OBSERVER Vol. 12 No. 14 September 24, 1969

Front Page Deserted Village Suit Marion Swerdlow

Page 2 America In The 60s Geoff Cahoon Article Joan Tollifson and Bruce Warshavsky Mr. Black

Page 3 Bombs Quote From Pablo Picasso Chicks Kidnapped Seale Budget

Page 4 Photograph LNS/MVN Tunes Mark Barnett

Page 5 Cat Of Nine Tails Welcome To The Zoo John Katzenbach Quote From Woodrow Wilson

Page 6 Editorial Quote From Louis Blanc Cartoon Feiffer Letters [Questions regarding Bruce Warshavsky's and Joan Tollifson's article . . .] Anita Schnee

Page 7 Skiff SDS Marion Swerdlow DESERTED VILLAGESUIT

jail. The legal limit for punishment for brutally harassed by a ·matron .. At I three Bard students and their Last May such an offence is actually 15 days. They least one was placed in a solitary at the college were convicted visitor were told they might make phone calls confinement cell. In the early hours of on the Central Hudson Gas of trespass only after they had entered a plea. the morning, they were taken to the and Electric Corporation property Martin allegedly advised them to plead prison's cellar and subjected to which lies directly behind Ward Manor. fingerprinting and mugshots. It is known to Bard students as the guilty, telling them that if they pleaded not guilty and were found guilty, it 'Deserted Village.' told that a copy of his face and would result in a $500 fine. On the Each was would be sent to the FBI. They basis of this, all four pleaded guilty and prints Each of these four have filed a released at seven o'clock in were given $100 fines. They attempted to were finally $250,000suit against Sheriff Lawrence hours after they pay by check and were toi d that only the morning, twelve Quinlan, the county itself, and the city were initially picked up. of Poughkeepsie. They are Dawn Shiireen, cash was acceptable, and that they could not leave until this was paid. Wendy Golub, Donna LaGreca, and According to their lawyer, none of the Donald Ochiuzzo. had any intention of committing to four The students were never allowed any illegal act--not even trespass. The eventually 'It was the most infuriating experience of phone, but prison authorities property, Shafter alleges, is not separated my life,' said Miss Shifreen. According to made two or three calls for them. Legal­ from the college property by 'proper had the right to make the lawyer for the four, Alfred Shafter ly, each of the four means,' there is no fence, only a solitary of New York City, the incident began two calls personally. gate which at the time had no notice with 'an innocent bicycle ride' on May that one was leaving college property. 17. The four were picked up and taken In the Poughkeepsie jail, they suffered Shafter charges that the police, the to court in Red Hook, where they were what Shafter calls 'Gestapo stuff:' company, and the authorities involved charged with a violation, the category they were denied water, food and the use acted in concert to 'harass defame into which a parking ticket fits. of johns. Forced to strip, they were intimidate and deprive the~e stude~ts searched for dope, which was not found, of their constitutional rights.' 'We charge, There, according to Shafter, Red Hook and then forced to don prison clothes. says Shafter, 'that a conspiracy exists Town Justice Frank Martin told them that One student was physically manhandled, among these people. Now we must back each faced a $100 fine of .100 days in while another was constantly and this charge with facts.' to page 3

