Seth Taylor, Editor-in-Chief

Like most journalists, I’m extremely disinterested in my own story, so I’m going to skip right to what I really want to say, which is thank you. Thank you to everyone who reads The S&B. It’s truly humbling to know that the paper holds a place in so many people’s lives.

Thank you to everyone who worked for The S&B this year and every year. You’re all so fiercely talented, dedicated individuals, and I’m thankful to have worked alongside people who made me and the paper better every single day.

And thank you to everyone who submitted, grudgingly, to one of my interview requests over the last years. I am eternally grateful for your time and your stories.

This was not the senior year I had imagined, but I’m comforted knowing just how important The S&B’s work has been and will continue to be, and it’s been an honor to be a small part of that. Grinnell is such a wonderful place to tell stories. You’ve all got so much to say, and you say it so well. Your passion made my job easy.

Keep reading. Keep writing. Keep being your passionate selves.

Cole voluntarily relinquishes honorary degree

Rep. Tom Cole ’71 has voluntarily relinquished the honorary degree given to him by Grinnell College after Grinnellians spent the last week demanding the College rescind the degree. Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, was one of the 147 members of Congress who objected to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory last week, a move that precipitated a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, incited by Trump himself. Nat Jordan ’21, who circulated a petition asking the College to rescind Cole’s degree, called Cole’s objections to certifying Biden’s victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania “an unforgivable offense” and argued Cole did not deserve the honor the degree bestowed upon him. Jordan’s petition, which has been signed by 2,408 people as of Jan. 13, was delivered to the College on Sunday, Jan. 10.

President Anne Harris had told The S&B that she was working with campus groups to review the honorary degree process and the honorary degree given to Cole in particular. But in a Wednesday email, Harris announced that Cole had called her office and voluntarily relinquished the degree.

As have other Republicans who objected to Biden’s Electoral College victory, Cole maintained that his vote was about alleged voter fraud, saying in a press release that his constituents were “concerned about fairness and transparency” in other states’ election processes and that he wanted to “express their concerns.”

However, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and Republicans like Cole have been accused of tacitly encouraging the insurrection at the Capitol by not dismissing President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the election was stolen.

While Harris stopped short of criticizing Cole by name, she wrote, “The acts of those who supported or otherwise gave credence to a baseless challenge to an election that had been certified as free and fair multiple times by multiple processes have threatened the electoral process and the peaceful transfer of power.”

Harris did not respond when asked if she would like to comment further for this article.

Cole, for his part, has condemned the violence at the Capitol. But he has also criticized attempts to remove Trump from office, suggesting they will only divide the country further. In his long career, Cole has served in numerous leadership positions. A former Oklahoma state senator, Oklahoma Republican Party Chair and Oklahoma Secretary of State, he has represented Oklahoma’s 4th District since 2003. Cole is also one of the few Native Americans in Congress. He was awarded a Doctor of Laws by the College in 2016.

Cole’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

In an interview, Jordan said he was surprised that Cole had voluntarily relinquished the degree but that ultimately he considered it a victory. “I’m just grateful to all the people who signed on to the petition and shared it and put pressure on the College,” he said. “I think that it shows the power of the Grinnell community.”

Grinnellians ask the College to rescind Rep. Tom Cole’s honorary degree after he objects to Biden’s victory

By Seth Taylor [email protected]

Grinnell College community members are asking the College to rescind Rep. Tom Cole’s ’71 honorary degree after he objected to the certification of President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory on Wednesday.

The Oklahoma representative, who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the College in 2016, was one of 139 House Republicans and eight Republican Senators to object to Biden’s victory, a futile attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election that has been condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike.

Nat Jordan ’21, who has spearheaded the effort to rescind Cole’s honorary degree, called Cole’s vote “fundamentally ungrinnellian.”

“It’s a slap in the face to JB Grinnell’s legacy, and it’s brought dishonor to the entire community of Grinnell,” he said.

A petition circulated by Jordan has been signed by 1,690 people as of Jan. 10.

Republicans’ objection to Biden’s victory, which they maintain was about concerns of voter fraud, was part of a last-ditch attempt by President Donald Trump and his supporters to overturn the results of the election, a months-long effort that involved countless unsubstantiated claims and summarily dismissed lawsuits. The effort culminated on Wednesday, when a group of violent Trump supporters, many of whom were brandishing confederate flags and other white supremacist iconography, stormed the Capitol building and forced legislators to seek shelter, temporarily stopping the certification of Biden’s victory.

