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THE COLLEGE NEWS

Friday, March 3, 1967

 

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ELECTION STATEMENTS FOR

Self-Gov

Beth Chadwick
What with the proposed Constitutional
Revision and the liberalization of Haver-
ford’s ‘*women in the rooms’ “policy,
the tone this year at Bryn Mawr is
one of change, It is a time for question-
ing, time to take another look at
the rules we have set up to govern our-
But as we reconsider, it

is important that. we look beyond the vary-
ing length of hemlines to an appraisal

of the whole nature of what we are trying :

to do, It is not so much a question of
keys or extended hours as of the implica-
of these proposals; their ef-
fectiveness would depend not only
upon student responsibility but upon the
degree of respect and trust which stu-
dents -would: ‘be willing. to accord
each other. Thus the issue this year is
really nothing new; it has to do with
the nature of the Bryn Mawr community.
Taking each other into consideration, how
do we create a possible working. re-
lationship? What sort of a place do
we want Bryn Mawr (may I -see- some
identification oh yes you’re a_ student
at Bryn Mawr) to be?

 

In terms of the community it seems to
me that responsibility exists both among
students and between the elected officials
of Self-Gov and the students. As far as
the casual student is concerned, self
government may appear a net-work of
rules, some of which restrict her, Yet
those same rules, provided of course that
they reflect the attitudes of the student
body as a whole, can represent a way
of surviving February together. The stu-
dent who is unused to freedom
accepts a little more, while the student
who is unused to restriction accepts some
of that, too; both realize that the rules
exist not as a personal convenience but
as a practical necessity. —

What then have the elected officials to
do? For one g, they should assume the
responsibility of keeping in touch with the
campus about Self-Gov. Asfreshmen most
of us experience only the Self-Gov exam;
certainly the emphasis should be on learn-
ing more than the rules. Perhaps
open discussions or mass meetings are
the answer, yet I think we all will admit
that during exam ~-week attendance at
mass meetings would be likely to flag.
At this point, as the elected representa-
tives of Self-Gov keep functioning, it
is important that the campus still be in
touch with them; Self-Gov should
not operate in a vacuum. When power
is vested in elected representatives, cer-
tain rules such as _ those so-called
‘undesirable’ statements regarding re-
spectable accommodations or. drugs
act strongly in the interest of the student,
Interpretations of this kind, coming from
and endorsed by the students, insure that
there will be no arbitrary action on the
part’ of a few. It seems far better to
have a general statement, of any sort,
than arbitrary gestures on the part of
_ those in office. -

‘Are students apathetic because they -

feel Self-Gov and any demands it may
make are so unreasonable that they cannot
‘identify’ with them--or is it because stu-
dents at Bryn Mawr are by nature
completely and irredeemably apathetic?
No- candidate could run on the second
alternative, yet need one automatically

~yassume. the. first?. Let.there be change, _
but in terms of the community; let there

be responsibility, but in a sense beyond
the personal. Sages ganar cali
try.

Drewdie Gilpin

, The role of Self-Gov,’ by which I mean
not just the Board, but all of us as mem-
bers of it, should be to encourage a
development of each individual in the
realization ef her own system of values.
In the wake of the activity of the Con-
stitutional Revision Committee, the chief
discussion on campus is centered on the
rules of the Self-Government Association.
What is the function of a rule? A rule.
defines a framework within which an
individual is free to act as she chooses,
hopefully establishing by her action a
fuller realization of what she is.

A Liberal government assumes a con-
stant debate within and among individuals
about personal values, for it is from this
debate that responsible and considered use
of individual freedom arises, The role
of the group is to offer different and
even conflicting ideas out of which an
individual can synthesize her own system
of values. By accepting the ideas put
forth by the group.as worthy of consider-
ation, the individual ends her alienation
from the group and, injecting her own
ideas, becomes an important contributor
to it. An individual cannot consider her
personal freedom as her private property,
for Liberal government, as government
of a group by itself, requires responsi-
bility of individuals to each other and to
the group. Only if we recognize this
responsibility to each other can we just-
ify not making rules for the weakest
member of the group. Only by accept-
ing a responsibility to work for the crea-
tive rather than destructive use of their
freedom can we make valid our estab-
lishment of rules permitting a greater
degree of freedom then that to which
some girls are accustomed.

Liberal government assumes, there-
fore, the recognition by its members that
the welfare of the group, in addition to
the personal development of the indiv-

ual is the goal of the:state. Liberal

eedom does not mean complete absence
” of law, but the discovery of one’s own
law, in accordance with one’s own welfare
and the welfare of the group. Rules or
laws can provide a framework in which
self-realization may take place, but they
cannot guarantee that-questioning and dis-
covery will take place. While our present
sign-out system allows us to be out until
2 AM, it does not legislate that we
involve ourselves in active pursuit of self-
knowlege in accordance with our best int-
erests until that hour.

