students
came to talk to us.”
Some believe that this connection be-
tween self-governance and academics is co-
incidental, not purposeful. “Self-governance
ties to other institutions such as the open
curriculum,” Leung said.
1846 – New Englanders
with strong Congrega-
tional and social-reformer
backgrounds founded
Iowa College.
SELF-GOV IS LOVE
campus, self-governance builds on basic values.
“A lot of self-governance is common sense,” Of-
fenberg said. “You’re not going light a building
on fire and say, ‘Self-governance.’”
President Russell K. Osgood did not see
any policy resembling self-governance before
coming to Grinnell and it was one of the things
that drew him here. “We are kind of a city on
the hill, self-governance is not perfect, but we
don’t have the problems like peer institutions
because students do a good job of taking care of
each other and making sure that their fellow
students are okay,” Osgood said.
Vice President for Student Affairs Houston
Dougharty also emphasizes the uniqueness.
“Grinnell is significantly different than 98
percent of colleges,” Dougharty said.
bought into the idea that we need to regulate
our community. For example, the Hall Presi-
dent was not a tool or too loose.”
In the 1960’s, an SGA referendum sanc-
tioned Hall Presidents to declare “home-rule”
about male-female visitation—eventually
leading the College President to follow suit.
But it was not until the early 1990’s that
self-governance achieved its own section in
the Student Handbook. While the term
had been used in this publication for years
beforehand, it was never categorized as a
fully-sanctioned College policy.
“The term self-governance floats around
student handbooks,” Hoffman said. “It was a
philosophy that people talked about happen-
ing separately but is not articulated.” Today,
students and administrators still struggle to
nail-down exactly what self-governance is,
but it is important not to forget its’ “timeless
existence.”
Similarly to in student life, self-gover-
nance in academics does not mean endless
freedom. “You cannot decide to not have a
major or go abroad for three terms,” Osgood
said. Still, only having one required class is a
lot of freedom.
The shared approach to school work also
embodies self-governance. “At Grinnell, I do
not feel competitive with my fellow class-
mates and we really value working together,”
Demars said. “Helping each other out is not
necessarily a governing thing but the sense of
community that comes out of that.”
While the overlap of self-governance and
academics is very direct for Hoffman, she has
found that all Grinnellians can gain intel-
lectual development from self-governance
both in and out of the classroom. “There has
always been the idea that self-governance is
important for education so that they can learn
about governing themselves,” Hoffman said.
1887 – “Grinnell College President
George Gates’ inaugural address outlined
some early principles of self-governance:
‘It is ten thousand times better that the
young people should learn to govern
themselves, than that they should be gov-
erned in any best way whatsoever’” (SGA
Self-Governance Text).
FEATURES
ANNA GILBERT & NAJMA OSNAN
Self governance across campus
BY
DARBY: Dean of Students Travis Greene
sometimes leaves the third floor of the
JRC and goes “To athletic events, concerts,
[and] art openings,” Greene explained. “I
value one-on-one relationship building”
Darby and sees this to be an aspect of living in a
self-governing community.
COWLES: A common example given by
COWLES Joanna DeMars ’10 “is that the people next
door are being loud and if I am comfortable
HARRIS I can go over and tell them I am working
late on a school night and ask them to
turn it down.”
HARRIS:  Parties here are solely student
supervised.  Of course, other resources such
as RLC’s, campus security, and Grinnell
Police Department are always available
and are called in emergency cases, but as
Vice President of Student Affairs Houston
Daugharty points out, “ACE security is a
SGA OFFICES good example of how students can govern
themselves.”
SGA OFFICES:  Vice President of Student
OFFICE OF SOCIAL Affairs-Elect Ben Offenberg ’11 believes
COMMITMENT “SGA’s role is to help students apply it
NOYCE
[especially] during NSO, and is here to
fight and continue self-governance.”  They
meet with students, faculty, administrators,
ECO HOUSE alumni, trustees, and other community
members to ensure that student input is
always being heard.
PRESIDENT OSGOOD:  He contributes self-
PRESIDENT ’S OFFICE governance to his frequent meetings with
students.  “Students have a stronger sense
of their own part of the president,” he said.
ECO HOUSE: Jacob Gjesdahl ’10 recollects:
“I was soaking a deer hide in the bathtub …
One of my housemates opposed vehement-
ly to this on grounds of it being ‘gross.’ …
[So,] the bathroom I was using was farther
from her room than the other bathroom.”
NOYCE : “Part of my week is getting
together with other physics majors and
doing problem sets.  And my profes-
sors understand that we are working as
a team and learning,” DeMars ’10 said.
OFFICE OF SOCIAL COMMITMENT:  “I try to
make decisions [thinking] about how this
is going to impact students and when I can
talk to students,” said Director of Service
and Social Committment Doug Cutchins.
1909 – Change of name 1912 – First dorms were 1960s – Home Rule is 1992/3 – Student Affairs Deans Jim 1997/8 – President Rus- 2009 – Self-governance,
to Grinnell College years opened with student-led declared. This decade Tederman and [Former Vice President sell K. Osgood comes to despite many imperfec-
after moving to present councils is typically seen as the of Student Affairs] Tom Crady articulated campus. tions, perseveres.
location. beginning of self-gover- self governance in the Student Handbook
nance as an official college policy.
Self-governance and the law
One of the common misconceptions
about self-governance is that you can do
what you want, when you want, regardless
of state and federal policies. In reality, these
rules must be remembered and respected
despite the flexibility self-governance allows
our community.
Many discussions about self-governance
revolve around the campus’ alcohol policy.
Since parties are student-supervised, either
by fellow partiers or ACE Security for larger
affairs, self-governance is necessary to keep
everyone safe and happy.
Former SGA President
Chris Hall ’07 worked closely
with the administration on the
alcohol and drug policies while
serving on SGA. “A lot of the
strengths of Grinnell’s alcohol
and drug policy is that it is not
in writing,” Hall said. “You
don’t want something written
in black and white in the student handbook.”
Regardless of the flexibility that self-
governance allows, laws still exist for the
college and state; “The law understands that
there is some discretion especially when no
one is in danger,” Osgood said. Our com-
munity decisions must be mindful of laws.
Thus, making the legality of self-governance
is extremely complex and situational.
Two years ago, students, administrators,
and police held discussions about an in-house
drug policy. “The overall intent of the policy
is never to liberalize our drug policy com-
pletely—it would only consider pot and only
Self-Gov: where do we go from here?
Self-governance is surely not dying, but
there is often concern that self-governance is
somehow withering away. “No one is trying
to snatch away authority from students, it is
simply not true though there seems to be a
lot of paranoia,” Osgood said. “The thought
of the College regulating your every decision
is simply not feasible. I think that college is
a time of independence.”
“Over the years I have seen self-gover-
nance less emphasized than it used to be
from student to student,” SGA Films Chair
Jeff Sinick ’09 said. “Upperclassmen used
to present and use the philosophy of self-
governance to new students. It
used to be more pressing then it
is now, but some of it has to do
with the College transitioning
and less institutional memory.”
Despite the changes and
evolution of self-governance,
students, and administrators
continue to promote self-gov-
ernance and help students at-
large to utilize self-governance to the fullest.
A student committee has updated
the GrinnellWiki with a guide on self-
governance, which is more a structure than
a series of guidelines about self-governance.
The handbook was written in order to ad-
dress lack of information, and to empower
students to use self-governance.
Work is underway on providing more
self-governance information to incoming
students during New Student Orientation.
“We are working on doing a better job to
help students understand self-governance,”
Dougharty said.
Dougharty explained that the adminis-
tration is keeping self-governance in mind
when picking RLCs. “We are trying to
April 10, 2009 9
in small amounts. We agreed to one-eighth
of an ounce or less,” Hall said. “[Former Vice
President of Student Affairs Tom] Crady
and I worked closely with [Chief of Police]
Jody Matherly in order to not offend anyone
outside of Grinnell. GPD [Grinnell Police
Department] was there for pretty much ev-
ery step of the discussion.” The policy never
got passed the college lawyers, but was an
interesting discussion.
The College has some discretion on
when to trigger the law in alcohol-related
incidents. “If an RLC sees a
student with one-third of a
cup of beer, I think it’s okay for
them to tell them to just pour
it out, but on the other hand
we couldn’t let a minor with
a 100 gallon keg walk around
Mac Field, that’s a problem,”
Osgood said. He added that the
law understands there is some
discretion when an offense is minor and no
threat to public safety.
Not everything functions in terms of
legality, but instead, in terms of safety. An
example is weapons.The College is liable for
allowing someone to have a weapon and if
someone gets hurt. The College has obliga-
tions that rest on top of self-governance, like
banning weapons. Still, when anyone, stu-
dent or staff, spots a dangerously inebriated
person they have at least a moral obligation
to step in, no matter their age, and offer help,
but not to “report” them. “We live within a
lot of gray,” Dougharty said.
focus our attention on finding candidates
that help foster self-governance and helping
them visualize how a self-governing com-
munity works,” Dougharty said. “We then
get candidates like Andrea Conner from
Bard College who was drawn to Grinnell
because of self-governance.”
Dougharty said students who believe
self-governance is dying should get more
involved in SGA committees, to apply to
become an SA, and in general take advan-
tage of opportunities on campus to have your
voice heard and to promote self-governance.
“Self-governance is not dead. Self-
governance is always changing,
and students could be doing a
better job not landing in the
hospital for alcohol poisoning,
which is an individual and
community self-governance
failure that injures the trust
in ourselves,” said SGA Pres-
ident-Elect Harry Krejsa ’10.
“This common misconception
that self-governance is dead is destructive.
“That is why we need to provide education
of the resources and continue to build our
system based on trust.”
In his role as an SA, Ragnar Thorisson
’11 tries to make self-governance as non-hi-
erarchal as possible. “I view myself as another
student on the floor, but when it comes down
to it, SAs are there for when self-governance
ultimately breaks down, there are times that
there needs to be a mediator because of
perceived authority someone might listen to
us over their roommate or another,” Thoris-
son said. “It’s a big privilege that we get to
define our own community here at Grinnell
and that involves active engagement from
everyone for that to work.”
10
S B
edited by Chloe Moryl
morylchl@grinnell.edu