KIDNAPPED.•. W' :~· · . ~::,~~)•.:_.· . •

IDNAPPED see story on P.3 2

AMERICAt~~ by Geoff Cahoon course (something few teachers here In designing the course last semester, it could claim for their courses}. Because became obvious that after spending two Sitting in 'America in the 60's'... it's of this, a student in this course is or three years majoring in a particular in Albee Social, so we're all sitting around, indulging in learning tor learning's sake division, one's whole approach can be slouched down low in the cheezy motel and not participating in an authoritarian molded by that discipline. furniture the school provides. So far process that holds a club over his head we've spent most of our time discussing in the form of the teacher'assessment of The student risks seeing the world through how we're going to do papers for the class. his performance. the assumptions and methods of his own We start getting involved with other topics field, and becomes a stranger to other e.g. the discussion turns into a sort of Back in Albee Social. . .l look around the views. At the same time, he is digesting room while another person is rambling show and tell--almost all of us wait for for him in advance by that my eye is not constant materials prepared a moment when it seems somewhat on and realize of becoming checking the position of the professor a professor, and is in danger appropriate and injects their favorite interests and because ther is none .. .it sounds like a alienated from his own fact or theory, whether it is really relevent unique thought processes. 'America in class .. .looks like a class .. .! know I read or not, but, no matter, we're getting used Sixties' will be a chance for students a book for it last night, so it must be a the to each other at least and beginning to to study what interests them, and to do class ... but still no professor ... without him trust each other a bit. A lot of us have so from a variety of perspectives. been brainwashed, or so it seems, into I suspect that it's not a class but rather experience. and we need many expecting to have a 'leader' or a 'teacher' a learning will operate on a pass/fail more of them. The course in a classroom situation so that when basis. Each student will present a project we do away with such a personage, we still of his own choosing to the seminar. react as if he were there. The project will accompany an oral by Joan T ollifson and Bruce Warshavsky presentation, and may take the form of As a consequence we all find ourselves a paper, a film, or any other means the striving for a graded position each time Last semester a group of students got student designs. Some projects already we want to make a statement.. we ask together in the hope of starting a cross­ being planned include ~The Self in the ourselves: Does this agree with such individual, student-run seminar on topics literature of the Sixties,' 'The .Kennedy and such,' or 'How will I look if I say that the students themselves considered Myth,' 'The Merry Pranksters.' 'An this?' Soon, I suspect such questions interesting and important. What motivated Inter-Arts Experience,', and so on. These will either cease or be paid less attention these students was the belief that college presentations correspond to a general to. must fkst of all be enjoyable and relevant, course plan that provides an analysis of even if it becomes necessary to -work out· America in the past decade·-an analysis Still, it is. difficult for a group of people side of traditional education forms. It which does not restrict itself to the who have been brainwashed into expecting was .felt that if the ouroose of education views and methods of any one discipline. an authority figure to lead them by the is to teach one to educate himself, then hand to seek after specifics of knowledge a student-run experiment was long over· Bard is reputed to have been an innovat\ve· in a field of study as unspecific as due at Bard College. and experimental school in the past. 'America in the 60's.' The course of action Such an expenment IS now under way. Although it appears that we have long we've chosen for this semester is to 'America in the Sixties' is a fully since left experimentation to other have individuals present papers or accredited, student-run course, meeting schools, there have been some new topics of their own choice and have weekly in a seminar to discuss the past stirrings on this campus. If 'America' discussion of them afterwards. We~ll see ten years in America. The course is becomes a precedent (and it is intended how that works. being planned and conducted by the stu­ to be just that), a Bard education night The class may succeed, if only because. dents themselves, and the topics, once again mean something more exciting the members of it seem to have a feeling readings, and discussions are determined than four years of mid-term papers and of responsibility for its success as a by the interests of those in the class. final exams.

