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Page Two THE SKYSCRAPER Nov. 17, 1965 the mmm -. Ml MIL UII I U 0 IIIII L il will grip current issues and events and hold them before the campus in order that members of the Mundelein community may sense and direct history rather than bob in its wake. America Upholds 'Containment' Plan The actions of the United States in Viet Nam today cannot be halted. America is involved in this war-torn land to such a degree that withdrawal would mean immediate take over of South Viet Nam by the Red Chinese and would open the door to communist control in the free nations of Southeast Asia. The popular argument that the United States had no basis for en trance into Viet Nam is unfounded, for this country's action was in ful fillment of the provisions of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) alliance which the United States led in organizing in 1954. With her other SEATO allies, the United States is pledged to protect Southeast Asia from further communist aggression. The action is also founded on a basic principal of Defines American foreign .policy, that of containment. This plan defines American foreign policy as the maintenance of con- Pi Of) sistent resistance to communist attempts at expansion, wherever they are made. So, with this commitment, the United States entered Viet Nam to halt communist aggression in that na tion. To satisfy its agreement, not for imperialistic ends, the United States found it necessary to escalate the undeclared Vietnamese war. But not all United States' citizens have accepted this government action. As a nation, Americans value public opinion. Yet, anti-Viet Nam protesters have caused international respect for the United States to drop. Foreigners notice that VgIuG American citizens do not support their own govern ment, so they see no reason for esteeming the United Ooinion States as a major world power. This loss of interna- tional respect is one which the United States cannot afford, for its wealth and military power are useless if free world allies are lost. As long as American policy remains what it is today, this country has no choice but to confine the communists to the boundaries they have already reached. The United States cannot withdraw from Viet Nam. Absence of Openness Blocks Communications Words like communication become overworked and lose their ef fectiveness while the problem they represent continues to exist. This year's epithet for last year's problem is the twofold term, openness: twofold because it places equal demands on the speaker and the listener. The confusion, misunderstanding and bad feelings which emerge when two parties cannot express themselves meaning fully to each other is already apparent in several in stances. There is confusion regarding the Religious Affairs Committee, misunderstanding clouds the func tioning of the Rules Committee and strained resident relations accrue from this same lack of openness. And, while this condition is most obvious when it arises between students on one hand and faculty on the other, it is just as prevalent in inter-relations between student and student, faculty and faculty. It is not simply a problem of communication. The words are said and heard. But, are they the right words? Are they heard and under stood the way they are intended? Essentially, each person must learn to pull no punches, must level with the other. It was observed by one of the students who spoke at the faculty meeting that the girls tempered their remarks and excluded points which they had discussed among themselves beforehand. Why? Why this psychological barrier which prevents free expression? Is it fear, insecurity, what ? Again, the story on the Students for Democratic Society carried elsewhere in this issue contains a quote from a Mundelein faculty member who did not wish to be identified. Is the faculty so conscious of opinion pressure that they cannot speak openly on vital issues? Effective expression of ideas demands a comprehending listener as well as an articulate speaker. A partially closed mind accepts only what it wants to understand. The multiple in terpretations which followed Dick Gregory's re marks at the Speak-Easy are an example of the effect the listener's mind exerts over the material which confronts it. Another facet, one which, happily, is not too prevalent here at Mun delein, is the absolute refusal of one party to entertain the views, opinions and explanations of an opposing group. Lack of personal access before and during a recent resident unrest, concerning a minor rule in fraction, could have been avoided if both parties had discussed the prob lem together. Equally discouraging and more common is the opportunity for the plaintiff to present her position to an all but deaf ear. The gesture of communication is present but the outcome is predetermined. The sopho more honors group encountered such a reaction last spring when they protested their standing in an upper division math course. They were urged to accept a failing grade because it would be a new experience. These