David Western: the next Bono

FEATURES
& April 10, 2009

A passion for music, peace studes, and international relations: might as well lead U2
David Western, Political Science. M ARFA PROKHOROVA
BY NAJMA OSMAN
You may have seen David Western, Political Science,
around campus, or you might be in his popular class, Peace and
How to Achieve It. Either way, the Mellon Postdoctoral Fel-
low and Lecturer in Peace Studies has an interesting story—an
attempted music career that eventually landed him in interna-
tional relations studies.
The Terrace, British Columbia native was drawn to small-
town Iowa because of its pastoral beauty. “Well, I grew up in the
most beautiful place nature-wise with eagles and woods, you just
had to be wary of the bears—but I was told Grinnell is a place
you want to go,” Western said. “I wanted to go to liberal arts col-
lege and the Peace Studies program has the same approach to
peace studies as I do with practical applications and questions
that is not just focusing on political science but peace studies as
multi-disciplinary.”
After 18 years growing up in the northwestern part of Can-
ada, Western moved to Vancouver to pursue music. He picked
up a guitar at age 14 and became obsessed and believed that it
was his destiny to become a rock star and be a political activist
like Bono.
Music was Western’s first love. He played in a rock band for
four years during the early 90’s during the Nirvana, grunge mu-
sic period. “It was a hard time, I had to sacrifice in order to live
Ashur Bratt ’12
that life, going several days without food, but I wasn’t mature
enough to make it,” Westerm said. “I didn’t want to be mature
and professional, I wanted to make my music and be passionate 1:30 a.m. — Finally get into bed, though I should’ve been
about it.” asleep hours prior—especially because I was watching
After working a range of odd jobs, from working at a video “Dr. Strangelove” and avoiding work.
store to community service work, at the age of 25, Western real-
ized he wanted to figure out a way to do more with his inter- 8:30 a.m. — Cell phone alarm goes off and I begin to
ests in humanitarian work which he had explored through his stir rhythmically to either Amadou and Mariam, “What
I Got” by Sublime, or “So Tired of Being Alone” by Al
music. “I went back to school, but it was a natural progression
Green. It all depends on the day.
because I had done well earlier in school,” Western said. “I de-
cided to do a correspondence course then went to the Univer- 8:40 a.m. — If I haven’t fallen completely back to sleep,
sity of Victoria which was an amazing environment of envi- I rouse myself out of bed and put on the jeans and shirt
ronmentally friendly people with lots of bike paths and public that are lying somewhere on the floor. I generally find my
transit and natural beauty.” clothing pushed to a corner of the room.
Western ended up applying to the international relations
program at Brown University for a Ph.D. “I hadn’t fully thought 8:43 a.m. — Sit in bed for a minute or two and gather my
about what I wanted to do after completing my Political Science thoughts, i.e. nearly fall back asleep sitting up.
degree, but I was told to consider graduate school and pointed
towards Brown by professors,” Western said. “I hadn’t even heard 8:44 a.m. — Run to the dining hall to grab a bowl of
of Brown before I applied and when I got there I had a massive oatmeal and a bagel.
culture shock. Despite what people think—like that episode of
the Simpsons where Bart calls Canada as USA Jr., Canada and 8:57 a.m. — Look at the clock and, though I have had a
semester and a half of experience, still assume that I can
the US are a lot different. get to Steiner for Philosophy in a minute or less.
The 36-year-old two-year postdoctoral fellow is enjoying
his time at Grinnell, though he says that being a vegan here 9:02 a.m. — Quickly get up from breakfast and begin my
is a challenge. According to Western, Grinnell is kind of like “minute” run to Steiner.
the Brown of the liberal arts colleges, except Grinnellians seem
friendly and community-oriented. “Iowa reminds me more of 9:06 a.m. — Arrive at Steiner and walk into Philosophy
Canada, especially the neighborliness,” Western said. “People late, again. I just argue that it is my philosophy that time
stop to say hi and chat here. That’s a lot different than the East is irrelevant it doesn’t work.
Coast.”
11:50 a.m. — Either lay in bed playing Fight Night

Easy, tasty springtime treats

Round 3 or Rainbow 6 on my Xbox 360, engage in a
very long lunch conversation with some cool people or
complete the Bio work that I either didn’t start or didn’t
finish the previous night.
The arrival of spring (in name, at least, even if the weather avocadoes should have a little give but not be mushy when 2:13 p.m. — Look at the clock, freak out slightly, run to
doesn’t always reflect it) brings with it many joys, not the least you squeeze them. Peel and mash five ripe avocadoes, stirring Bio Lab.
of which is the dimming of the need for red meat and a rise in one teaspoon salt, a teaspoon of lime juice, and one table-
in the desire to eat fresh fruit. A crisp, tart Fuji apple slath- spoon finely chopped cilantro. Core and seed two small fresh 4:05 p.m. — Finally done with classes for the week.
ered with extra-chunky peanut butter is delicious and read- jalapenos, and dice very finely. Slice two fairly ripe tomatoes
ily available in the dining hall, but after eating them for two into one-inch chunks. Gently combine the tomatoes and jala- 4:06 p.m. — I walk around campus, given it’s a nice day,
months straight, a person tends to develop some cholesterol penos with the avocado. Serve with good tortilla chips or eat and socialize with people. This time is so much better
issues. plain. than most other parts of the day. I value human interac-
Since fruit is supposed to be moderately healthy, I offer you Fried Plantains tion.
three easy alternatives. I became addicted to plantains in Ecuador over winter
Haroset break, and this is quite possibly the best way to serve them. You 6:30 p.m — Go to dinner.
Since the Jewish holiday of Passover has just started, I rec- can find plantains in HyVee or Wal-Mart; I’ve never checked
ommend eating this on matzah. Fareway. They turn black as they 7:15 p.m. — Come home and begin homework—ev-
eryone makes fun of me for this part, given it’s a Friday
During the seder, or Passover meal, ripen, and are significantly bigger night—and claim that I am staying in tonight to work.
haroset is meant to represent the
mortar that the Jews used as slaves
Nora Coon ‘10 than bananas. Find the darkest
plantains you can, since the green 9:30 p.m. — When I can no longer stand the pesterings
in Egypt—but significantly better Ice Cream is Rich in Protein plantains won’t be very sweet when of my friends, namely Gabe Schechter ’12 and Eric Ritter
to eat. You’ll need a sharp knife, cooked. You’ll need a frying pan, a ’12, I get up, shower and get ready for the night.
a bowl (clean Tupperware works spatula, and a knife, as well as some
well), a measuring cup, and a mixing implement. Peel six apples towels or a mesh rack to drain the plantains. Assume one plan- 10:00 p.m. — Finally ready for a nice relaxing Friday
and chop into roughly one-inch chunks. Toss with about a tea- tain per person. night, I begin festivities, generally without the slightest
spoon of lemon juice. Roughly chop ¾ cup of shelled walnuts To peel a plantain, cut it into thirds widthwise and then run inkling of what the night holds in store for me.
and add to the apples, along with a teaspoon of cinnamon and your knife under the peel—it’s more stubborn than a regular
¼ teaspoon ginger. Pour in ¼ cup sweet wine—Manischewitz banana peel. Slice the plantains into rounds, about ½” thick; if 4:32 a.m. — Fall asleep, generally wherever I may be at
is traditional. Refrigerate at least four hours to let the wine you cut them too thick, they’ll end up burning. Pour ¼” – ½” of the time.
soak in. vegetable oil into the frying pan, and heat it on medium-high
Guacamole (depending on your stove). Add the plantain in a single layer;
Perfect food for watching basketball on TV. I recommend it’s fine to cook it in batches. Cook for one to two minutes, un-
making this directly in whatever container you’ll use to store til the bottom is golden-brown, and then flip the plantains and
it. You’ll need a sharp knife, mixing spoon and container. The repeat. Drain and serve hot.