m Mr. Black, who teaches in the Language York in the late 1950's. Her work begins and Literature Division at Bard, is with a full range of cosmic forms such as mounting a comparative retrospective the series 'Orbs,' 'Astron,' 'Cornona,' and exhibition of the works of two artists, 'Chromosphere,' develops these forms . Herbert Bayer and lngeborg ten Haeff, into a human interiority illustrated by for the new Yonkers Hudson River such paintings as 'Man's Voyage,' Museum. The show will be called 'Two 'Vision of the Inner Self,' and 'Man's Visions of Space: Herbert Bayer, lngebor~ Crucifixion' and evolves into the recent ten Haeff.' · metaphysical portraits, among them 'Martin Luther King: Portrait of the It will include well over a hundred paint­ Assassination and Gospel.' ings, drawings and photomontages. Bayer was one of the original members of the Bayer began to paint in the surrealist Bauhaus at Weimar and at Dessau with idiom in the 1920's, and his vision devel­ Albers, Gropius, Kandinsky, and Klee. oped into a fantasy of technological Working as a painter, designer, and space with such paintings as 'Messages architect, he introduced the theories of through Atmosphere' and evolved into Bauhaus design and visual communication a metaphysical and abstract vision of into the when he came here space in late works such as 'Moon and from Germany in the late 1930's. Structure.' The exhibition will attempt to trace and compare these two highly He designed the original conception of original and distinct visions of space. Aspen, and has been chief consultant, Mr. Black has been commissioned to then chairman of design for the Container write a monograph to accompany the Corporation of America since 1946. show: The title will be 'Multiple ten Haeft, who was married to the Worlds and their Common Axis.' The late architect and city planner, Paul exhibition will run from November 8 to Lester Wiener, began painting in New December 8. 3 N-.V., has filed a complaint against Justice Martin with the Appellate Dlvision of the Supratne .Court, which has juris­ diction over Martin's position. Justice SUIT of the Peace is an elected office. Accord­ ing to Shafter, one does not have to be SEALE a lawyer to fill this position and Frank cont'd from page 1 marshalls have Martin is not one. Mrs. LaGreca's claim . LNS. Federal pig According to Shafter, the Central Hudson Martin, for this and other kidnapped Panther Chairman Bobby SealE is that Chicago. Gas and Electric Corporation is using the reasons, is not competent for his duties. en route from to sheriff and his officers as caretakers for The immediate reason for the kidnapping this unused property and paying them Bard college administration officials, seems to be a determined effort by the for their services. 'The company is in though privately expressing sympathy with U.S. power structure to prevent Bobby with judges and wealthy people, the the case, have declined to commit the from being able to meet with his lawyer Dutchess County establishment. It college to support it, Their reason was, to prepare for his Chicago conspiracy belongs to well-organized, very influential that this would not further the college. s trial scheduled to open Se~t. 24. people,' said Shafter, though he adds that efforts to. build better relations with the he has found nothing in the corporate local community. He was taken £rom San Francisco in records to indicate a blatant conflict of handcuffs imd leg manacles shortly inter.est between the company and the by Marian Swerdlow before his lawyer was scheduled to appeal authorities. Nevertheless, all according to the removal order, and he has been Shafter, all involved share an interest in held incommunicado since friday, the intimidation and persecution of September 12, losing valuable preparation trespassers, Bard students in particular. time for his case. By the time the appeal hearing was convened, the pigs had taken The charge of conspiracy has been filed Bobby out of the district and out of the with a court of claims in New York judge's jurisdiction. City. At the same time, the mother of one. Olivia LaGreca of Mamaroneck, Lawyers in Chicago, Washington, and NeVI York have filed a motion in court saying that Bobby has been kidnapped and de­ manding that marshalls produce him. Bobby's 'conspiracy' in Chicago last summer amounted to a six hour visit in which he gave one speech. In addition to BOMBS the conspiracy charge he awaits extra· dition to face a charge of conspiring to New York. LNS. For the fourth time in murder a Panther member, Alex Backley, the past two months, institutions respon­ in New Haven. sible for U'S' war policy have been The latest actions against Seale are part !~~!e: ~~~~:~~~~·~ ci~rc':~~~~~~~~e~ear I K of a full-scale attack on the Panthers--a Square. H c c s transparent attempt to destroy the most militant, most ell;plicitly revolutionary The bomb was placed somewhere betweer organization inside the black conmunity. the 39th and 40th floors, housing the Detroit. LNS. Last week nine women-­ local headquarters of the Selective out the Panthers-­ now the Motor City Nine--walked into a This attempt to wipe Service System and the Commerce earlier attempts in American history classroom at Macomb Community College like Department, respectively. destroy oppressed people in motion-· and barricaded the doors. Inside they to based on the use of agents, intrigue, interrupted the students writing final is No one was injured by the blast, which and every conceivable to talk about the most important brutal violence, occurred at 2:10a.m. on September I 9 exams weapon that rich men's money can buy. The explosion wrecked a large portion of things going on in the world today-things the draft office and the Commerce that teachers at Macomb College never Department, which is used by U.S mention or only lie about. They rapped businessmen to facilitate their toreign about the war in Vietnam and about how investing. the Vietnamese are against U.S. imperialism. budget Federal Building is the latest of a The They rapped about the struggle for liber­ Granted series of targets. One month earlier a Asked ation and the Black Panther Party, and Tutoring Project $175.00 $175.00 bomb wrecked the offices of the Marine about how Macomb College keeps black Midland Grace Trust Co., a bank with Photography Club 368.00 368.00 people out by charging them higher 84.35 $3.3 billion in assets and considerable tuition, saying it's because they don't live Ecclesia et Colligium 84.35 investments in Latin America. On in the same community. Photography Magazine 2000.00 800.00 July 26th, in commemoration of the Forum 2053.56 500.00 Cuban Revolution, a United Fruit Co. They spoke about how white people are Student Workshop 2990.00 000.00 pier was blown up and two weeks before acting against the people of the world, Musical Activities Group 2601.00 1151.00 Jersey that, a grenade factory in New helping the rich get richer, and how white lnter~Arts Ensemble 2000.00 750.00 was hit. people must join the revolution now waged Film Committee 5337.00 4100.00 by black and brown people across the 4305.14 3600.00 The mass media has cooperated with the Qbserver world to liberate the riches of the world Lampeter Muse 891.00 891.00 authorities in covering up the political for all people. nature of these attacks on key institutiom Chapel Committee 988.50 488.50 Club 1125.00 000.00 Of U.S. imperialism. Pofice and FBI When they began to talk about how womer Sailing agents assigned to the case never mention are kept down in this country, two men Bard Black Students the possibility of political motives got up to leave the room. It is reported Association 1565.00 1200.00 behind the bombings, at first even trying that the Motor City Nine responded to SDS 825.00 200.00 to bury the news altogether--but the such an exhibition of llllle chauvinism and Dance Club 900.00 000.00 persistence of the attacks has finally madE general pig behavior by attacking the men Donald G. Tewksbury them front-page news. with karate and prevented them from Memorial Philharmonic leaving the room. They then continued Although the director of the Commerce Marching Society and to discuss how women are used as slave Bratwurst Festival Band 400.00 000.00 Department Office recalled that there had exploited on the labor in the household, Composers Circle 500.00 000.00 been anti-draft demonstrations in labor market, and turned into sexual object front of the building during the summer, Jazz Club 300.00 200.00 773.00 618.00 he said he could think of no reason why One of the men called the pigs and the Art Club anyone would want to bomb his offices. women were arrested. They were released French Club 1280.00 265.00 on bonds totaling $6,500 for charges of Economics Club t 1150.00 000.00 There have been no arrests made in disorderly person and assault and oattery. connection with any of the cases. Literatuee Club 1483.00 900.50 790.00 390.00 The Motor City Nine are part of the Scientific Society 16~0.00 500.00 women.s liberation mov~::ment. They Psychology Club understand that the road to women's History Society 1500.00 550.00 liberat~on is not throuqh personal. discus­ Ceramics Club 665.00 600.00 sions about the oppression of women, nor Cinematography Club 650.00 500.00 is it through an appeal to the public Russian Club 1300.00 600.00 conscience through demonstrations or Sociology-Anthropology guerilla theatre about the issue of Club 1250.00 400.00 'It means nothing to me. I have no female liberation. It will only come when opinion about it, and don't care.' women act, not only around the issues of women's liberation, but when they "f$550 was held by the Senate for a special re­ Pablo Picasso--commenting on the moon act on other issues such a s the war and quest from the Economics Club pending that landing. racism. Women's liberation will come Club•J confirmation of their speakers. If they when women exercise real power as is do not report by Nov. 1 the money will revert done in Vietnam and in the Macomb college classroom. to the Senate.) 4

