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College news, March 22, 1961
Bryn Mawr College student newspaper. Merged with Haverford News, News (Bryn Mawr College); Published weekly (except holidays) during academic year.
Bryn Mawr College (creator)
1961-03-22
serial
Weekly
4 pages
digitized microfilm
North and Central America--United States--Pennsylvania--Montgomery--Bryn Mawr
Vol. 47, No. 17
College news (Bryn Mawr College : 1914)--
https://tripod.brynmawr.edu/permalink/01TRI_INST/26mktb/alma991001620579...
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation.
BMC-News-vol47-no17
Qe Paradise Lost
““tnfair. . However, some. demands and protests are legitimate
~~ yolumés richly bound, / A mine of cleverness and wit, / From
-theereason for the constant search for teachers of high qual-
‘ity and with human qualities. Because Freshman Comp must
Page Two
THE COLLEGE NEWS
Wednesday, March 22, 1961
“amr a letter teehi; friend Bishop Fisher, Erasmus wrote,
in 1524, “I know how busy yoy
your Paradise.” As mid-semesters mount up in their pre-
vacation wave, we, too, are busy in our library, but its resem-
blance to the celestial realm nééds some clarification. (We
may note that the main reading room, in temperature, sug-
gests more the nether regions, but this is an irritation of
trifling degree.)
Complaints about the accessibility, scarcity, and type
of books are frequent and often carelessly inaccurate and
and well-founded. The field roughly termed the social sciences
1s expanding daily as more and more books appear on the
vital issues of today. But there seems to be a lack of.recent
works on political science, economics, sociology, etc. in our
library. An added problem is that the new books we do get
are almost always seized upon by faculty members or gradu-
ate students who may kéep them for an indefinite length
of time. ;
This disappearance into remote
befalls the too few volumes of new fiction arriving at the
library. But ge feel sometimes as a minor poet Quincy
Kilby expressed it: “Here in my library I sit, / Amid rare
professors’ offices also
authors everywhere renowned. / Tonight their words seem
flat and stale, / Their weakness fills me with disgust, / I want’
that crude, hard-fisted tale, / Where ‘seven more redskins
bit the dust.’” In fact, frivolous, non-required reading,
whether it be a western, a mystery, or a novel, is a need the
library fulfills to a large extent in the Quita Woodward Room.
Yet very few best sellers are available at the height of their
popularity.
Perhaps a rental library of such books could be organ-
ized. The money charged per day would pay for the. books
if some did not seem to the library good, long-term invest-
ments. Also, the mounting costs would stimulate readers,
both faculty and students, to return quickly books in such
great demand.
The library is in many ways outstanding: in number of
books per student, in availability of periodicals, in art books,
in a special room for leisure reading. A spring day in the
cloisters is as close to Paradise as we could wish. - But those
tantalizing “Do not touch” books might be gone through to
weed out thoge which are not duplicates and get them on the
shelves, and some thought might might be given to the
possibility of rental fiction. “Perhaps it would be wise not
to carp or criticize, but it’s very evident our attention is
well meant.”
Round Two: Freshman Comp—For
Even fierce critics of Freshman Comp frequently agree
that, in all but exceptional cases, some English course should
be required during the college career in order to expose the
student to challenging and varied reading, to give her prac-
tice in communicating her ideas, and to help develop her pow-
ers of critical analysis. The problem, then, is to adjust the
nature of the course so as to maximize the benefit to the stu-
dents.
One debatable aspect of Freshman Comp is the disparity
among the students in each section; it is sometimes said that
more competent students mark time, while less able or exper-
ienced ones are lost. But in this disparity are rooted some
of the most exciting potentialities of Freshman Comp: on
the one hand, the surprised awakening of some students to
the literary symbolism stressed by their fellows; on the other
hand, the due concern with fact and content which is urged
by the more literal-minded of the class ; and, for all, the won-
derfully varied and complementary ideas which are contrib-
uted by students who offer educational backgrounds as di-
verse-as “primarily scientific, literary, or traditional liberal.”