Think you can do this? Apply to be an editor.

All positions hiring. Applications available in the mailroom, online, or by emailing [newspapr].
Due Monday, April 13.
 April 10, 2009 ARTS
edited by Mark Japinga
japingam@grinnell.edu 11
Reverse aging and ’80s kung fu? Sho’nuff!
The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button
(2008)

Pitt brings Oscar-worthy acting

George Bernard Shaw famously said,
“Youth is wasted on the young.” Not so in “The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” in which
the Oscar-nominated Brad Pitt, playing the
title character, ages in reverse.
Director David Fincher’s intriguing epic
opens with an old woman named Daisy (an ex-
tremely aged Cate Blanchett) on her deathbed,
telling her daughter a story. It’s about a man
named Gateau, a blind clockmaker, who was
commissioned to design a clock to be hung in
the New Orleans train station.
He designs the clock after his only son
leaves to fight in World War I, but before the
clock’s completion, he receives news of his son’s
death. When the clock is finally unveiled, it
runs in reverse. Gateau’s explanation: he hoped
that time could bring his son back to him. It’s
a sad opening that effectively sets the tone for
the film.
Obviously, there’s something profoundly
sad and lonely about Benjamin’s circumstances.
As a baby he looks like an old (albeit infant-
sized) wrinkled man of 80. His mother dies in
childbirth and his father, horrified at Benjamin’s
appearance, abandons him in front of a nurs-
ing home, run by the spirited Queenie (Taraji P. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards. www.allmoviephoto.com
Henson). Henson earned an Oscar nomination
for her role here, largely because she transcends
the stereotype that her role could have become an old grandmother-type, cares for the love of “the appearance of a sublime glow all over your 3. I end up quoting a specific line that I
by infusing it with warmth and heart. her life as he goes from awkward preteen, to body.” We thankfully get to see this in all it’s will enjoy referencing for at least a week.
It becomes quickly apparent that Benjamin toddler, to infant. 80’s special-effects glory. Kung fu has so com- “Am I the baddest mo fo, low down around
is in fact getting younger as time passes, and he Earlier in the film, Benjamin says, “I will pletely taken over Leroy’s life that we see him this town? Sho’Nuff !” The only thing more
has to endure his friends in the nursing home go out of this world the same way I came in— eating popcorn with chopsticks at a theatre. satisfying is learning that Samuel L. Jackson
dying around him. The film makes the heavy- alone.” We all do, but not all of us have man- Meanwhile, Laura Charles (Vanity) hosts will play him in the upcoming remake. I’m
handed link in these early moments between aged to live such an extraordinary life. While an MTV-esque music video extravaganza, but dead serious.
old age and infancy—at these points in our lives this film is overlong and can be heavy-handed, runs into trouble thanks to Eddie Arkadian 4. A few characters will bring down the
we are dependent, needy, and fragile. Heavy- it is also beautiful and touching. “The Curious (Chris Murney), who tries to kidnap Laura so movie, depriving it of anyone but a “cult” au-
handed: yes. Heartfelt: also yes. Case of Benjamin Button” is quite a journey. she’ll play the music video of his Cyndi Lauper- dience since it’s not really that spectacular.
Screenwriter Eric Roth is known for the —Jaysen Wright wannabe girlfriend, Angela. Like every kung fu In this case, white people ruin everything.
similarly epic fable “Forrest Gump,” and the movie, Leroy steps in just in time to save her, Eddie’s subplot does nothing to interest view-
two films share a central conceit of a journey- only to disappear after she turns around, leading ers that have already been amused by excep-
man searching for himself as the years pass. The Last Dragon to contrived romantic tension. tional fight scenes, the idea of a kung fu culture
Pitt’s performance seems largely impassive, but (1985) The movie is tied together through Green’s in Harlem, and the exploits of Leroy’s father
his work is quite complex beneath the surface. only adversary, Sho’Nuff, the immaculately running his pizza parlor.
Benjamin retains a childlike naïveté and will- dressed Shogun of Harlem ( Julius J. Carry III) It seems like the writers had to decide be-
ingness to really live life, not letting it pass him who is by far the standout character of the mov- tween plugging the inevitable gaping plot holes
by, and Pitt is in full control of both of these ie. Eddie hires out the Shogun to find Laura, or another couple of scenes with the criminally
endearing qualities. Blaxpoitation and Kung Fu leading to an epic and climactic fight with Le- underused Sho’Nuff, and honestly thought the
He is helped not only by the amazing make- roy that ends predictably. It’s a blaxploitation former made for a better movie. You just shake
up and special effects that allow him to eerily Did I just watch the most stereotypical cult kung fu flick with evil white gangsters. So far, your head and wonder what could have been.
age backward (seeing Pitt in his 20s and 30s is classic of all time? It sounds weird to have that so good. 5. On the whole, it will be so bad that it’s
remarkable and jarring) but by the luminous idea bouncing around your head. “The Last 2. It will mix numerous amusing cultural good.
Blanchett. Roth made it difficult for Jenny and Dragon” is a fine movie, but I look back on it milieu of a time period in a way no other mov- I mean, come on, how can you keep your-
Forrest to be together in “Forrest Gump,” and thinking more about just how straightforward it ie possibly could. self from laughing when Sho’nuff announces
Daisy and Benjamin have hurdles of their own. all seems, and how weird that feels for a movie To put it bluntly, the ’80s are a godsend to he will kill Leroy with the proclamation that
Except for a few blissful years spent together in that is supposed to defy cinematic norms by be- “The Last Dragon.” Musically, we get an over- he “will designate his ass for dismemberment?”
their 40s, the two will never be the same age. ing utterly ridiculous. Allow me to elaborate, the-top kung fu montage in the opening credits Or when Leroy discusses sex as an art form?
Benjamin knows this and makes the difficult using a hastily composed list of “Cult Classic made even better with synthesizers, a shameless The requisite stupid, yet inventive dialogue
decision to leave Daisy after they have a child Requirements.” ripoff of “You’re The Best” from “The Karate from an off-beat set of characters in a crazy set-
together, believing that their daughter “deserves 1. You will be both impressed and awe- Kid,” and an actual decent song in “Rhythm of ting is the cornerstone of any great cult-classic.
a father, not a playmate.” struck at the stupidity of the concept. the Night.” Director Michael Schultz also ben- But with the cult canon now bursting with
Many years later, an elderly Daisy receives The movie starts with the Bruce Lee- efits from early video game special effects, the equally ridiculous films, it’s a shame that “The
a phone call from an awkward and confused inspired Leroy Green (Taimak) finishing his entire Bruce Lee library, and countless terrible Last Dragon” gets too sidetracked to distance
12-year-old who, the doctors are bewildered to kung fu training in a dojo located on the Man- fashion decisions, all of which appeal to the part itself from its counterparts and be anything
report, seems to be suffering from mild demen- hattan side of the East River. He can only reach of me that wants to live in the grunge of pre- more than straightforward absurdity.
tia. Talk about a wrenching denouement: Daisy, the final level by achieving the “glow,” literally yuppie New York. —Mark Japinga

H The Curious Saturday F The Last S Monsters Vs. Fast & Furious Duplicity
MOVIE Case of Benja- Night Fever O Dragon T Aliens Fri. - 4:40, 7:20 & 9:25 p.m. Fri. - 4:20, 7:10 & 9:35 p.m.
A
R min Button Sat.- 7:30, & 10:30 p.m. R Fri and Sat. - 7:30 R Fri. - 4:30, 7 & 9:05 p.m. Sat. - 2:10, 4:40, 7:20 & 9:25 p.m. Sat. - 1:45, 4:20, 7:10 & 9:35 p.m.
Sat. - 2, 4:30, 7 & 9:05 p.m. Sun. - 2:10, 4:40 & 7:20 p.m. Sun. - 1:45, 4:20 & 7:10 p.m.