all photoqraphs. is a former re­ MxNe is the finished Studies Building at Black Mountain and contributer of Ci_tizen and i~ cur­ CLASSIFIED? Started in porter for the Asheville (N.C.) College, with Lake Eden in the torewound. rently Assistant Director of Curnculum Des1gn at Run a classified ad in the Observer. 1940, based on desigtS dra\M\ by Gropius and Brewer, Kendall College, Evanston, Ill., an experiment~l It costs less than you think. 76, or the building contained one room for each student junior college. All parts and photogr~phs of th1s Send your ad to Box and was erected by the college community at issue and issue number 13 are copyrrghted by call 758-3665. Or drop by the concludes the Observer's Black Mount­ office in the basement of North large. This 1969. ain feature. Ro erA. Wicker author of art one Roger A. Wicker, Hoffman. All ads must be in by Monday preceeding publication. lns1mvn Washington.LNS. The Vietnam Moratori­ Among those are Sam Brown, 26, one of um, a series of national, escalating the principle organizers of the youth anti-war actions, will begin October 15. wing of the McCarthy campaign; David Students at more than 500 colleges are Mixner, 24, another McCarthy staffer already committed to spending the day who currently serves on the Democratic in the community with door:::to-door party reform commission heade? by campaigns, teach-ins, rallies and vigils. Senator George McGovern; Dav1d Hawk, 26 a draft resister and former southern UDIS Accompanying the campus-based actions civil rights worker who was an aii-Americar by mark barnett and a few other thmgs like country will be organized efforts by business­ diver at Cornell; Marge Sklencar, 23, the schmaltz and English folk singing, men, clergymen, community groups and former student body president at while Epic sent only one, a beautiful labor. All activities are directed against Mundelein College who is a veteran of As a preface: what l say will be shaped record, . continuing U.S. action in Vietnam. numerous political campaigns. by wholly personal preferences. I am primarily a musician, and certainly I would that I was being too brief if The Moratorium has the endorsement of Rejecting recent announcements by not a writer. My statments may be 1 gave onlv reviews of the recordings, the National Americans for Democratic administrations spolesman of token ill-phrased and simplistic, meanings rather like a professor handing out grades Action, the National Student Association, troop withdrawals, the coordinators said: are implied between the spaces and and blallk-criteria sheets. So I'II look at the New Mobilization Committee, and anyway, I'm a peevish opinionated these fi~st as entertainment, and second as the National New Democratic Coalition. 'The announced displacement of 25,000 cocksucker. indicators. We'll try to see larger move­ and 35,000 American troops would bring ments in pop music and to derive a Coordinated by a Washington office, the the total to 60,000, the number former For the most part the records available consistent set of criteria for evaluation. one-day October action would be President Johnson said could be brought to me had been sent by several record expanded to two days in November, three home without damaging the war effort. companies to the Bard Observer over ILLINOIS SPEED PRESS on Columbia is days in December, escalating until the the past several months. As such they are just dreadful. The liner notes are a war is ended. We will continue to work against the war an unbalanced selection, leaning towards collaboration from , until United States policies have changed the semi-conscious and mediocre. and are, of course, hilarious. Peter The National office is staffed with veterans and the war is ended, Columbia sent a pile of new rock groups, cont. on p.5 of the McCarthy and Kennedy campaigns. But, I suppose that is a digression alSQ. fully working their prey towards the door 5 Back to the question at hand;relieved of and those that were failing were simply the physical agony of being close to getting drunk. No harm in that, of death, and lacking anything better to course. We only live once, and sooner WELCOME TO THE ZOO do, I decided to review the immediate or later somebody will have to crack up past (remember the first digression?} their car trying to drive to Manor, the john katzenbach gods must be appeased, might as well I was able to get out of registration with get it over with. I left Adolph's All strep throats aside, over and done only minor scars. In one respect I was reaffirmed in the belief that all Bard with. My fighting will to live having lucky, that being the fact that magically all students are created equal. Some just carried me successfully through another my courses appeared signed and happy on seem to get more than others. apparent brush with death, I staggered my formal (as opposed to informal, I back to campus to re-immerse myself in suppose) registration card. I was unlucky in Of course all this is nothing compared to the process of living here at Bard. the fact that there appeared to be several the first Senate meeting zoo. I think Not having too much initiative, I too many, so with complete disregard to saint Joe McCarthy must have been busied myself with cutting classes and all life and limb. I simply crossed off those smiling as he looked down (or up, not doing assignments, and generally that looked difficult . I suppose there depending on your point of view) on musing over what had already taken are about five teachers now wandering the proceedings. Senate is quite a treat. place. That is the good thing ai.Dut writing blithely through the woods, calling. my I suggest that all students sit in on at a column, incidentally, for all you name, looking, like Diogenes, for an least one meeting to find out how honest man, which unfortunately does not efficiently their gov't is run. All this is appear to be llle. at the risk of sounding overly moralistic, but... I walked out into the sunshine, or rather the.unbearable heat, and, feeling existential, So here I am, or there I was, still I fired four shots into the inert corpse staggering about and popping. my peni­ of some freshman, who apparently was cil\in every four hours to keep me going. not able to cope with the primary of all lt=s a good drug, not a great one, but Bard zoos, registration. It was like Jlltting certainly it lives up to its promises. himout of his misery. The gym was like The sun has come