Furthermore, even if some sort of division by ability were
assumed desirable, any system of sectioning would necessar-
ily have such grave faults as to largely negate the supposed
advantage, for even a combination of tests and school records
cannot adequately measure the. factors of ability, training,
and potential. ;
. Essentially, the question of the success of Freshman
Comp depends upon the success of the inter-action between
teacher and student. But this is true of any course, and is
be taken by students who bring to it no special interest in
the subject, the problem is somewhat harder. But the solu-
tion certainly does not lie in standardization of method ; indi-
viduality.in presentation can be symptomatic of that spark
which is the most important element in firing the will to
Even when the relationship between studént’ and teach-
er is only mildly stimulating, and often when it seems devoid
of mutual understanding, it is not unfuitful. A great deal is
inevitably learned sirnply from wrestling with a new specific
problem every week. And a surprising number of bitter
critics suddenly realize, at the end of their freshman year
or one or two or more years later, that Freshman. Comp has
been responsible for some advance in their critical or appre-
ciative or expressive powers. : ace
- Of course, Freshman Comp is always open to improve-
ment in the sense of change which will adapt it to current
needs. It is perhaps in this area that criticism is most justly
applied, for the attitude of upperclassmen who would forget
the course as soon as their struggle with it is over is indeed
deplorable. Because the student Curriculum Committee _is
composed of men, it must make a special effort to
remain open to discussion of Freshman Comp. Experience
eo, oe welcoming attitude will lead freshmen to
sy you are if your library, which is” oA her .
View sFrom 2061-—
Ts Bhar
by Lois Potter, ’61
“> I predict that of the hun-
dred or more women’s colleges
now in existence no more than ten
will be functioning in the year
2061.”
To those of us who live in the
enlightened year 2080, these words,
spoken by Vassar’s president, Miss
Sarah .Gibson— Blanding, may not,
seem strange. We all know that;
as she said in 1961, small indepen-
dent colleges had no hope for sur-
vival. They wasted space, they
wasted stydents’ time, they wasted
faculty time, they wasted—worst
of all—money,
Bryn Mawr was doomed—but it
put up a good fight. It saved
space by holding two classes sim-
ultaneously in the same room
(1970); saved students’ time by al-
lowing them to graduate as soon
as they had passed the hygiene
exam (1975); and saved valuable
time for the faculty by eliminating
Vall faculty committees.
Alas! Too late it was discovered
that by eliminating the committee
on admissions, which it did in
ated its next year’s freshman
class. Another brilliant economy
measure, by which all Philosophy
101 students were to hear the same
lecture broadcast on their radios,
had to be. abandoned, as. every
electric fuse in the college blew
out under the strain. .
In 1998, the effort to turn Tay-
lor into a national monument (ad-
mission 50¢) also fizzled out. The
college budget was shattered. In
2061, fulfillmg Miss Blanding’s as-
tute prediction, the only surviving
woman’s college in the country was
obliged to amalgamate with Hav-
new university.
jama-ed Swavermawr professors
from bed to classroom for their
3:00 a.m. classes: the field of learn-
ing is never left fallow now. Stu-
dents, also in pyjamas, survey one
another without interest. Co-edu-
cation has resulted in such mutual
boredom that it was necesary to
pass a law in 2075 requiring each
unmarried boy to date a girl at
least. once a month, on pain of a
fine. “ '
. As the processs of learning is
at ie
1984, Bryn Mawr had also elimin--
erford_and Swarthmore to form a |.
Giant cranes now transport py- {
In
. Soa os.
by Nicole Schupf, ’64
The beauty of Dance as an :art
lies) in the use of one instrument,
thé body, to express with a subtle-
ty not found in any other art form
a tremendous range of human emo-
tion and experience, This beauty
was ably demonstrated Monday
night at the Dance Recital, under
the direction of Anne Carter Ma-
son, given at Roberts Hall by the
‘Bryn Mawr Dance Club and the
Double Octet,
“An Evening of Dance” began
with two dances to peasant themes
iby, Bartok danced by Kasha Gula,
Nicole Schupf, Geeti Sen, and
‘Charlene Sutin, The dancers tried
to be consistent with the earthy
mood of the songs, sung by the
Double Octet, while still retaining
the interna] stylization of the mu-
sic.
This was followed by a “Pas de
Deux” to the music of Stravinsky
danced by Barbara Hein and Mina
Jahan. This dance captured with
clarity and distinction the apstract
forms expressed by Stravinsky.