TIMES
Fri. - 4:30, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. Sun. - 1:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
R Sat. - 1:30 p.m. U A Sun. - 2, 4:30 & 7 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. - 4:40 & 7:20 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. - 4:20 & 7:10 p.m.
I M N Mon.-Thurs. - 4:30 & 7 p.m.
S D
 12 edited by Mark Japinga
japingam@grinnell.edu
ARTS April 10, 2009

Severe weather awareness? How about zombie awareness?

I had never seen a zombie movie before col-
lege. Then I met Steph Cox ’09 and I was intro-
duced to a frightening new concept: the zom-
biepocalypse. “Night of the Living Dead,” “Bog
Creatures,” and “Dead and Breakfast” (paired
with serious conversations about our relative abil-
ity to survive a zombie attack) fueled my imagi-
nation. Grinnell is in the middle of the cornfields
of Iowa. Do we really have a chance?
I sought out these troubling conversations
with Steph and fellow zombie/apocalypse enthu-
siast Mer Nechitilo ’09; their zombie knowledge
and experience easily trumps mine. Now, I pon-
der the general defensive capabilities of various
academic buildings far more than the applica-
tion of literary theory.
I’m an English major.
Some key thoughts:
1. We have to real-
ize that the zombiepoc-
alypse is unpredictable.
You can only make
basic plans and preparations. The real key to sur-
vival rests on improvisation.
2. Only a few buildings on campus can prop-
erly serve as a defensive stronghold against any
sort of invasion, especially from zombies:
Stuck on the third floor of ARH? Kiss your
brain goodbye before the zombie consumes it.
The JRC? It’s ridiculously vulnerable. No
matter how much that window in the dining hall
costs, it cannot withstand the pure strength of
determined zombies. Obviously, Cesar Pelli had
ulterior motives.
It’s still a valuable resource, though. You
can run through the Marketplace, pick up the
rounded knives from the pizza station to use as
a Bat’leth or a bladed boomerang. Just hope the
Cheery Checkers haven’t already been zombified.
They won’t let you leave.
Noyce is deceptive. True, the glut of maze-like
hallways can allow you to lose a confused zombie/
Humanities major without much difficulty. But
zombies could mount a surprise attack from any-
where. You could sustain a successful defense in
the greenhouse by barricading the stairwells, but
you can still get to the third floor through the Sci-
ence Library. Again, through the windows.
Noyce might prove effective as a weapons
barracks thanks to the abundance of chemicals.
Various caustic acids could delay the zombie on-
slaught, but other chemicals could cause muta-
tions, making the situation far worse.
As for the best places to avoid imminent
zombie attacks? Goodnow stands as the con-
sensus leader (sample size: 3), followed by Quad.
Goodnow has only one entrance and though it
has vents to the basement, the vents are metal and
difficult to remove, even for a human with regu-
lar motor control and a brain. Besides, there’s a
tower. Towers are great. If towers weren’t great,
castles wouldn’t have them. Goodnow is also
well-stocked with primitive weaponry: atlatls
and axes, among other
things.
Quad can be barri-
caded, since no zombie
could climb through the
windows, but you’d ulti-
mately get overwhelmed.
There’s just too much open space. And now that
it no longer serves as a dining hall, you get no
food and no weapons.
But where do you go from all this theoriz-
ing? After several hours of discussions and many
sources, I have a basic plan. And you should trust
me, since the internet says I have a 70 percent
chance of surviving. Assuming I hear the news in
my Haines second room, I would make my way
to the JRC for the aforementioned giant knives
and food supplies, assembling a crack team of
zombie killers on the way. Next, we’d cut though
Noyce in the most direct way possible, and then
make our way carefully to Goodnow, keeping the
pizza knives ready to slice off a zombie head. The
key here is to avoid sneak attacks but not to be so
out in the open that you are easily surrounded.
Once safely inside, we’d barricade the single
entrance to Goodnow and ensure that it is actu-
ally the only entrance. We’d arm ourselves with
atlatls and axes and wait for the hordes. But lead-
ing an inexperienced and small force against a
zombie invasion is not smart. You have to wait
for your heroic final stand, killing zombies as they
break through your defenses and pile through the
door, blocking their own path. Godspeed.

Go deep into McIntyre’s mind Sébastien Tellier brings the love

BY NEIL F INNEGAN
This weekend’s concerts promise a wide
range of musical genres crammed into just
two shows. Before Sébastien Tellier presents
his library of songs, Eric J. McIntyre, Music,
will present “Music from the Mind of Eric
J. McIntyre” at 7:30 p.m. in Sebring-Lewis
Hall, featuring four of his compositions per-
formed by various students and faculty.
“In six years of being here at Grinnell,
I have not done any composition recitals,”
McIntyre said. “Since that’s . . . my primary
area of scholarly work, it’s dawned on me
that probably it would be a good idea.”
The concert features four starkly differ-
ent compositions composed by McIntyre
throughout his career. The first, “Ball Sax
on Bourbon,” features two horns and a bari-
tone and shows off McIntyre’s talents in jazz
composition. “Some Very Specific Views,”
the second piece, is a digital tape composi-
tion. “[The song is] completely edited from
human voices I recorded coming into the
studio,” McIntyre said, which he assembled
into a sonata piece.
These two pieces set up “Lament,” the
cornerstone of the performance, which is
based on McIntyre’s understanding of the
word to be “a scream of grief.”
“It’s not a particularly beautiful piece of
music,” McIntyre said. “It uses some non-
traditional notation, boxed gestures that
people will play in random orders, and flex-
ible timings.”
Playing “Lament,” musicians will have
to decide on their own exactly what to play.
“We’re not actually reading off a normal
score,” said flautist Emma Jerndal ’09. “It’s
just a line of notes and . . . each player can
just decide which line they play in this win-
dow of time . . . it’s never the same twice.”
“I really was driven to program ‘Lament’
was because it’s rare to get a critical mass of
students who not only have the musical fa-
cility to and the flexibility to play a piece like
this that’s not traditionally notated, but also
have the virtuosity,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre intends the final piece, the
Shakespeare-inspired “. . .full of sound and
fury, Signifying nothing,” to remain some-
what of a mystery. “It’s for piano, infinite
hands, and a Shakespearean actor,” McIntyre
said, revealing little else.
A number of student performers took
McIntyre’s Weird Music tutorial three years
ago, and McIntyre’s compositions are often
drawn from class material.
“My guitar part is inspired by Jandek,
who we studied in tutorial,” said Ryan Kart-
heiser ’09. “So my experience is coming full
circle.”
“Music from the Mind of Eric J. Mc-
Intyre” promises to be varied, engaging, and
at times surprising, all of it displaying the
diverse talents of Grinnellians. The first
piece is traditional, the second anything but,
the third unpredictable, and even McIntyre
doesn’t quite know how the final one will
unfold.
But the pieces might be coming together
just in time. “Yesterday, we were in rehearsal
and I think we were finally doing what Eric
wanted,” Jerndal said. “I noticed he was con-
ducting and he started to cringe . . . usually
this is a bad thing but I think that was what
he wanted.”
Surrender to Frenchman’s distinctive and sensuous music
that he always wears.
We all know the French aren’t like us. With these elements to his music and
Whether in politics, food, philosophy, or performance, Tellier wouldn’t be a likely
a languorous joie de vivre that the typical pick for a “typical” French crooner, if one
rushed American can’t comprehend, they even exists. Classifying him as a crooner
seem to understand how to live. becomes even more difficult when one
As Sébastien Tellier will exhibit at 9 p.m. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (one half
in Harris tonight, this difference can some- of Daft Punk), the producer and sometimes
times lead to really sexy music. His new- beat-maker for “Sexuality”, comes into the
est album, “Sexuality,” proceeds slowly and picture. Though Tellier’s voice by itself will
sensuously, with Tellier’s breathy, expres- probably never storm the dorm lounges like
sive voice anchoring every song. From the Daft Punk, the combination of his voice and
strangely Beach Christo’s beats
Boys-esque could be filling
“Divine” to the the dorm bed-
slinky, over-the- Sébastian Tellier rooms soon.
top “Pomme,” Apr. 10, 9 p.m. In an inter-
which is an-
chored by the
Harris rupted inter-
view, Tellier said
sounds of a that the current
female orgasm, Tellier both expands elec- tour “was really short”, but was going “re-
tronic music and infuses it with a dreamy ally great.” He thought that the continual
organic feeling. references in interviews to Daft Punk were
His music is both so distinctive and so “a good way to follow me, to get publicity.”
listenable that it doesn’t fit in anywhere. He also maintained that any concert space
“Divine” was nominated for the Eurovision would work for him (though he hasn’t seen
awards, a source of much controversy in Harris yet). “The venue doesn’t matter,” he
France since the song features little French said.
(unlike much of Tellier’s other work, espe- What matters to Tellier is the perfor-
cially his early two albums, “L’Incroyable mance, what he described as “the lights in
Verité (The Incredible Truth) and “Poli- my face.” With the help of Brooklyn dance
tics”). punkers Lemonade, whom the BBC de-
Tellier converted some of the lyrics to scribed as “pure, agile, hedonistic pop mu-
French to sing on the show, and the eventu- sic,” it should be an evening that helps us
al performance featured five backup singers realize why we love the French. And their
sporting the same long beard and sunglasses “Sexuality.”
April 10, 2009
Hooray for gay! Queer is here! Iowa marriage rights extended
Supreme court rules in favor of gay marriage
Last Friday, many Grinnell students awoke to the news
that the Iowa Supreme Court had ruled a statewide ban on gay
marriage unconstitutional. The ruling, which was unanimously
agreed upon by the seven Justices, effectively opens the door
for same-sex couples to wed in the state of Iowa. The news was
surprising and inspiring, and will have a gargantuan impact on
individuals, the College, and the nation.
As a state, Iowa is often erroneously lumped into the con-
servative “Bible Belt,” or discarded as a mundane “Fly-Over
State.” The assumptions run from coast-to-coast, and the re-
actions to the court decision exhibited national stereotypes of
OPINION
Iowa at their strongest. There was talk of corn, tractors and
farmers, but mostly surprise at the willingness of our Midwest-
ern state to join the ranks of only three other
states, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Ver-
mont, and become part of the small proportion
of our nation that recognizes same-sex marriag-
es. With the ruling, that stereotype was jolted,
and more importantly, an example was set for
other states. Days after Iowa’s repeal of the ban,
Vermont legislature passed a bill allowing same-sex marriage.
In the face of a more LGBT-Friendly Iowa, hopefully states
that pride themselves in their progressive nature, such as Cali-
fornia or New York, will feel the pressure to follow our lead.
edited by Morgan Horton
hortonmo@grinnell.edu 13
However, plenty of concerns still remain. The ruling is rea-
son enough to celebrate, but not enough to end the work that
has been done thus far towards creat-
ing a more equal state. The possibil-
ity of a vote to allow a constitutional
convention by 2011, in which a ban
could be reinstated, is worrisome. The
decision was made by a group of seven
justices, and a vote on the issue could
potentially change the climate of equality within the state. So
take the enthusiasm harvested this past week, and carry it into
the weeks and months to come. Our state, country and, most
importantly, our neighbors will be better off for it.