 

The role which Self-Gov needs to play
at Bryn Mawr now is to go beyond its
preoccupation with the framework of rules,
Rules, based on a consensus about what
is the optimum level of freedom for the
group, arise from a tremendously import-
ant debate which should go on-constantly
within and among individuals. The diff-
iculty which Self-Gov now faces, with its

.dilemmas about overnight signouts, the
implications of the key system, and so
on, is that the constant debate and the
feeling of responsibility of individuals to-
ward @ach other has broken down, Self-
Gov. needs to provide catalysts for the
creative use of freedom by individuals
in their growth, Encouragement of in-
creased interaction among people, suchas
morning coffee hours and class lunches,
is certainly important, The presentation
to the student body as a whole of the
dilemmas of Self-Gov., perhaps through
a weekly column in the NEWS by. the
Self-Gov.. president is another possibil-
ity. For example, I believe that it is
important for. every student. to realize,
as I did not until last week, that there
have been an inordinate number of aca-
demic honor violations this year. The
more students are aware of-problems of

 

Self-Gov. and of the theorizing in which
the Board involves itself, the more the
students will feel a responsibility to the
Self-Government'system. Self-Gov. néeds
to provide increased opportunities for the
student to give to it. As a catalyst to
the debate on personal problems, a de-
bate necessary to the functioning of Lib-
eral government, I have long believed, as
Judy Chapman suggested in the NEWS
last week, that Self-Gov should spon-

sor discussion groups in the halls in con-

junction with the hygiene lectures. for
the freshmen, In these discussions, fresh-
men could sound out their opinions about
sex, drugs, the meaning of emotional
involvement, and other similar problems.

The Self-Government system cannot and
should not act as mother to the student
body. The system is one in which students
must move together toward a realization
of their own individual values. The role
of Self-Gov. is’ to encourage the most
creative use of the freedom which we
have, :

 

Undergrad
Lola Atwood

The Undergrad President has three
roles; to run these meetings, to cope
with trivia and to represent the college,
Her spirit and energy to encourage an
active Undergrad, and her organization
and competence to keep things running
smoothly are the qualifications which
really count.

; Something should be done about Under-
grad meetings! There is no reason why
they should be hateful. If all the trivia
and operational details were left to com-
mittees and to the president then meetings
could cope with bigger problems. (There
are plenty of interesting, important prob-
lems to discuss in that hour.) The
board should be well informed as to what
is going on, what complaints have been
made to a new Complaint Department
and what problems the Big 6 are having.
(for example, lack ofattendance and funds)
Hopefully extras will come to VERYopen
meetings to voice opinions. Undergrad
isn’t just a sorter of trivia and a switch-
board of communications -- that’s the
president’s job. The Association itself
is an initiating body and should act as
such. Year before last the H’ford-BMC
bus, the meal exchange, and telephones
in the rooms went through via Undergrad.
Measures like these have to be followed
up and new ones encouraged.

Given energy, problems, and a degree
of power the meetings should have good
attendence. The presence of the NEWS
representative is vital but everyone is
important. After all, the-communications
system of Undergrad relies on the dorm
reps who have the most opportunity and
responsibility to contact their constitu-
ency. These reps should be given more
responsibility (and work) as. well as en-
couragement to come to meetings. If
all else fails to pull out a crowd, the
food of lunch or dinner meetings can
work miracles!

The president herself is responsible for
Smooth operation and communication with-
in the Association, as well as for the
spirit of its meetings. Therefore she must
be well informed. Since she should be
able to answer the enquiries of fellow
students as well as outsiders she needs
an updated calendar and a list of every-
one who is in charge of anything. (With

 

"plement them.

The main hindrance to past
cooperation has been inadequate organi-
zation and- communication. This is the
president’s job.
As for specific issues: Tam

AGAINST an enlarged May Day

FOR a required NEWS subscription but_

AGAINST a general raise in Undergrad
fees

FOR the new Social Committee

FOR an Undergrad Speaker every year
we can find one

FOR a new mimeograph machine

(AGAINST abolishing Undergrad!)

Patty Monnington

Several months ago this paper raised
the question of the abolition of Undergrad.
Since then-I-have tried to.determine if. .
there is indeed a need for this organiza-
tion at Bryn Mawr.

Undergrad is unique in itsmembership,
for it is composed of representatives af
all facets of undergraduate life, On its
Executive Board sit class presidents,
dorm representatives, Presidents of the
big Six, the Editor of the NEWS, and”
President of College Theatre. The fun-
ction of this group is to coordinate the
activities of the various bodies and to
provide a forum for all phases of stu-
dent opinion.

Yet, there is, in addition, a wider
role to be played. Students frequently
complain that Bryn Mawr is not an ex-
citing place to live. This is a challenge
Undergrad must meet, because it is the
students who are ‘the creative heart of
Bryn Mawr . Three areas in which we

may concentrate our efforts to achieve
a more lively and enjoyable community
are social, academic and cultural;

 

In the social realm we can engender
more excitement by sponsoring more div-
ersified activities such as:

1. Coed trips to the zoo or the rr
Institute

2. Bridge tournaments

3. Coordinated. activities such as bird-
watching trips and frisbee matches joint-
ly sponsored by the social committee
and AA

Problems in the academic realm could be
solved by:

1, A committee to arrange reserve read-
ing shelves at M, Carey Thomas Library
for Haverford courses taken by Bryn
Mawr students

2. Alleviating problems of buying books
for Haverford courses at the Haverford
book store

3. A free meal exchange which would
allow all students to eat at either of the
two schools at any time upon present-
ation of matriculation card

4, Improving bus service-- running more
frequently during exams, on week-ends,
etc,

5. Enlisting faculty support of student pro-
grams

A more exciting. cultural life needs only
the utilization of existing resources, for
example:

1, Extending the efforts of Freshman Week
by sponsoring small groups to the Phil-
adelphia art museums, lectures, etc,

2. Investigating the possibility of a float-
ing Art Series between Bryn Mawr and
Haverford, and providing a more div-
ersified program, with some events at
Roberts and others at Goodhart.

There are many areas open for im-
provement. The major task is to tap
the wealth of student ideas and to im- .
Undergrad has excellent ~
conditions for communications, To pro-
vide an additional channel I would like
to establish a complaint department, per-