out again after the a battlefield, or at least like something out rains, but rest assured, it will rain again ... of a Fellini film, though I would reserve judgement on which one precisely. Stumbling over the bodies of the unfortu­ nates, I made my way over to the bookstore to get a good place in line, and to discover that invariabtfmy instructor had grossly underestimated the turnout for his course 'Contemporary World Masturbation,' and that all the books had subsequently disappeared from their allotted shelves. people who have followed this column with So I waited in line to buy two Bic pens, such unfailing devotion. You only have which were immediately borrowed, and to concern yourself with what has happened wer~ last seen heading off into the sunset. not with what will. No Cassandras working 'The truth is we are all caught in a great economic system which is heartless.' for this newspaper. But that is a digres­ Dinner, of course, would offer no solace sion. Back to Bard, back to the essence of to my twisted soul, so I jumped into Woodrow Wilson, 1912. our existence, thrust into the uncharted my car and drove, being inherent\y lazy, wilds of the Hudson River Valley, 600, down the r9ad, to indulge in that other (or is Jt 700) of us looking alike, talking great Bard zoo, drinking, and all its alike, eating the same food, everybody particular Bardian manifesta~ions. Ther~. Jnj9yingthemselves immensely, which to my delight, were all my olt:l friehds~ ~ :.. . t -~ - - -· - strikes me as a bit strange, but, like feverishly trying to seduce every girl that most things, I'll just ignore it, and maybe so much as dared enter the den of iniquit it'll go away. Those that were succeeding were grace- MUSIC REVIEW cont'd from P. 4 Bergman probably never heard the record. nothing of interest here, though I country really do work together in the The rythm guitar plays unbearably out suppose they have a good sound live. We right hands. Their musicianship is of tune in simple four-beat patterns. begin to suspect that the corporate ego superb--tight, smooth, and calm. The tone of it sounds like I) the of Columbia's acivertising department is Everything is neatly pieced together. guitarist had never used an electric not to be trusted. Their guitars interchange leads and guitar (yes, there is a difference), and rhythm and rhythmic leads. Even consid· 2) the producer (james guerico) had NRBO. also on Columbia. I like this alburr ering the peculiar structure in some of gone out for a cup of coffee. This better now than when I first listened the songs, the instruments phrase the guitar is the rhythmic basis of the group. to it. The whole thing is rampantly eclecti• breaks so they seem smooth, not an easy The vocals are chanted over twelve-bar that it is difficult to find any continuum. task. There isn't much dazzle and flash, blues patterns, voice with not much range. The first side alone has six completely but gentle virtuosity is a refreshing thing. Now Pearls Before Swine worked because different songs, by different composers. The first two songs on s\de one have the their' writer was a poet, but I didn't They go from Space Ship Number Nine, most remarkable pedal steel breaks, and find any poetry in the Speed Press. by Sun Ra, to a Brownie McGhee and Brand Junction is one of the finest instrum A (Les Paul} guitar plays random 'lead' Sonny Terry song. It's all a huge entals around. The last part of side one is lines over the singer, and these sound shock and very rauncy besides . . After disappointing, in that the songs sound like a thoroughly studied Mike Bloom­ only two hearings I still find nothing pieced-together and disconnected. Side field-Barry Melton derivation, without that is really exciting, musically, though two, however, is almost perfect. They even the basic phrasing knowledge of it's all competant. {Now, you're probably say things about God, Love, and The either. There are drums and a bass thinking: who the tuck does he think City, all sung beautifully and played even somewhere, I guess. The whole thing he is, and why is he being so down on better. First Love, To~ !imf. generally confuses 'heavy' (yes) with everything--but don't worry. You're Picking Up the Pieces, the title song, are 'heavy-handed' and comes off like not me, and most Bard students will very fine. another ego-trip. But, if I babble about probably like NRBO a whole lot--they that much longer, I'll use up all my are good--l'm just picking up glaring The essence of the is that they're space, so keep it in mind and I'II return to inadequacies and I warned you anyway.} playing together--that makes it beautiful. it later. What disturbs me about the record is There is a communication between the that Colubia has churned a good band performers and the listeners, that is CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY on with fine ideas through its Rock Machine, simply, music cannot be loud horn~ Columbia. What can I say: another thereby over-hyping it almost to death. noise all the time. The Chicago Transit blues band. Formula: Take one ordinary I mean, if I believed all the advances on Authority is craft--they learned the rock band with a hard-voiced singer, add NRBQ Yd be expecting .. progression and riffs and pieced them a trumpet and trombone, get the lead The liner notes sound like 'Well, the together, but Poco, and for that matter sheet for all of Blood, Sweat, and Tears organist smoothed down his elbow-length their counterpart, Otosby Stills and Na;h arrangements and you have: another blues corn silk hair, while the guitarist played are perhaps artists, becuase of the consta~t band. Mary Ann says this sounds like an so fast that it sounded like the strings communication they produce. The elementary course in pop music for 1968 were barbed wires.' Too much. And Illinois Speed Press has an ego trip of America, and I've never known her to it even says 'N RBQ is concerned with sorts im~JUed in their name, you may lie. (Everything is adequate and nothing time and space.' So were , but have not1ced. They sound like a circle­ goes any farther. One interesting cut they never needed to say so. jerk. Well, Poco has been through the pop is 'Free-Form Guitar,' if only in terms nonsense and stepped away clean. of what a Fender Stratocaster can do when POCO (Epic) is the nicest new thing it's tortured.) Other than that there's I've heard in a long time. Rock and 6 v EDITORIAL snr an alternative newsmedia project