In the aftermath of the insurrection, five people are dead and many more are wounded. Those who objected to certifying Biden’s Electoral College victory have been blamed for tacitly encouraging those who broke into the Capitol building, and Trump himself may face legal repercussions for inciting the violence.

Cole, who was elected to a tenth term representing Oklahoma’s 4th District with 68% of the vote in November, released a statement condemning the violence. But he still objected to Biden’s victory in the states of Arizona and Pennsylvania once lawmakers returned.

Cole said in a press release prior to the riot that his constituents were “concerned about fairness and transparency” in other states’ election processes and that he would “express their concerns with my vote on the floor today.” There is no evidence of widespread fraud in any states’ elections.

Cole’s office did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

Jordan dismissed the argument that Cole was simply representing the concerns of his constituents, arguing that Cole swore an oath to uphold the constitution, not to cater to the unfounded concerns of his voters. The“ U.S. is a representative democracy for a reason, because the masses can be misinformed, and clearly are misinformed,” said Jordan. “He knows as well as you and I do that the allegations of voter fraud are simply false.”

Jordan notes that in Cole’s speech accepting his honorary degree he told graduates they should look for leaders who prize pragmatism and traditionalism, as well someone who “believes in the institutions of the country, who believes in fair play, who believes in open elections, who believes in the public process.”

Reading that speech the morning after Cole’s vote, Jordan said his jaw dropped.

“If Representative Cole really believes in that image of what a leader should be, then he should resign along with the other Republican congresspeople who voted to disregard the popular will of the people in this country,” Jordan said.

Cole, one of only a handful of Native Americans in Congress, was given his honorary degree in 2016. Before running for Congress, Cole served as an Oklahoma state senator, as chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party and as Oklahoma Secretary of State. In Congress, he served as the chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee during the 2008 cycle.

According to the Grinnell College Faculty Handbook, honorary degrees “recognize and thereby encourage a standard of excellence, which is exemplary to the students for the conduct of their lives” and “promote the reputation of the College as an institution which recognizes and promotes such excellence.”

Honorary degree nominations are recommended by the Grinnell College faculty and approved by the Board of Trustees. There is no established process at Grinnell for rescinding an honorary degree, but other colleges have done it before.

In the wake of high-profile sexual assault cases, figures like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein were stripped of their honorary degrees. And on Friday, Lehigh University rescinded an honorary degree given to Trump in 1988.

In an email to students, President Anne Harris condemned the violence at the Capitol. “Democracy is anything but a static and assured state and we were starkly reminded today of how it can be fractured, and of how much effort and commitment is needed to sustain it,” she wrote, adding, “the work of Grinnell College is the work of democracy.”

Harris has not addressed the petition publicly, but she told The S&B that she was aware of the petition and that she would be researching the issue alongside other groups on campus. She cautioned, however, that any decision the College makes will take time, as it will set precedent for future decisions.

For Jordan, in order for the College to uphold the values articulated in Harris’ email, it must rescind Cole’s honorary degree. “I think that it’s a necessary step for the College if they do truly believe that our core value as Grinnellians is democracy,” he said.

Alexander McLean is not a normal son

Seth Taylor [email protected]

In the early years of Alexander McLean’s life, while he was volunteering at a hospice in Uganda, building a library in Kenya and founding a charity that has now helped thousands of people across four African countries, his father asked him a question: “Why can’t you just be a normal son?”

McLean is still not normal.

He is a Senior TED Fellow, Ashoka Fellow and UK Young Philanthropist of the Year. In 2013 he was named one of TIME’s 30 Under 30 Changing the World and he has appeared in the “Powerlist” of Britain’s most influential people of African and African-Caribbean descent. He is also the most recent winner of The Grinnell College Innovator for Social Justice Prize, officially awarded to him on Friday, Oct. 30.

Despite these accolades, he remains studiously humble. “We have a lot of adventures,” McLean said of the organization he founded at 21, Justice Defenders, in an interview with The S&B.

“There was no grand plan for me, and starting this organization certainly wasn’t part of any plan,” said McLean. “It evolved organically. And that seems to be how my life in this organization is developing.”

Changing points

In a Zoom interview, McLean is dressed neatly in a white button-down shirt. He apologizes when he’s a minute late – “Sorry to keep you waiting” – and leans forward to listen to questions. He takes his time when he speaks, and if he’s thinking particularly hard, he shuts his eyes and continues with them closed.