The next part of the program
consisted of a series of emotional
and abstract mood studies danced
by members of the club. These
were mainly experimental and suf-
not halted even for sleep and
meals (No
tresses and stewed tomatoes), it
is now possible to graduate from
Swavermawr in only one year. But
this does not mean that students
are thrust (literally thrust, for
the graduation ceremony is now
performed by a machine) out into
the world too early. High school |
now lasts six -years, to teach stu- |
dents to adjust. to: college,
Variety of Emotions Find Expression
Monday Evening’s Dance Recital
Br te 6d "ee
fered from ner of conceptual
definition so that they were often
vague and fumbling.
These were followed by “The
Builder,” written by Mary John-
son and danced by Mary: Johnson,
Leslie Hartley, Christine , Black,
Mina Jahan, and Senta Driver.
The dance expressed five different
attitudes toward the creative pro-
cess but, titled “a symbolic dance
mime”, it suffered froma slight
confusion between the dance and
the mime forms. However, it was
beautifully executed and very ar-
resting.
The next two parts of the pro-
gram, “Spectrum”, a jazz suite,
and “Lyric Couplet”, danced by
Frank Bowles, Julia Cardozo, Sen-
ta Driver, Judith Frankle, Mina
Jahan, Leslie Hartley, Lisa Moore,
and Laura Neilson, were choreo-
graphed in a more conventional
and explicit style and were. per-
haps the most satisfying part of
the program because they utilized
this form without recourse to the
usual movement clichés and pseu-
do-sophisticated soul searchings.
In particular, the “Lyric Couplet”,
danced by Frank Bowles and Laura
Neilson, was moving in the sim-
plicity, intensity and sincerity of
tne dancers.
The program ended with “The
Evolution of the Soul”, danced by
Christine Black, Julia Cardozo,
Leslie Hartley, Cornelia Spring,
and Ann Whitman. The dancers
all carried lines of elastic which
symbolized the extension and con-
duction of their life energy. The
dance itself characterized the ten-
or of the whole program, one of
complex conceptualization without
atrectation and clarity and beauty
of form and dancing.
week, will return after vacation
and loose College News and the
troversy.
at 8:30 in the Common Room.
* recently knighted
Hail 0. 0.
Sir Oswald’ O, Murphy*, whose “smashing” lecture, “Evi-
dences of Post-Pre Humanoid Art” was given here early last
RE) to debate the Sir Francis Bacon-William Shakespeare con-
(This issue has caused a minor civil war between the:
above-named campus groups.) Sir Oswald will speak April ‘10,
Along the Avon will be published March 28.
at the joint request of the fast
staid College Theatre (note the
His latest novel, Necromancing
A pplebee
i have discovered something.
peacefully, i was dozing
on athena’s shoulder
when, suddenly,
a lyric floated up the hall
and quivered
in a sunbeam spot,
then athena nudged me
and i saw a professor pass.
the lyric followed.
athena said,
‘there’s talent here that
lectures hide. in the old days
there was a faculty show—
why not now?’
‘it was a good thing,’
i said, remembering
profs in the pudding of 55.
(that was the last .
faculty show)
‘the faculty should have
another one.
remember
mr. leblanc as ‘big louie’
who looked at the girls
in the kick chorus?’
‘oh, yes,’ ‘athena said, _
‘remember “churchy la femme—
dryden,” and then —
lewis carroll bertoff’s .
poem?’
‘we need another
faculty show,’
athena said to me, ,‘let’s
ask for one
and start some pressure.’
‘yes, let’s’, i said. —
and so we have. ,
oe:
ner
podium.
; .
critical analysis and to discover the}
tion weeks) in the interest
THE COLLEGE NEWS
FOUNDED IN 1914
' Published weekly during the College Year (except during
Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holidays, and during examina-
of Bryn Mawr College at the Ardmore
Printing Company, Ardmore, Pa., and Bryn Mawr College.
The College News is fully protected by copyright.
in it may be reprinted wholly or in part without permission of the Editor-in-Chief.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Nothing that appears
EdordChiel. v0. cec ces eevee sece severe teveessteeteecres Suzy Spain, ‘63
Copy Me ik chases vied ee cess es 08 64655 48a cas Kristine Gilmartin, ‘63
PE eos ory ooh cs be 6 ae ceo cbc dece cence Sally Schapiro, ‘64
IU OO ce ic kee che cer eee vi vectrseccecsctpeces Janice Copen, ‘63
PON I hii ch Ge ce civeees cst bbibelsseceese Ellen Rothenberg, ‘64
PROPPUNIOS | oii es caycb cue e016 che recedes paves Helen Levering, ‘64
required by Progressive
potential to:
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