The Observer is an independent student pub Iication for the Bard College community. Publication is weekly, twelve times during the semester. Letters to the Editor and other inquiries should be addressed Why are ther more students at Bard than to Box 76 there are rooms? Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, 12504. Perhaps because the admin­ The contents istration is of the Observer are copyright 1969 by The trying to maximize incomP.. without Observer Press, Inc., caring about other factors. unless otherwise stated. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarliy those of Bard College. Why did the administration ignore the faculty's reccomendation that enrollment George B. Brewster/Editor-in-chief not increase without a proportional increase Thorn Mount/Managing Editor in faculty? Perhaps the administration is looking Anita Schnee/Layout Editor more to balancing the budget than main- John Katzenbach/Contributing Editor taining the quality of education at Bard. Lorenzo Black/Photo Editor Why is it the administration cares more about With: Birgit Winslow,Geoff Cah9on, money than education? Marion Swerdlow, Luther Douglas

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To the Editor: It is, in addition, interesting to note Questions regarding Bruce Warshavsky's that you say 'The student risks seeing the and world through the assumptions and HELP! June Tollifson's article on :t\merica in the Sixties' in this issue of the methods of his own field, and becomes If you are an aspiring writer, Observer ... a stranger to other views,' blaming this on the Observer could use your talent. the fact that he is only digesting materials You might even learn something. Perhaps, Bruce and June, you should prepared for him in advance.' You claim Drop by the office, in the basement attempt to find out Why you think that, that he is 'in danger of becoming alienated of North Hoffman. as a gross generality, Bard education as from his own interest and unique thought Or call 758-3665. it stands means nothing more than four processe~.' years of midterm papers and final exams. But if this thing happens, don't you think The concept of a professorless, student­ that it must be the student's fault and the run course is an intriguing one, and student's fault only? I mean, if you sit one which I sincerely hope succeeds in there and accept someone else's cud, by rote application. But I question your where is this intellecutal power that you stated motivations. claim is being stifled? If you really have some intellectual curiosity and vivacity, do The possibility that the value of your you think you are in any intellectual danger? education at Bard is to a great extent I would suggest that you think again. up to you should be considered. And before sweeping generalizations are And I would suggest, once again, that you made about the function and value of reexamine the professor's role before you a professor's presence in a class, you condemn him to the role of a cow. Granted, there are poor professors. 'Not to use power as a weapon might attempt to view an instructor as a is to encount­ positive force and see where it gets you. But do you insist that there are no good er it as an obstacle. 1 .. . Perhaps the fact that you don't dig Bard ones here, none that can offer you any­ -Louis Blanc is due to your attitude. thing? This is intellectual arrogance. If your experience at Bard has been a Good luck, really. It can and may be a negative one, couched in the pejorative dynamite course. But it's too bad that you ~erms of midterms and finals, I think it bring such motivations to bear on what rs rather your own tragedy. Certainly it could have genuine relevance. should not be an indictment of the school system. Anita Schnee