are precisely the circumstances which should not arise within the atmosphere of a liberal arts college. It is vital to the nature of this school that an open, liberal flow of words and ideas emerge before future incidents precipitate a drastic breach in the inter-relations between individuals on all levels. Sounding Board Strains Relations Demands Cooperation This people pays me lip-service, but their heart is far from me . . . Strong words ? Yes. But are we not all more or less guilty of bab bling when we say the prayer at the beginning of each class? We understand this prayer is a long standing Mundelein tradition, but what is the point of carrying on a meaningless tradition? We do not mean to state that prayer in itself is meaningless quite to the con trary it is an expression of love. But when love (let alone respect, intention or thought) is absent... Mundelein has established itself as an institution of higher learn ing, allying this purpose with that of creating a Christian community. If a formalistic or ritualistic prayer before class is our only association with daily Christian living, then we are dead to ourselves, to those around us and to Christ's presence. We know, however, that most Mun delein girls are more alive to the meaning of Christ-life than this. So, we are searching for the mean ing of this residual ritualism. Prayer should be an integral part of the Christian way of life, and not just a handy way of call ing the class to order. Prayer without meaning is empty; to con tinue this tradition involves giv ing it a full positive value. Other wise meaningless prayers create nothing but a void. Thank you for lending an eye. We would appreciate any and all comments. Joan O'Conner Willi Evans It seems somewhat paradoxical and even contradictory to me that the same students who attended the program sponsored by the ARFEP, (Americans for Reap praisal of Far Eastern Policy) Oct. 24, could conscientiously sign the Loyalty Petitions which have appeared around Mundelein and Loyola. For while the program presented the need for creative thinking on American policy in Asia (and the very fact that stu dents did attend showed their will ingness to think long and deeply about the problem), the latter shows definite tones of unquestion ing acceptance of the policy pre determined by the government. Students are told to ignore the tiny vocal minority who clamor for surrender, probably fighting for radical causes. Phrases such as these seem to confirm the fears of Michael Harrington about the anti-dissent, anti-radical atmos phere which would be created by the continuation of the war. The author of the petition, obviously, tends to believe that students who dissent are radical (a euphemism, no doubt, for communist) and those who unquestioningly pledge their loyalty to flag and country are patriotic. If the attitude of the petitioner who worries not about the restora tion of peace, but about the vic tory of the United States spread through the country, the war may go on endlessly. It may even re sult in an all-out atomic war. And in the words of the song, Eve of Destruction: When that button is pushed There'll be no one to save With the whole world in a grave. Sandra Panken May we offer a word of con gratulations to Don Dinelli on his excellent letter in the last issue. Many students and faculty mem bers are in agreement with him; the behavior of the Speak-Easy audience, particularly towards Mr. Thomas, was most, embarrassing. The day after Mr. Thomas spoke here a letter was posted from the Student Committee on the Speak- Easy. For those who failed to read it we would like to quote a small section of it. We must remember that the speakers are coming as a favor to us. No matter how much we may disagree with what they say, they have a right to say it they obviously believe in and are dedicated to their ideas. By the very nature of the Speak-Easy plan, we owe them the courtesy of at tention and intelligent questioning. Just as the Speak-Easy is not meant to provide a platform for the speakers, neither is it meant to provide one for the students. By this I mean that it is an oppor tunity for open discussion not sar casm. Nor should one person mo nopolize the attention of the speaker when there are others who wish to question or to comment. Questions are most welcome, ex cept when they are planned to de liberately try to embarrass the speaker. These were most evident at the Viet Nam debate. It seems that some students here lack the ability to carry on an in telligent discussion or to have an open mind, or as Mr. Dinelli pointed out, are unaware of their duty to listen and to try to under stand. Noreen Stoeck Sue Snyder In response to Donald Dinelli's letter appearing in the Nov. 3 is sue, I wish to say that Mr. Thomas had our attention and respect. We were not (repeat, NOT) bigoted from the beginning of the lecture. We were there to learn. The very fact that Mr. Thomas cited a his tory of the United States for 45 minutes, uninterrupted, of which a full 20 seconds were devoted to the discussion of the John