McLean can’t be neatly categorized. His father is a Jamaican immigrant to the U.K. and his mother was born and raised there. He didn’t grow up with money, yet he found himself at Kingston Grammar School and then the University of Nottingham. He spends time in Africa working with African and in England among the wealthy elite who fund his work. Yet McLean is not African nor has he ever been in prison, and he’s not a natural socialite. McLean exists in somewhat of a middle ground, but he uses this ambiguity to his advantage and sees it as a gift. Photo contributed by Justice Defenders.

This leaves McLean in somewhat of a middle ground. “Typically, when people look at me, they just see me as being other from them,” McLean explained, particularly as a mixed-race person. In the United Kingdom, most people see McLean as Black, he said; in African countries, they see him as white. He remembers that when he first arrived as a volunteer at a Ugandan hospice, a nurse approached him and asked, “Can you give injections? Because the patients love to be injected by a white.”

McLean admitted that navigating this ambiguity can be challenging, but he also sees it as a gift.

“When you’re in such a position, you can choose to see your shared humanity with no one or with everyone,” he said. “And so, I think being mixed race has been a gift to me in terms of helping me make the choice to identify with anyone that I come across.” Early on in life, McLean made the decision to identify with the marginalized. At 18, he traveled to Uganda to volunteer at a hospice. He described the experience of caring for people in the last days of their life as “a changing point” for him.

“I realized I could learn a lot from people who are dying,” he said.

In his Grinnell Prize acceptance speech, McLean recounted caring for one patient who had a particular impact: “I saw a man lying on the floor by the toilet, and he was naked lying on a plastic sheet in a pool of urine. The flesh on his bottom and back was rotten down to the bone, because he didn’t have any money, he didn’t have any relatives, so he got no care,” said McLean. “I ended up spending a number of days trying to wash this man and feed him and advocate for him. And I came one day, and he’d died the night before.”

After the man was carried away to be buried in a mass grave, McLean decided he needed to see where the man had lived before arriving at the hospital: Luzira Prison. What he found there formed a changing point in his life. In 2011, just a few years after McLean’s first visit to Uganda, a Human Rights Watch report detailed disturbing conditions in the Ugandan prison system, including forced labor, violence and rampant disease. Today, the Ugandan prison system is at more than 300 percent capacity, and almost 50 percent of those in prison are pre- trial detainees, meaning they have not been convicted of a .

In Luzira and at like it, McLean described seeing cells that are standing room only, where prisoners are “wedged together like slaves” and where women worry about giving birth on the floor. There was not much McLean could do to address the systemic issues he observed, but there was one area in which he thought he could help: the prison hospital, which was woefully unequipped to care for the prisoners and needed to be refurbished. So, during McLean’s gap year between secondary school and university, he raised money and worked with prisoners and prison officers to refurbish the hospital. In the year after refurbishment, the death rate at the Luzira hospital dropped to 12 from 144 the year before, according to McLean.

I realized I could learn a lot from people who are dying. – Alexander McLean

The next year, he began school at the University of Nottingham, but his work in African prisons continued. During breaks he traveled to Uganda, Kenya and Sierra Leone to continue his outreach. He organized book drives to build and stock prison libraries (a project inspired by the classic movie, The Shawshank Redemption). He gathered friends, family and fellow students to help.

Then came another changing point. During his second year of university, McLean learned he’d been nominated for the U.K. Charity Volunteer of the Year Award. There was just one problem: he needed a charity.

“[We] didn’t have one,” McLean explained. “So, we said, ‘Well, let’s call ourselves the African Prisons Project, because it does what it says on the tin.’ So, we did.”

The next year McLean officially registered the African Prisons Project as a U.K. charity.

Defenders of the defenseless

Since its inception, McLean’s organization (which adopted its new name, Justice Defenders, in 2019) has done a wide range of work. It has helped build libraries, remodel health clinics, run programs and more, always adapting to what is needed most. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Justice Defenders has advocated for prisoners who are “terrified” of the virus spreading inside prisons, McLean said. 23 of Justice Defenders’ students have gained a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of London. Photo contributed by Justice Defenders.

But in recent years Justice Defenders has focused on educating prisoners on the law. McLean trained as a lawyer by correspondence after founding Justice Defenders from Africa and still works as a magistrate in England. In his time working with prisoners, he said he’s come to realize that “rather than making prisons better for those who don’t necessarily need to be in them,” he needed to “go to the root of the problem … and see how we make sure that the defenseless are the defended.”