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RED HOOK DRUG STORE pl85591 SKIFF fREEt:Euv~ fusion.' Some call the course 'particularly prescription specialists Peter Skiff, Bard's one-man physics disappointing' and' a game of little department, was the subject of a recent consequence.' Others on the faculty complete cosmetic line article in Change magazine. Tom Shacht­ evaluation team were kinder, citing a fanny fartner candy man, a CBS News writer, is the author of 'high level' of student participation in 'Peter Skiff's Quiet Innovation.' The scene class discussion and calling the course is set at Bard, a 'consciously offbeat' old 'stimulating and rigorous.' On the whole private college, whose students 'are inclined the evaluators were complimentary--while to be artsy,' admonishing Skiff to innovate less radically. Skiff has raised the number of physics majors from 2 in 1967 to well over a The faculty critics are not alone. Many dozen this year. He has motivated such stude'nts themselves are bothered by the projects as a 'jerry-built' linear accelerator the seeming lack of direction in Skiff:s and other bits of equipment, and he course, its casual nature and its reliance ~~BOOKSTORr teaches that bane of all students, the on their own involvment. 'An idealistic sells, rents, and repairs required freshman science course (from and unrealistic course which didn't force time to time). me to grasp the fundamentals of all science,' a student critic, while another The way Skiff sees it 'In the first place, commented, 'I quit taking notes because TYPEWfWERS modern physics has shown that most I became too interested.' of classical physics is either wrong, too simple in its explanations, or otherwise Says Shactman, 'Skiff claims no great subject to doubt.' discovery. He makes no assertions that his course methods might succeed Shachtman reports that 'for all Skiff's elsewhere. In fact, he doubts that they imaginative teaching, significant numbers would. His relative success, in his of his faculty colleagues are ideologically particular place with his brand of student, 9-JZ op[Josed to his course. They cite, among is worthy of consideration. Skiff has ~- other complaints, a lack of 'relevant perhaps devised a course which satisfies ,.,..,.....lllnM f#Jsat. ...z.... factual material' and tursory treatment his students' artistic leanings and his own .brrMdf. IO·z,.,. of complex concepts which leads to con- charge of teaching science.'

