The recent "coat and tie"
demonstration on the Lawn may
have given greater insight into the
attitudes which stand in the way of
change at this University than even the demonstration's organizers
could foresee. I refer to the actions
of a particular faculty member in
one of his classes last Monday. The
following description is admittedly
second-hand (I am not in the class)
but I feel it bears relating since I
consider the source reliable.
The instructor opened his hour
by stating that he would not cancel
his class for something such as the
announced demonstration, which
he thought (in words to the effect)
ridiculous. A student then queried
whether the teacher would cancel
the next Monday's class because of
the inevitable hangovers from the
grain parties of Midwinter's Weekend.
The instructor readily assented
(after some discussion whether Friday's
or Monday's class should be
dropped) and canceled the class.
Each of these two actions (the
refusal, and then consent to cancel
a class) might be innocent enough if
they had happened apart from one
another, but taken together they
represent an attitude which is fundamentally
opposed to any change
within this Institution. It is an
attitude which sees more importance
in a Big Weekend than in a
non-violent attempt to erase the
racist character of this University.
Such an attitude will be injurious
enough to the future of the University
if confined to the students; it is
intolerable in a member of the
faculty.
It is indeed regrettable that, in a
time when more and more faculty
members (such as Mr. Elwood) are
concerning themselves with the
need for reform, we must now be
faced with other faculty members
(assuming there are more than this
one) whose opposition to change
differs little from the opposition of
those to whom we are now voicing
our discontent. I can only hope, for
the good of this University, that
this attitude is present only in a
small minority of its faculty.
Richard Dankworth
College 2