In partnership with the University of London, as well as other organizations, Justice Defenders helps to train prisoners as lawyers and paralegals, even forming legal offices inside prisons themselves, staffed by prisoners and prison officers. In 2019, Justice Defenders oversaw 327 paralegals working in 39 prisons. Due to Justice Defenders’ work, 23 of its students have gained a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of London, 100,000 people have attended its “legal awareness sessions” and 150 convictions have been overturned. But McLean is careful not to take too much credit for these figures, instead pointing to the prisoners themselves as the arbiters of their success. McLean describes himself as a “servant lawyer” who wants to be “quick to listen, slow to talk.”

“I think the number one lesson I’ve learned now is to get out of the way myself, and actually to let those in prison or from prison do the talking, because they can do so far more eloquently than I can,” McLean said.

At Friday’s award ceremony, McLean accepted the Grinnell Prize “on behalf of the community of prisoners and ex-prisoners, prison officers, lawyers, judges and allies which I serve alongside.” He played video messages from Justice Defenders’ students Hesbon Onyango, Priscilla Cherono and Gibson Makini, who spoke about the challenges of studying in prison as well as the hope they have for the future.

McLean argues that it is imperative that justice systems include the voices of those who “know what it’s like to be beaten by the police, or to have their fingernails pulled in the police station, or to be imprisoned for years without a trial, or to have pepper spray sprayed on them for no reason.” And Justice Defenders aims to do just that.

“That vivid personal experience can lead to determination and perseverance and sense of conviction, which can be very, very powerful,” McLean said.

“The reality is that we’re working with some of the world’s poorest, most vulnerable people,” said McLean. “But we see them getting the highest marks you can get with the University of London, one of the world’s best universities. And I think that the world could do more to celebrate Black academic excellence and Black legal excellence, and I see it before my eyes.” A summer of reflection

The work of celebrating Black excellence has become even more relevant this summer, as high-profile police killings of Black Americans inspired a global resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement. Part of that movement involves putting Black voices front and center and celebrating their work, something McLean said Justice Defenders works hard to do. But he also said that the movement has impacted him personally, not just in the way he views his work, but also in the way he views himself.

“I think as a Brown man leading in these areas, sometimes I’ve had to compromise myself in a way that in the past I felt was inevitable. And now, since George Floyd’s death and conversations around Black Lives Matter, I realized that it doesn’t have to be that way,” said McLean, reflecting in particular on the racism he has endured as a mixed-race leader in primarily white spaces.

I think that the world could do more to celebrate Black academic excellence and Black legal excellence, and I see it before my eyes. – Alexander McLean

McLean recalled a history teacher who refused to back his application to study at Oxford, being asked why he hadn’t joined a gang or become a drug dealer and the time when he was “locked up” by British prison officers because they couldn’t believe he was a magistrate, not a . He spoke of a potential donor to Justice Defenders who at one point turned to McLean and said, “You know, the thing about you third world people is you always think you’re much better than you actually are.”

“I guess I’m pretty good at biting my tongue,” McLean remembered, grimacing.

But this summer’s racial reckoning has prompted McLean to have conversations with Black and Brown leaders in his field. Those conversations have given him hope. “It’s been, for me, very powerful speaking to other Brown and Black men and women leaders about how we’re shifting in our perceptions of ourselves and what’s possible and what change looks like,” McLean said.

The Grinnell Prize selection committee decided to award McLean the Prize in April, well before systemic racism took centerstage in the United States, but now that it has, McLean’s win takes on greater significance. But even as Grinnell awards the Grinnell Prize to an advocate for prison reform, the College has not officially addressed its practice of buying furniture from Iowa Prison Industries, a company that pays prisoners well below minimum wage for their labor. That’s a practice many students argue is akin to modern , especially as the prison population inIowa is disproportionately Black, and they want the College to forgo any future purchases.

McLean did not directly weigh in on the issue, saying, “The conversations that are taking place at Grinnell are important ones. I think the questions that are being asked are right.”

McLean did note the importance of gaining skills and knowledge in prison, as well as how important having a purpose and the chance to interact with others is, both in terms of reducing recidivism and improving wellbeing. But he also maintained that “when prisoners are being used to create items for sale, I think it’s important they’re treated fairly, and they’re given pay.”