Sketchy petitioning being done by the No Limits Project

Ever heard of “bait and switch”?
Try this: go up to some patrons in the dining hall the day
before spring break and ask them if they’ll sign your petition.
Approach them nicely, and
when they ask you what the
petition is about, explain very
humbly that you just want a
few changes made to some
school policies. Chances are
that you’ll get some compli-
mentary smiles, and the students will sign your petition just to
have you move on. Bait.
Then try this: take your petition list, and exploit it for a no-
holds-barred, in-your-face campaign filled with upside-down
logos, aggressive demands, and vaguely worded threats of “es-
calation” if they are not complied with. But, to make the trick
really powerful, publish the list of petitioners on the internet
and proclaim that they’re equal members of a non-hierarchical
organization that reaches its decisions through collective dis-
cussion … and switch.
This, in a nutshell, is my experience with the No Limits
Project. When I signed the petition on March 14, 2009, I was
never informed that I had signed up for a radical campaign
of escalating action. Not until the next
morning, anyway, when I received in my
campus mailbox a bombastic fake news-
paper informing me that what I thought
“yesterday” were “requests,” had “today,” in
fact, become “demands.” The contrast be-
tween each day could not have been stark-
er; where dialog reigned before, command reigned today.
Further, despite their pretension to “non-hierarchical” deci-
sion-making, No Limits did not once ask me for input between
the day I signed up and the day they launched their campaign.
I doubt they asked any other petition-signers for input then,
either. NLP’s egalitarian rhetoric aside, 200 students did not
simply meet one night to openly discuss and vote on the best
strategies for success.
No. The opening tactics of the No Limits Project had al-
ready been preset by its initial organizers, and they somewhat
deceptively marshaled 200 signatures so as to add a superficial
layer of mass-legitimacy to these tactics. Worse, contacting the
organizers today is next to impossible, because the No Limits
Project website obfuscates them. For example, according to the
FAQ page, you can find 30 “selected” student contacts on the
NLP list of demands. Go to the demands page, however, and
these “selected contacts” are nowhere to be found.
Moreover, who exactly “selected” these students—or on
what criteria they were “selected”—is another mystery. Pre-
sumably some preexisting group of leaders chose them, because
as a petition-signer, I certainly never got a ballot.
I feel saddened by all this. The No Limits Project has some
admirable objectives, which, at the very least, deserve attention
and campus-wide discussion. Indeed, some of the less costly
objectives could probably even be implemented, if focused on
the right institutional channels. But the tone of the Project has
alienated some of its own petition-signers, including me. If you
signed the petition and want off of it now as well, I suggest you
send the anonymous No Limits account an e-mail.
Just don’t fall for the old bait and switch.

Countless ways available to safely explore issues of sex

Just the other day, I found myself thinking
about NSO, and how it has been almost four
years since I first came here to start my college
career on that hot, sticky day in August.
Before I started college, it was always an
elusive, mysterious and exciting destiny, one
that I knew I was aiming for but felt I’d never
reach. When I finally got here, the campus
seemed confusing and social interactions were
awkward and exciting, filled with the energy
of 18-year-olds on the threshold of something
new and amazing in their lives who did not
quite grasp it fully.
I also vividly remember having the same
conversation over and over again. Let’s face
it, when you throw random teenagers together
in the middle of rural Iowa, there are only a
few things you can come up with to talk about
at first. The questions (you all know them)
went something like this: What’s your name?
Where are you from? What was your GPA in
high school? Are you a virgin?
Okay, maybe not everyone’s experience was
like that, but almost certainly there was some
sort of sexual curiosity that we all had about
each other. NSO activities forced us to face
issues of intimacy and sexual health in ways
some of us had never experienced. I went to
public high school in South Carolina—the
only thing I learned about sex in the classroom
was to “pet your dog, not your date!”
For me, it was positively liberating and ex-
hilarating to come to a place where folks were
willing to acknowledge their innate sexualities
and desires. I remember finding out quickly
which of my fellow first-year friends had done
the deed(s) or not—being positively curious
about those who’d had sex while feeling re-
lieved that I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t.
Grinnell has opened up a whole new world
of sexuality for me. College has been my sexu-
al revolution. Once I let sex into my life—not
having sex, per se, but learning about issues
of sexuality and sexual health, seeing people
making out at Harris and hearing my neigh-
bors bumping in the night and buying my first
vibrator at the Lion’s Den—it really stopped
being such a big deal. Suddenly, I was in col-
lege and sex was everywhere and that was nor-
mal. My friends from
high school, mostly
Southern Baptists
who are still saving
themselves for mar-
riage (no judgments
here, we’re just very
different kinds of
people), never ever talked about these kinds of
things.
If you haven’t taken advantage of the kind
of sexual freedom we have here, you should re-
ally check it out. I don’t mean to tell you to
go out and screw the next Grinnellian you see,
although you can if you want to. Rather, don’t
be afraid to check out the impressive spread
of sex-related activities we have on this cam-
pus. Audition for the drag show, go get dental
dams and condoms from the health center, at-
tend a masturbation workshop, participate in
Love Your Body week, go to the Rocky Hor-
ror Picture Show and don’t forget to yell out
“homesick abortion,” streak, write something
for the Grinnell Monologues, check out Les-
bian Movie
Night and Or-
ganized Pro-
crastination
(LMNOP), go
to Underwear
Ball. There are
countless ways
to safely explore issues of sex and sexuality
without going too far outside of our comfort
zones. We go to a school where it doesn’t re-
ally matter whether we’ve slept with 12 people
or are holding out for something a little more
special.
I’ve learned more about sex in my four
years here than any other time in my life. Part
of that comes with developing into a young
adult, but a lot of my knowledge and experi-
ence comes from growing in a place that en-
courages and supports my being a sexual crea-
ture. I can teach you a thing or two if you want
(not like that, shut up), but why don’t you go
and find out on your own? It’s fun, I promise.