The June split with SDS between the Bard College SDS, aware of the neccessity tative of Bard SDS, they wrote and to stage 'jailbreaks' in local high schooJs Revolutionai)Youth Movement (RYM) and for effective national action with revolu­ ran off a heavily emotional leaflet. This and to impede the trial of the Conspiracy the Progressive Labour Party-dominated tionary aims, decided to take part in the was distributed to students, who immed­ Eight. Worker-Student Alliance (WSA) was SDS-initiated anti-war actions planned iately associated it with Bard SDS. the result of long-term and serious for mid-October. Hoping to receive After dinner, they attempted to hold a This strategy and tactics met with disagreements between these two groups. both information and inspiration, they rally which was badly handicapped by unanimous disapproval within the WSA supports neither the Vietcony invited representatives of SDS from the lack of a sound system, which had Movement, from the Panthers to RYM II, nor the Black Panthers, claiming both the regional office to Bard. The two, been a victim of sabotage (minutes The feeling there, as well as. at Bard, are 'nationalistic.' RYM, on the other Hettie Heiman, a former Bard student, and before the rally, the adaptor had was that such actions would turn a great hand, supports both, and also considers Jed Provsansky, who attended Goddard, been stolen.) Nevertheless, Jed and number of people off to social change, the Panthers to be the vanguard, or arrived the next afternoon. Hettie made an effort. Hettie spoke sin­ not only fiberals, but working class and leaders of the revolution. cerely and movingly of the 3rd world blacks as well, becuase it did not relect struggle, ending with 'the 3rd world can their needs. Rather than abandon the These differences manifested themselves do it themselves--they can liberate them­ ction totally, these other groups are within local chapters on such crucial selves--but they shouldn't have to.' presently working to transform it into issues as support of black studies The audience heckled her with nihilistic a mass-based action against imperialism. programs and open admissions policies. The Weathermen are characterized by a or pacifistic sentiments. Finally the Loud and angry disagreements not colorful, bold style and the assumption meeting dissolved into many small groups, This week a call to Chicago was issued only turned off potential supporters, that we are very near revolution. They each hot in argument. Hettie invited jointly by the Black Panther Party, the but also kept those already committed see their work as 'building cadre' f9r t his those interested in further discussion Young lords and RYM II. It praises from getting on with the serious business revolution. Their tactics are to into Albee social. About 15 came. the South Vietnamese revolutionaries, of social change. 'create a presence' often by painting up and declares that the war has 'widened buildings •nd walls with slogans, and The second RYM is more concerned with the fissMres of U.S. society, exposing the Thus the desertion of WSA by RYM in to polarize people. They disdain slow, the revolutionary potential of the working imperialist white supremicist character the dingy Chicago Coliseum was not unspectacular base-building and often class. The Weathermen, on the other hand of the U.S. rulers. the death rattle that the establishment refuse to work with local revolutionary believe that the crucial characteristic of heard and its media transmitted. It groups when planning tileir local actions. the American working class is not their Immediately after the visit of the two was a step towards less- wordy, more They are most interested in attracting exploitation but rather the small, short Weathermen, Bard SDS agreed to action-oriented life=styles for both youth, street gangs, high school kids. range benefits which they derive from disaffiliate themsel~es from National SDS, WSA and RYM, both of which persist Typical actions include marching on the imperialist policies which enrich which is under the control of the in calling themselves SDS. crowded beaches or streets with Vietcong white America as a whole. It is these Weathermen. The have renamed flags, or invading high schools, running benefits which shape the working themselves the Radical Student There were not only two SDSs, there through the halls, yelling 'jailbreak' class's complacency towards the system. Caucus. The RSC hopes to orient itself were also two RYMs. But they seemed and disrupting classes. After the towards dealing with the unique situation to be getting along well, thank goodness. initial startling and polarizing move, they Both RYMs are going to Chicago for the which Bard presents. This means it will One ot these RYMs is called The leaflet those involved and rap with them, October 8-11 actions, but they wilt foHow no national organization and Weathermen.!~ other is called simply finding their reactions and trying to act independently. The Weathermen will will decide policy independently on RYM If. The 1\hermen, Mark Rudd's convince them to join them. aim to involve people through the very both local and national issues. followers, con I the national office boldness of their actions and to 'show and several regibnals, including that in Hattie and Jed were 'classic weathermen,' people how to make the revolutiOn.' To New York City. Refusing to consult with any represen- do this, they pN(l, among other things, by marion swerdlow

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