It’s been, for me, very powerful speaking to other Brown and Black men and women leaders about how we’re shifting in our perceptions of ourselves and what’s possible and what change looks like. – Alexander McLean

McLean didn’t mince words when addressing the United States’ criminal justice system as a whole: “I don’t see anything around the world that’s as intentionally brutalizing as the American justice system,” McLean said. “Heartbreaking doesn’t really do it justice. I can’t get my head around how a country can spend so much money designing a justice system which inflicts so much pain and does so much damage.”

For McLean, developed countries such as the United States have a lot to learn from developing countries.

“What does it look like for development to go from poor countries to wealthy countries?” asked McLean. “Because actually, sometimes in places of great material poverty there’s tremendous innovation and resourcefulness, creativity and intellectual potential, which could have value in much wealthier countries.”

Work with no end

When asked about the future of Justice Defenders, McLean responds with a fervor that reveals his passion for his work hasn’t dissipated.

By 2030, Justice Defenders aims to help one million people get fair hearings. Photo contributed by Justice Defenders.

By 2030, Justice Defenders’ goal is to help one million people get fair hearings, but McLean doesn’t think those one million will be limited to African prisoners. He speaks passionately of expanding Justice Defenders’ work across the globe, in developing countries and in developed ones — in prisons, yes, but also in refugee camps and homeless shelters and brothels.

“Surely there must also be legal brains that can move mountains in those communities if given the chance,” McLean asserted. And during Friday’s ceremony, he said that being awarded the Grinnell Prize prompted him to think, “Now is the time to dream again.”

His dreams are lofty, and the work will be difficult, but McLean doesn’t shy away from it. He views the work as an almost religious calling, noting soberly that his name, Alexander, means “defender of men.” And in describing his commitment to the work of “defending the defenseless,” he paraphrases a passage from 2 Thessalonians 3:13: “We mustn’t get tired of doing work that has no end,” he said. “And I think that working for justice is endless work.”

After all the years McLean has been doing this work, he’s still not tired. And he’s still not normal. Poweshiek county voters lend their support to Trump, Ernst in crucial federal elections

By Seth Taylor [email protected]

Poweshiek County voters threw their support behind President Donald Trump in Tuesday’s election, with 56% of voters supporting him over former Vice President Joe Biden, according to unofficial results.

Trump currently leads in Iowa with 99% of precincts reporting. Recent polls have shown Trump with an edge in the state, but Biden had been seen as a competitor.

Iowa is not a must-win state for either of the two men, but Iowa’s six electoral college votes would still help them obtain the requisite 270 votes they need to win. With that in mind, and with their eyes on Iowa’s competitive U.S. Senate race, both Trump and Biden visited Iowa last week to energize supporters before election day.

On Friday, Biden made his first appearance in Iowa since the caucuses, campaigning in Des Moines. He highlighted Iowa’s surging COVID-19 numbers as evidence of Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic. And, as he has done throughout the campaign, he cast the election as a “battle for the soul of our nation.”

That characterization rang true for some Grinnell voters. 27- year old Jacob Ferguson, a Grinnell College employee, said he voted for Joe Biden. “It’s just about character, … who we are as a state and as a country,” he said.

Trump, on the other hand, argued Biden would turn America into a “socialist nation” at a rally in Dubuque on Sunday, while also claiming without evidence that a coronavirus vaccine would be available within weeks.

On Monday, Poweshiek County Republicans held a “Trump Parade” to demonstrate their support for the president. Poweshiek County Republicans Co-Chair Tom Cooper said there was “no question” that Trump would win the election. “Trump has got this thing in the bag,” he said.

Trump won Iowa handily in 2016 – the first Republican to do so since 2004. And Poweshiek County voters supported Trump over Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton then as well, 50% to 43%. In Grinnell, however, Trump won only 32% of the vote to Clinton’s 61%.

Nationally, the race remains too close to call, and it may be days before Americans know the results. Trump claimed a major victory in Florida early in the night, but he still hasn’t reached the 270-vote threshold, and Biden remains in the hunt. While the presidential election was top of mind for many Poweshiek County voters, Iowa’s U.S. Senate race was considered crucial in determining who will control the Senate come January. Democrats need to pick up four seats to obtain the majority, and Democrat Theresa Greenfield, a real estate executive who has not held elected office before, has given incumbent Republican Joni Ernst a tough fight.

