r in Developing Areas, one of the alert to the inconsistencies of Ameri· best conferences of its kind I have ca's world position than many of their Robert W. Tufts, '40 ever attended; a large tutorial pro· elders. It is not possible to use our I gram, about 200 stludents tutoring power to promote freedom in the Chairman, Department of Economics underprivileged children on an in· world and to close our eyes to racial dividual basis; a well-organized Stu· and other injustices here at home dent Congress, which produced many witho•ut corrupting our idea of free· recommendations for changes in the dam. Students know and feel this. Oberlin way of doing things - Our record could be better, and I THERE IS a typical Oberlin student, IF recommendations which various com· welcome student impatient demands he or she has, as in years past, mittees are now studying, and which for better performance. mixed a lot of labor and learning will lead to some useful reforms. I with quite a lot of fun - ranging It seems to me that there should do not find this sampling of Oberlin from athletics to WOBC, and only be a tension of this kind between activism alarming. rarely extending to anything as zany the generations. It would be pleasant, as a panty raid or a torchlight parade I'm not at all sure that there is of course, if the tension were some• to the President's. more concern now with public af· times more restrained, better inform· fairs than in my undergraduate days, If you have heard that the Oberlin ed, less self-righteous. Self-discipline although there are certainly more campus is seething, my advice is to and self·restraint do underlie freedom. placards. What involvement there is forget it. It isn't. Even the activi­ Advocacy should be based on in· seems, on the whole, more mature, ties which some see as evidence of formation and reason. Dogmatism is more responsible, more thoughtful, unrest are not really new to Oberlin a vice, and the inability to see any less naive, and more realistic, and I - I refer to civil rights activities, point of view but one's own is the call that progress. concern over foreign affairs, and ef­ mark of an illiberal person. Indeed, I find it difficult to fault forts by students to prod the faculty, I have heard that "alienation" is a these Oberlin students. They want administration, and tr'ustees into problem on many campuses. It is not, to learn, and they want to be active. changes in academic and non-aca· They want to study society and the I think, a problem here, though it demic policies and programs. There forces of social, economic, and polit­ might become one. The students w~o is a small group of students, possibly ical change - and they want to put 10 per cent, who try to divert us from their knowledge to work in support our well·worn ruts, but, as they of causes in which they deeply be· would quickly agree, without notable lieve. They believe change is needed; success. and they are right. If we find stu· As I look back upon this year, dents disturbing, is it, perhaps, that the activities of this group that come they are tweaking our consciences? to mind are: the well·known Carpen· Are we as disturbed by the problems ters for Christmas project; civil rights of justice at home and peace in the picketing; part1c1pation in demon­ world as we ought to be? One of the strations against American policy in functions of youth is to make age, Vietnam, and a two·day Fast for especially middle age, uncomfortable, Peace; numerous forums on interna­ to expose our hypocrisies and our tional affairs; a Peace Research Sem· rationalizations. inar; a three·day intercollegiate con­ I have been defending President ference on the Role of the Military Johnson's course of action in Viet­ Stofan Studio nam, on the ground that the best chance of avoiding a big war is to demonstrate to China that the so· called "war of national liberation" is dangerous and costly. A number of students have strongly challenged my position - and have made me ex· amine and re-examine my position. The interchange has been helpful to me. I hope it has been helpful to them. I want to add that they have always been courteous and respectful, no matter how sharp our disagree· ment. In short, I find student unrest, if that is the right word, reassuring, at least as manifested here in Ober­ Merrily Quist on her way to Warner Con· cert Hall to perform in the Commencement Congratulations to Charles McDonald, '65 lin. In some ways students are more Recital on Saturday evening. 16 OBERLIN ALUMNI MAGAZINE Stofan Studio drew up the Student Congress report might well have addressed it to us with the savutation: "To Oberlin, with love." They were critical, but not in a spirit of alienation. I have also heard that students these days have an "identity" crisis. I am not surprised. E very young person worth teaching wonders at some point what he should do with this greatest of aJI tr asures - his life. I do not sense an unusual identity crisis on this campus, and I am confident that most students, like most of us, will find a satisfying answer and will not find it embarrassing a few years from now to be asked : What would you do if you had it to do over? As for social rules - and we have had a good deal of talk about them - times have changed. Perhaps that is 'unfortunate. Many facts are. How· ever much some parents may want Oberlin to be a Brave Mother, as· suming responsibilities toward their children they did not dare assume, it Their day of days. Left to right: Joyce Zaorski, Robert ''Ed" Gates, Erica Marschner, and Carolyn Bridger under The Elms on campus after the Commencement exercises. is, as a practical matter, too late. Even if parental discipline has changed too much, Ober.lin could no , if it t ried, confidence in st'udents. I find it an Oberill1, of course, has changed successf uUy enforce a code of be· easy price to pay. They are intelli· over the years. As far as I can see, havior parents themselves have wisely gent, able, serious, good, decent the changes have all been for the good, or fo olishly bee n unwilling to impose. young people, with now and then an even though one regrets the passing Obviously we have to have rules. exception that proves the rule. If I of some of the attractive things of the The rules we need are those appro· didn't think so, I wouldn't be hang· past. Obedin used to be primarily a priate to the performance of the Col· ing around for Commencement. I'd middle-western institution, where most lege's educational function, and we have packed my bags and left long of the students came from the middle should be prepared to consider them ago. west and shared that point of view in that light, and to strive harder for which those of us who were born in the kind of consensus needed to sup· the middle west still think is pretty port any body of law. good and which di.d much to build I hope it is clear that I have been this country as well as this college. I trying to put things in perspective. Erwin N. Griswold, '2 5 uppose that the cliche that can be put Many things need doing. But we do Dean, Law Sc.hool Harvard University upon that point of view is the Prates· have, I believe, a basis for a co· tant ethic. The Protestant ethic is operative effort at reform, an effort what built this college; it was what to which all can contribute, not least was being expressed, whether we recog· the students. If I see any troublesome nized it or not, when those old timers straws in the wind, they are not J HAPPEN TO SPEND most of my time like myself were students here. at Harvard University, at a grad· straws of umest, though that may One of the changes which has come uate school, which is a somewhat dif· come, but straws that signal a certai n to Oberlin in recent years is that the tendency to over•react to criticism, a ferent place than an undergraduate demand for higher education has enor· hyper-sensitivity, and, as a result, per· school; and my own students, virtually mously increased throughout the coun· hap a certain weakening of mu tual without exception, are so interested in try. It is no longer something which learning about torts and contracts and trust and confidence between all con· is sought by the children of teachers, cerned: students, teachers, adminis· administrative law and constitutional ministers, missionaries, and professional trators, and trustees. Trust and con· law which they know are going to be fidence are necessary stones in the the tools of their careers for a lifetime, people. It has become a status symbol, foundation ·of our educational enter· that I find no indicati on of any ten· generally, and is sought by a great prise. A teacher or administrator who dency that they feel they should "par• many people who don't really care does not inspire and receive them is ticipate in the decision•making process" much for the intellectual life, and one gravely handicapped. Their price is, which one hears so much about here consequence is that a lot of people who at least i11 part, a reciproca I trust and at Oberlin.