Birch Society, per se, shows that we were there to listen. Mr. Thomas was so evasive af ter awhile, our questions went un answered (repeat, unanswered) that he lost initial respect. A Speak-Easy is also for the audience, not only the speaker. Under the circumstances the Mundelein students were more gen tle in their attack than anticipated. Suppose you take stock of your self, let your hair down and start thinking for yourself . . . (not a stuffed shirt dictated to about how college coeds should act). There's a place and time for everything, I grant you, and the Speak-Easy is a great place to let off steam. Perhaps this is the reason why your own Speak-Easy, sponsored by Loyola, was terminated. The spectators were just that, specta tors, and not participants, and were complacent, gentle and hum ble. Pat Comeaux The third session of the Speak- Easy was great ' I hope the fu ture Speak-Easys will include more of this debate-type approach. Both sides of the war in Viet Nam were presented intelligently, and the question and answer period was orderly and well-managed. The use of the College Theater was also a reason the third session was a success. It was not crowded as in McCormick Lounge, and no one was forced to stand for lack of chairs or space. The audience was able to hear both the speakers and those who asked questions, without straining to do so. The College Theater is in general far more ap propriate for this type of program. Stan Dale deserves great credit and our thanks for establishing and managing the Speak-Easy. I for one hope to see him back again next year and in years to come. Betsy Bunce We would like to express our ap preciation to the faculty and stu dents involved who have provided such an interesting group of speak ers for the upcoming Speak-Easy. But we have one dire com plaint Couldn't something be done for those poor unfortunate, yet conscious American college students who happen to be in an inflexible 3:30 class? We know that certain classes have made al lowances in their schedules, but we hope that ALL students would have this tremendous opportunity af forded us. Sister Mary Leslie, C.S.S.F. Sister Mary Inez, C.S.S.F. Sister Mary Eric, C.S.S.F. Mary Stone . Sister Pierre Marie, B.V.M. Patricia Ann Budziak Rosemary Shiels Margie Feller Marijo Fingleton Sister Mary Ann Marcelle, B.V.M. Janet Fixmer Sister M. Martin Jerome, B.V.M. Sister Mary Stephen, C.S.S.F. Sister Mary Pierre, C.S.S.F. Sister Mary Luanne, C.S.S.F. It has been the custom at Mun delein to present students with warning slips at midterm to in dicate a possible failure. This prac tice is not only unnecessary but infantile. It often forces instructors to judge a student's work upon one test given for the sole purpose of having a grade upon which to de cide whether the student should be given a pink slip or not. Mundelein girls are not grade- schoolers. The average student knows if she is doing poorly in a subject. If she is not aware she is handing in unsatisfactory work then we can only question the stu dent's intelligence or the instruc tor's for failing to return tests and other papers conscientiously. A college which prides itself on abolishing momism should stop trying to coddle students. Brenda Dinneen Jhe hu-Acraper Vol. XXXVI November 17, 1965 No. 4 Newspaper of Distinction The Skyscraper is published semi-monthly, September to May inclusive except during exam and vacation periods, by the students of Mundelein College. 6363 Sheridan Rd., Chicago. 111., 60626. Subscription rate is 2 per year. Entered as second-class matter Nov. 80, 1932. at the U.S. Post Office, Chicago. 111.. under the act of March 3, 1897. The Skyscraper is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Catholic School Press Association. Letters to the editor must be signed. The Skyscraper reserves the right to cut letters in case of limited space. Co-Editors Jean Durall, Diane Sargol Photographers Aldine Favaro, Margy Retiger, Nancy Vandenberg Staff Betsy Bunce, Caryl Jean Cinelli. Pat Czapar, Maureen J. Devine. Brenda Dinneen. Margie Field, Vicki Germann. Marilyn Gibbs, Ellen Gutenkauf, Cindy Jelinek, Jennifer Joyce. Ann Katt, S. M. Kevin. C.S.S.F., Barbara Kubici, Lynn McKeever, Mariellen O'Brien, Ann Palen, Sandy Ragsdale, Ceol Reschke. Margaret Reschke, Kathy Riley, S. M. Virginia Anne, B.V.M.. Marybeth Wagner, Judy Wardwell
title:
1965-11-17 (2)
publisher:
Women and Leadership Archives http://www.luc.edu/wla
creator:
Mundelein College
description:
Student newspaper for Mundelein College
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Newspapers
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Religious communities--Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Students
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Universities and colleges
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Women's education
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Mundelein College Records
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English
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Mundelein College