The Scarlet & Black welcomes story ideas from students, faculty and
other members of the town and college community. If there is any story that
should be covered, please email newspapr@grinnell.edu.
The Scarlet and Black April 10, 2009
Send letters to the editor via email at newspapr@grinnell.edu or mail
them to Box 5886. The author’s name must be included, but letters can be
published anonymously in certain occasions upon request. Letters will be
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and David Logan News Assistant Brian Sherwin of the same week. Please do not include footnotes in letters to the editor.
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Business Manager Katie McMullen Photo Editor Ben Brewer advertising do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the S&B, SPARC or
Grinnell College.
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Design Editor Margie Scribner Web Design Tony Pan Advertising inquiries should be directed to the business manager, Katie
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consent from SPARC.
14 edited by Morgan Horton
hortonmo@grinnell.edu
This Week in Grinnell
(April 10 –April 16)
 
Strand 3 Theatre. $5 Grinnell College
Discount Passes available at the Campus
Bookstore and the Pioneer Bookshop. Call
236-7600 or visit http://www.fridleythe-
atres.com/ for show times. Showing April
10 – 16:
Monsters Vs. Aliens (PG), Duplicity
(PG-13), Fast & Furious (PG-13)
Saturday Morning Cartoons. Sat-
urday, April 11, 1 p.m.; Faulconer Gallery,
Bucksbaum Center for the Arts. Coffee, juice
and doughnuts will be available before the
screening of a selection of animations from
1908-1976 shown in conjunction with
the Animated Painting exhibition. For a
playlist or more information contact Tilly
Woodward at woodward@grinnell.edu.
Meet the Author: Wendy Cazett Al-
len. Monday, April 13, 3:30 p.m.; Stewart
Library. The author of the Paleo Joe De-
tective Club books will be present after
school at Stewart Library to provide infor-
mation about her books and what it’s like
to be an author.
Grinnell Relays Registration Dead-
line. Monday, April 13. Applications for the
community-building field day held April
25th will be due. Each team of 10 members
will compete in academic-themed activi-
ties. A $10 cost per team member provides
food and a t-shirt. Applications are avail-
able in the Grinnell College Mail Room
in the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center. For more
information contact Jeff Sinick at sinickj@
grinnell.edu.
Hoofin’ It 5K Registration Deadline.
Wednesday, April 15. Registration for the 5k
run or walk to be held on April 25 will be
due. Cost is $12, which includes a t-shirt.
Later registrations will be accepted until
the day of the event, but at increased cost.
Forms are located in the Grinnell College
Mail Room in the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Cen-
ter. Proceeds go to Heifer International
and MICA. For more information contact
hoofinit5k@gmail.com.
Davis Spring Concert. Thursday, April
16, 7 p.m.; Grinnell High School Auditorium.
On-Going Exhibits:
 Animated Painting. Feb 6 - April 19.
This exhibit open to the public features
work by 12 international contemporary
artists who adapt animation concepts and
technologies in making their art, combin-
ing handwork, digital technology as well as
traditional art forms. For more information
visit http://www.grinnell.edu/index4.shtm
or http://www.grinnell.edu/faulconergallery/  Smith on behalf of the Executive Council is
 