At the end of the night, however, Ernst looks like she’s pulled ahead, and multiple outlets have called the election in her favor, with a 6.6 point lead over Greenfield, according to unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State.

In Poweshiek County, Ernst garnered 53% of the vote to Greenfield’s 44%. Those numbers are similar to Ernst’s margin of victory during her first election in 2014, when she narrowly beat out Democrat Bruce Braley to win Poweshiek County 49% to 46%.

Also on the ballot was the race for Iowa’s First District U.S. House seat between Democrat Abby Finkenauer and Republican Ashley Hinson. Finkenauer, fighting to return to Washington after her first term, was defeated on Tuesday night in a surprise victory by Hinson, 51.3% to 48.7%, according to unofficial results.

In 2018, Finkenauer lost Poweshiek County by less than 100 votes. This time, she lost by almost 1,000.

Nadia Langley contributed reporting.

Local partners launch Mask Up Grinnell campaign

By Seth Taylor [email protected]

A coalition of local partners unveiled a new campaign encouraging Grinnell residents to wear face masks this week. The campaign, “Mask Up Grinnell,” casts wearing a mask as a simple but necessary step to get Grinnellians back to their normal activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sponsors of Mask Up Grinnell include Brownells, the Claude W. & Dolly Ahrens Foundation, the City of Grinnell, the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce, Grinnell College, Grinnell Mutual, the Grinnell-Newburg School District and the Poweshiek County Department of Public Health.

According to Katy Wells, owner of Double You Marketing and the consultant behind Mask Up Grinnell, the campaign intends to normalize wearing a mask.

“It’s something that is truly something easy to do that hopefully people will kind of get on board and support each other for,” said Wells.

Mask Up Grinnell goes beyond simply encouraging residents to wear a mask, though. Masks adorned with the campaign’s logo are available for purchase at maskupgrinnell.com. Individuals can buy them for personal use, or Grinnell businesses can buy them for their employees or to offer to customers. If ordered between now and September 4, the masks will be offered at wholesale prices.

Local businesses can also obtain pro-mask signage, such as posters, yard signs and window clings, from the campaign. “Thank you for masking up so we can stay open,” reads one yard sign for sale on the website.

The campaign’s launch comes as many students across Iowa – including in Grinnell – return toin-person classes. The return of students also brings with it fears of another spike of COVID-19 – and with it another economic shutdown.

Since Aug. 18, Iowa’s COVID-19 positivity rate has risen from 10% to 11.5%, according to the Grinnell College COVID-19 Dashboard. In Poweshiek County, the case positivity rate is 11.6% as of Aug. 25. According to the World Health Organization, positivity rates above 5% are cause for concern.

Public health officials recommend wearing masks as the number one step individuals can take to stop the spread of COVID-19, in addition to washing your hands and social distancing. But while most Americans support wearing a face mask in public, in some quarters the issue has become political.

In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds has declined to issue a statewide mask mandate despite public health officials’ recommendations and repeated requests from organizations across the state. Reynolds also insists that local governments don’t have the authority to issue a mask mandate on their own, but some Iowa cities have defied Reynolds and issued mandates anyway.

Masks like this one will be available to purchase from the campaign at wholesale prices. Photo contributed by Mask Up Grinnell.

In a press release announcing the campaign, Grinnell Mayor Dan Agnew noted that Grinnell does not intend to enact a local mask mandate, but he offered his support for the Mask Up Grinnell campaign. “We do want to encourage wearing masks as a way to get us back to our everyday activities,” Agnew said.

Wells acknowledged that the politicization of wearing a mask makes it much more difficult to normalize, but said she still thinks that “if we can just focus on the fact that we’re trying to do this for each other and for the community, that kind of [partisan divide] disappears.”

Wells added that a key aspect of the campaign is inclusivity, so that Grinnell residents don’t feel alone when they walk into a local business wearing a mask.

That intention is evident in the campaign’s promotional material and in the sheer breadth of support behind Mask Up Grinnell.

The campaign’s website includes testimonials from a range of public figures, including Pagliai’s owner Joey Pagliai, Brownell’s CEO Pete Brownell and Chief of Police Dennis Reilly.