Special Exhibit: “Galileo’s New Sci-
ences: Origins & Aftermath”. March
5 - May 19. Burling Library will host an
exhibition curated by Richard Fyffe and
Catherine Rod on “the new science” and
Galileo’s heirs, including Special Col-
lections’ texts and documents by Francis
Bacon, Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Isaac
Newton and John Locke.
OPINION April 10, 2009
Administrative incompetence abounds
Associate Professor of Theatre, Ellen
Mease, exhibited her enormous directing tal-
ent in her recent rendition of Bertolt Brecht’s
Galileo, remarkably managing to transform the
awkwardly sized Roberts Theater into a grand
and luminescent venue. The standout perfor-
mance came from Luke Saunders ’11, acting as
the Grand Inquisitor. In the play’s most reso-
nant scene, he debated suppressing Galileo’s
findings with the progressive new Pope Urban
VIII, elegantly portrayed by Jaysen Wright ’09.
This performance of Galileo couldn’t be
more relevant to current events on campus.
Like the scientist’s discoveries back in the day,
students’ concerns about the state of the Col-
lege remain ignored. Had the trustees listened
to us a few years
back, we would have
invested hundreds
of millions of dollars
in financial aid and
renewable energy.
Instead, they bought
into a (now discredited) Cassandra theory
called “institutional longevity” and let $1 bil-
lion disappear.
Having learned from these mistakes, the
administration should now heed the advice
of Students for Responsible Investing and use
their shareholder power to pressure compa-
nies in which the College owns stock. As a
significant shareholder, it’s imperative for the
administration to strongly support the Wal-
Mart shareholder resolution calling for the
inclusion of gender identity in the company’s
anti-discrimination policy. In adherence to
our Mission Statement, the Trustees should
also back the Wells Fargo resolution seeking
to investigate the way that the bank lends to
different racial and socioeconomic groups.
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) has
Request for Professor Leung
We are incredibly disappointed by the in-
action of Dean Paula Smith and the Executive
Council in regards to our request for the rehir-
ing of Professor Maxwell Leung for the 2009-
2010 Academic Year. The Sociology SEPC
began its campaign to retain Professor Leung
in the Fall and have since collected extensive
signatures from students in many different
academic disciplines who have had the privi-
lege of interacting with Professor Leung in the
classroom as well as in a number of college-
sponsored activities.
The Sociology SEPC sent a letter to Dean
Smith and members of the Executive Council
on February 8 with the hopes of beginning a
dialogue around the importance of retaining
Professor Leung and on March 13 (over one
month after delivering the letter) received a
brief email in response.
Not only has Professor Leung proven
himself to be a committed faculty member
by offering a wide array of provocative and
relevant courses (previously unavailable), but
Professor Leung has also assumed many po-
sitions of leadership and support for students
in the greater Grinnell community. His work
with Asian Students in Alliance (ASIA) and
students involved in Grinnell’s many Queer
organizations, for example, is indicative of his
genuine commitment to issues of social justice
and diversity.
The inadequacy of the response from Dean
highlighted by the brevity of their response
as well as their choice to respond more than a
month after receiving our initial packet, which
included a letter, over 150 signatures on a pe-
tition, as well as testimonials from students.
Additionally, the one-paragraph response does
not address any of the concerns voiced in our
initial letter.
While the Sociology Department boasts
the most minority students, queer students,
and women of any department on campus, this
introduced the idea of investing in local credit
unions rather than banks, which would greatly
enhance the economy right here in Grinnell.
And our treasurer, David Clay, can’t argue
that such investments are unsafe when large-
scale banks have lost trillions in the past few
months.
While our investing remains questionable,
our administrators continue to falter. In an e-
mail Seth Allen, dean of Admission and Fi-
nancial Aid, sent me while I was writing my
Feb. 20 column on diversity, he pointed out
that non-Posse African-American students
comprised 4.72 percent of the incoming class
in 2001, while they made up (gasp…) a gar-
gantuan 4.97 percent of the 2008 freshman!
He then went on
to write: “so it does
appear that the Ad-
missions Office has
made progress in
enrolling African-
American students.”
Simply put, this statement, along with Allen’s
notion of “progress,” is ludicrous.
All of this harkens back to our College
President, who bears the ultimate responsi-
bility for these failings, something Professor
Ralph Savarese rightly observed last fall at the
open forum. There, Osgood startled us when
he declared that up until that point he did not
know what an SA was. This is the same man,
whose salary, coupled with Mr. Clay’s, would
cover the full tuition of more than two-thirds
of the domestic underrepresented minority
student in the graduating class. They could
follow the lead of the president of Washington
State University and voluntarily take a major
pay cut.
These behaviors are beyond incompetent,
they’re insulting—insulting to our entire com-
diversity is currently not reflected in the make-
up of the faculty. Professor Leung not only
brings diversity to the department because of
his personal life experiences, but also because
of the unique nature of his areas of exper-
tise, specifically Asian American studies, hate
crime legislation, and community organizing.
We are saddened by the dismissive and dis-
couraging response from Dean Smith on be-
half of the Executive Council not only because
it indicates a lack of appreciation for student
input, but also because Professor Leung’s de-
parture is an immeasurable loss. We strongly
encourage Dean Smith and the Executive
Council to reconvene and engage critically
with our strongly supported request to retain
Professor Maxwell Leung.
—Margie Scribner ’10, Gabriela Maldonado
Bell ’09, Ruth Manski ’09, Alyssa Penner ’10,
Ami Freeberg ’10
Concerned Grinnell community
No one is seriously arguing that any of us
who are actively engaged in improving our
community are doing so because we don’t love
Grinnell. Although we have an amazing in-
stitution that offers a level of opportunities,
freedoms, and support unseen at many peer
institutions, no one is seriously arguing that
there isn’t room for improvement and that cer-
tain problems need to be addressed.
The establishment of the No Limits Proj-
ect to address these problems reflects how
much the student body cares about Grinnell.
We fear, however, that the discussion within
the community has encountered several pitfalls
and is in danger of devolving to the point that
no progress can be made on any front, from
specific concerns that No Limits and other
groups have raised to the larger issue of trust
that has persisted so visibly since last semester.
There seems to be an atmosphere of com-
petitiveness that is causing lines to be drawn
where they will do nothing but divide the
student body. Instead of letting these rifts get
deeper, all concerned students must engage
munity. This is in part why more than 200 stu-
dents signed on to the student-led No Limits
Project (NLP), which calls for transparent and
responsible endowment spending as well as a
number of other measures, all of which are rea-
sonable given the thousands each of us shell
out to go here.
Osgood responded to the project with a
rambling letter that did not offer a single reso-
lution to any of the demands, resembling the
Republican House leaders that proposed an
alternative budget with no numbers. The most
laughable part is his claim that “the College
has worked very hard and been more success-
ful in the last 11 years about hiring, retaining,
and promoting diverse faculty (and recruiting
and retaining diverse students),” which, when
considering the actual figures, is highly mis-
leading at best.
It’s hard to take Osgood seriously when he
uses the economic situation as an excuse to ne-
glect the demands, after he’s failed so miserably
in this regard (see above). The administration’s
ingenious plan of hoarding away money has
backfired once, and there’s no reason to believe
it’ll work this time.
Not unlike Galileo, the NLP students
demonstrate the importance and practicality
of a liberal arts education even when times are
tough; they embody Grinnell’s values, which
laud “critically engaged citizens.” But our dra-
ma can’t end like Brecht’s. Once NLP leaders
leave, the next generation of Grinnell’s lead-
ers must utilize their education and make sure
their demands are met. The burden is now on
the class of 2010. That having been said, ac-
knowledging our investments and the clueless-
ness of Osgood and Allen, letting this project
fall through would be the most colossal waste
of our tuition dollars.
those who disagree with them without mak-
ing it personal, seeming hostile, or constantly
dwelling on what could have been handled bet-
ter up until now. We believe it is more pressing
to focus on how to move forward productively
with colleagues who may not see eye-to-eye,
even on key points. At the end of the day, we
all have to work together—students. faculty,
and staff—and getting caught up in competi-
tion, pride, or antagonism for their own sake
is not only counterproductive, but also scars
relationships within the community.
Again, we all love Grinnell, and if we as
individuals are having this conversation, it cer-
tainly means that we are concerned and have
the community’s best interests in mind. These
two points are so important because they mean
we share common goals, and it’s all too easy to
forget that. It is crucial to keep the conversa-
tion going, for only when involved parties stop
talking will the larger discussion completely
break down and fail to accomplish anything.
Remember: take a deep breath and a step
back, and keep those pitfalls in mind.
—Nathan Clubb ’11 and Matthew Imber ’11
Thanks for an act of kindness
The other day, I gave my daughter a pay-
check, but it got swept up in the wind. A very
honest student picked it up and took it to the
Stewart Library—where she has a library card.
The staff at the library were able to look her up
on the computer, and phoned my home, leav-
ing a message that it was turned in there, after
being found on the Grinnell College campus.
Thank you for being so honest and taking it
to a place where she could be located! This
student’s actions were those that I am trying
to instill in my children and will not soon be
forgotten. It is nice to know that there are stu-
dents out there that care enough to do what is
right! Kudos to whomever this student was—I
hope that your kindness is paid back to you
some day! Keep up the good work!
—Marna Montgomery, Academic Support
Assistant II
April 10, 2009 SPORTS edited by Jai Garg
gargjai@grinnell.edu 15
Softball team tries to overcome new challenges
BY M ARCUS ZEITZ Last Saturday, the team won 4-3 against Augustana College,
After weathering a rough lineup of pre-conference games, a team that had already won 14 games. “This is encouraging for
the Grinnell College softball team is preparing to sail on to the conference and nonconference play in the region,” Montgomery
smoother seas of conference play. said.
Over spring break, the Pioneers faced a grueling schedule of Recently, the packed schedule has pitted Grinnell against
eight games in the Sun West Tournament at Chapman Univer- some of the toughest teams in the Iowa Conference, including
sity in California. The team ended the trip with a 2-6 record, fin- Luther College, ranked 17th nationally among NCAA Division
ishing on a two-win upswing with a 14-5 win against La Sierra III schools.
University and a 3-1 win against Hamilton Challenging competition has not been
College. the only hurdle the team has come up against.
“The week went well. Our record doesn’t “We’re just trying to focus on get- “We’re playing through some adversity—one
show it, but we played a lot of really tough ting into some kind of a groove of our starters [Darcy Ward ’09] just got hurt,”
teams,” said pitcher and infielder Tess Cohen Montgomery said.
’09. for the rest of the season” The small team has been forced to adapt
In addition to cutting their teeth in tricky to new positions before conference play com-
tournament play, the Pioneers were resolving
Kelsey Montgomery ‘11 mences this Friday with the game against
issues of their own. “There were a lot of things Knox College.
that we kind of worked out over break. We have a new coach and “We’re just trying to focus on getting into some kind of a
we have a fairly young team with only two seniors,” said infielder groove for the rest of the season,” Montgomery said.
Kelsey Montgomery, ’11. This Thursday was the last non-conference game, versus
Head Coach Sandra Faulkner is new to the team this season, Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. The team had a close
having previously coached at Grinnell Community High School. first game, barely losing 9-10.
“Things are really going well with our new coach,” Cohen “We played really well, although we had one bad inning men-
said. “She pushed us early on and demanded we play up to her tally,” Cohen said.
expectations despite not playing outside. Then she helped us The biggest highlight of the game was a tie that came down
meet her expectations.” to an unusual softball rule. When teams are tied at the end of
Montgomery expressed a similar sentiment about the new the seventh and final inning, the game goes into overtime, but
coach. starts the eighth inning with a runner on second base. “It’s much
“It’s very encouraging that she’s set a really high standard for more fun to play when you win, but the international tiebreaker
us, but a standard that we know we can achieve. It will just take is always a fun play because the game basically comes down to Tess Cohen ’09 delivers a pitch against Luther College in the cold
some work to get there,” Montgomery said. one hit,” Cohen said. last Thursday. SOPHIE FAJARDO

Perez journeys from Quito, Ecuador to Grinnell, Iowa

BY M ICHAEL SCHOELZ
Ever since Juan Carlos Perez ’11 picked up
a tennis racket when he was 12, he hasn’t been
able to put it down.
“Suddenly, after five months, I was practic-
ing for three hours every day,” Perez said.
Within four years, at the age of 16, he won
the national singles championship for the
18-and-under division in his home country
of Ecuador. And then he did it again as an
18-year-old.
“I wasn’t ranked number one for very long
’cause I lost afterwards,” he said. “But I was
ranked number one for maybe two months.”
When Perez joined the Grinnell men’s
tennis team as a first-year last year, Coach
Andy Hamilton ’85 started him at No. 2 sin-
gles. That year, Perez and the Pioneers won a
fifth Midwest Conference Championship and
made it to the second round of the NCAA
tournament, a Pioneer first.
There was no drop in the off-season as the
Pioneers have continued where they left off.
Grinnell is currently ranked eighth in the re-
gion, the highest they have ever been ranked
this far into the season. While their 13-7 re-
cord might not jump out, they’ve played well
against highly ranked competition.
“I pitched a pretty difficult schedule at the
team,” Hamilton said. “I believe we’ve played
ten matches against nationally ranked teams
and we’re 3-7 in those matches, but what we’ve
seen is the younger players have benefited by
the difficult schedule and the veteran players
have really stepped up.”
Although he’s just a second-year, Perez
is one of the veterans Hamilton was talking
about. He now plays at No. 1 singles in the
lineup, and is ranked seventh in the region.
The top eight players at the end of the season
go to the Nationals.
“He’s definitely our leader on the court,”
said Dan LaFountaine ’09, No. 2 singles and
No. 1 doubles. “He’s the guy that when we step
out of the van and the other team looks over,
that fear is put in their eyes as he comes walk-
ing on the court.”
Lafountaine was abroad for the first se-
mester of last year, so Perez didn’t meet him
until the spring semester. But through tennis
season, he found had a connection with La-
fountaine.
“Not only on the tennis court but off the
tennis court, he’s been a really influential per-
son on my life,” Perez said. “Whenever I want
to practice a little more, I know I can call him
and he’ll be there.”
This year, LaFountaine and Nate Fox ’09
are team captains and Perez’s most important
role is to win his matches. But Perez does
much more than that for the team.
“Juan is one of my best friends and one of
my favorite people in the whole world,” La-
Fountaine said. “His commitment to us as
teammates is both personal as well as tennis
players. This year there seems to be something
a little bit better, a little bit different. We have
direction, we have excitement. That’s some-
thing that Juan brings.”
However, LaFountaine hasn’t been Perez’s
only mentor. Perez grew up in Quito, Ec-
uador, the same city as another Grinnellian,
Felipe Bautista ’06. Bautista played tennis at
Grinnell and graduated in 2006 but came back
over the summer for medical school.
“He happened to live five minutes away
from my house,” Perez said. “He started
coaching at my academy, so we became really
good friends, and I had been in the process of
applying to college at that point. He helped
me out with all that stuff.”
Hamilton has coached all three players
over the years and definitely sees the impor-
tance of LaFountaine and Bautista in Perez’s
life.
“Inasmuch as Dan LaFountaine has been
a great mentor to Juan since he’s been here,”
Hamilton said. “Felipe has been an external
mentor that pointed him in Grinnell’s direc-
tion.”
It comes at no surprise then that of all the
great things that tennis has brought Perez, he
values the friends he’s made.
“The best part of my tennis life is the peo-
ple I’ve met: my coaches, and the people I’ve
been surrounded by, tennis players,” Perez said.

Jordan’s boredom is over, baseball season has arrived

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Baseball’s here! I
thought it would never come. The months and months
of tedious sports boredom are finally over. We thought it
would end with March Madness, but that turned out to be
a bust. Yes, Scottie Reynolds’ shot to put Villanova in the
Final Four was pretty sweet, and Western Kentucky did their
best Brady to Moss impersonation to knock off Illinois, but
the tournament was a big disappointment from beginning
to end.
I’m pretty sure the best game was Iowa State scoring
eight straight points in the final 1:26 to beat Michigan State.
Unfortunately, that was in the women’s bracket so I’m guess-
ing the number of people that saw the game is equal to the
number of people that thought Geno Auriemma and UCO-
NN were going to bomb out in the Sweet Sixteen. No need
to worry though, that’s all over. Now it’s time for baseball
predictions.
AL CENTRAL
Obviously, I need to start off talking about the Minne-
sota Twins. They would seem one of the favorites to win the
AL Central. Last year it took the White Sox 163 games to
knock them out of the playoffs, and they return almost every
member from that squad. The problem is a significant reason
for their success last year is pretty unsustainable.
As a club, the Twins hit .311 with runners in scoring po-
sition. That is 24 points higher than the second place team.
Needless to say, there is no way they can duplicate that feat
this year. That coupled with what I expect to be improve-
ment on behalf of the Tigers, Royals and Indians, and a big
drop-off for the White Sox should make for a highly com-
petitive division race with every team winning between 75
and 85 games.
AL EAST
There are, maybe, going to be five teams in the entire
Jordan Kujala ‘09
Minnesota Miracle Man
major leagues that are going to win 90 games and three of
them are in the AL East. As much as I’d love to see the Rays
make another postseason run, I really don’t see a way they
can even get there after the way the Yankees reloaded in the
off-season. Now, of course, the fact that these two and the
Red Sox will be good comes as no surprise, but what makes
this division incredibly tough is how good the bottom two
teams are.
Last year the Blue Jays gave up the least amount of runs
in the major leagues which is even more impressive consid-
ering the powerful offenses in the division. Somehow they
still managed to finish seven games below their Pythagorean
Record (a formula for how many games a team should win
based on runs scored and given up), despite the fact that
such a discrepancy usually means that a team has a terrible
bullpen. The Orioles are also a team that could be much
improved this year, what with the absolute heist of prospects
they got from the Mariners for Erik Bedard, and uber pros-
pect Matt Wieters who is sure to be called up once the Ori-
oles make sure he doesn’t waste too much service time.
AL WEST
Almost everyone is picking the Angels to win the division
but I’m not buying it. They played way over their heads last
year and they lost both Mark Teixiera and Francisco Rodri-
guez. Add to that an older Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter,
and they have the makings of a team that will significantly
regress from last year. This is clearly a very poor division, so
they still have a shot of winning it, but I think the Athletics
are going to progress and take it with around 84-88 wins.
You might ask, why don’t I bother writing about the Na-
tional League? Well, frankly, the Cubs are by far the class of
the league and no matter how many times in the past they’ve
screwed up in the playoffs they’re bound to make the World
Series this year . . . right? Either way, I see the Cubs and Red
Sox in the World Series, with the Sox winning in five games.
 The Back Page
The Best Thing Since The Front Page

The Snedge

Noyce and ARH

go head-to-head

On Monday,Mando Mon-
tano polled 50 people at
Noyce and Marcus Zeitz
polled 50 people at ARH,
asking:

Saturday Night
Maddie Cargas ’10 Fever or Stayinʼ
Alive
STREAKING: It is time to bring this time-honored tradition back to campus
so that the visiting prospies know what kind of school they are getting them-
selves into. Noyce

FUR AT HARRIS: Sure, there are a lot of sweet costumes that require wearing 28%
suits of fur— abominable snowman, gorrilla, pimp—but be forewarned, fur Saturday Night
on the dance floor gets really hot.
Fever

“DISCO” COLLECTORS: It is not honest to claim that you are collecting for 72%
disco when you are actually collecting for a different party. Stayin’ Alive
ARH

April 11, 1975—During spring vacation, maids checked 36%

Saturday Night
This Week in all dorm rooms for furniture missing from the hall lounges.
Fever
Numerous items were found missing, particularly chairs.
Grinnell H istory North campus scored the largest number of offenses, while
South campus recorded fewer items gone. 64%
Stayin’ Alive

Quit hating on the boombox Please go dishless, not trayless

random If you puke, you clean it up
Living on the 1st floor of a dorm has its share HEY WIENER FACE WHO STOMPED If I had to tell you what annoys me most as a

rants
of advantages and disadvantages, the biggest pro
probably being the lack of stairs and the biggest
con probably being the ease with which random
drunk people appear on your floor on a weekend
Students speak night. Such seems to have been the case this past
about what’s on Saturday night when a large and rather nasty pile
their minds in 142 of vomit decided to suddenly appear on the floor
words or fewer, of a James 1st bathroom overnight. Some quick
and you’re invited! advice to the offender and others like you. One,
If you have a rant, know your limits, don’t have those last two un-
e-mail it to needed shots. Two, if you’ve reached the point
[hortonmo]. Com- of no return, aim better. Three, if you fail at the
plaining in a public first two, actually clean up the mess you’ve cre-
forum is always ated, preferably shortly after you created it. It’s
basic self-governance, people.
more fun than do-
ing it alone.
—Adam Lange ’11
ON MY UNCLE’S BOOMBOX, NOT
COOL. I know I left it in Main Lounge over the
weekend, which is a free-go-zone basically, but
why’d you have to break it? At least steal it and
appreciate it yourself, because that was a vintage
MOTHERFUCKING LASONIC TRC931
BOOMBOX FROM THE ‘80S! WITH 8”
WOOFERS AND THREE TAPE DECKS!
NOW HOW AM I GOING TO LISTEN TO
MY DOOKIE CASSETTE??? HOW AM I
GOING TO TRAVEL??? That was a trophy of
a system, and you just demolished it. If he were
still around, Uncle Mikey would beat the shit out
of ME and YOU for our IRRESPONSIBLE
HANDLING OF TREASURE.
If you apologize, I’ll understand. If you don’t,
and then I find you, I will poop in your bed.
—J. Francis Buse ’11
dishline worker, I could do it in two words: “trayless
dining.” The dishline is a trough with running wa-
ter on the bottom and rollers on top. The rollers are
designed for trays. Big plates usually stay up, while
anything smaller falls promptly into the trough and
is swept down the line toward a recycling compac-
tor. Then we, the workers, get to go rescue dirty
dishes out of dirty water, while more work piles up
behind us.
There is an easy solution: “plateless dining.” It
takes no more water to clean a tray than it does to
clean a plate, even discounting the tears of frus-
tration I shed when I have to stop the line, again,
because three jerks in a row thought trays were for
other people.
—Alexi Brooks ’10

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