Wells also emphasized that while the target of the campaign is those who are not wearing masks, “We’re not the mask police by any means. We’re not going to go around and say, ‘You’re not wearing a mask!’ or ‘You’re a bad person!’ … We just hope it’ll be a kind of friendly reminder.” Zoernig resigns as VPSA following “Jungle Harris” criticism amidst calls to address racism in SGA

SGA Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA) Amelia Zoernig ’21 resigned on Friday, July 3, after she was criticized in a post on the Instagram account @gcbipoc for approving a jungle- themed Harris party in her capacity as All-Campus Events Chair last fall. That criticism identified the jungle theme as racist, and a growing number of students called for Zoernig, who is white, to step down following the initial post, dated June 28.

Zoernig officially submitted a letter of resignation to the SGA Cabinet on Friday, July 3. The letter was made public on July 5.

The SGA Constitution specifies that a special election should be held to replace Zoernig as VPSA. However, due to the ongoing revision of the Constitution as well as a lack of election infrastructure due to hiring issues, that probably won’t happen – SGA President Lana Katai ’21 said holding an election is “just not possible” at this time. That leaves the decision of who will replace Zoernig up to the SGA Cabinet for now.

Zoernig’s resignation comes as the U.S. faces a nationwide reckoning over systemic racism and as many Grinnell students accuse faculty, staff and students of not doing enough to confront anti-Blackness within the College.

“It just shouldn’t have happened,” said Katai, who was abroad at the time of the Harris’ approval. “As a Black woman, I heard that and I was like, ‘Oh, no, no, no. We don’t do that.’”

I think we should be focusing on who is in these positions and what fundamental oversight they have that permits for these things to happen. – Lana Katai

But Katai also said that focusing too much on the specifics of the incident “is not helping anyone in the long run.” Instead, students – white students in particular – should be focused on the systemic failings that allowed the event to be approved in the first place, she said.

“I think we should be focusing on who is in these positions and what fundamental oversight they have that permits for these things to happen,” said Katai. “The institution itself [both SGA and Grinnell College] is so deeply flawed that it is very often left to the students of color to do the work.”

Zoernig’s resignation was brought about by a post on the recently formed Amplify BIPOC Instagram account (@gcbipoc), created as a space for Grinnell BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) students to share personal experiences at the College. The page is run by an anonymous student and has over 500 followers.

The initial post about the incident recounted how the All- Campus Events Committee, chaired at the time by Zoernig, had approved the women’s tennis team’s plan to host a jungle- themed Harris party. The team’s budget proposal, presented by Ali Hickey and Abby Nielsen, both `21, included a pack of inflatable monkeys to be used as decorations.

Monkeys in particular have been used in racist rhetoric in the U.S. to portray Black people as inferior, and the media’s use of jungle tropes also has a racist history.

Raven McClendon ’22 submitted the June 28 Instagram post. She was a LaKeRoJe Senator in 2019 and the only Black student on the committee of three that approved the jungle theme. Zoernig and then-VPSA Saketan Anand `21 approved the event, and while McClendon initially voted with them for approval, she said she was uncomfortable with the theme throughout the process. Following discussions with other Black peers, she decided to tell Zoernig she was concerned the party was racist. Raven McClendon ’22 submitted her testimony of Zoernig’s actions to the Instagram page @gcbipoc.

In response to McClendon’s concerns, Zoernig – in coordination with the women’s tennis team – removed the monkey decorations and changed the theme from Jungle Harris to Rainforest Rave. The Harris proceeded with the new rebranding. But McClendon says it wasn’t enough.

Instead, McClendon said the women’s tennis team shouldn’t have been “rewarded with an event.” Rather, the Harris should have been canceled or hosted by another group.

“They weren’t thinking of anyone other than themselves,” McClendon said of the women’s tennis team, accusing them of failing to consider how their event would impact Black students. “This is an all-campus event, and I do think you should be thinking about the entire campus.”

Katai also said that the event should not have gone forward. And in her resignation letter, Zoernig wrote that the “compromise” she instituted amounted to “whitewashing” the event rather than holding the women’s tennis team accountable.

Members of the women’s tennis team have since made personal apologies, and in email to The S&B they wrote that the team has “no business hosting public events” after proposing the jungle theme. They wrote that they are committed to educating themselves and listening to BIPOC voices, as well as “supporting anti-racist causes on campus and beyond.”

If you have caused another person harm and they tell you, ‘This is how you can fix that harm,’ the thing you can do is take their word for it. – Amelia Zoernig

In the post, McClendon also demanded that Zoernig resign. 17 students commented on McClendon’s post to ask that Zoernig step down as well. Later posts on @gcbipoc and other social media platforms also asked Zoernig to resign.

“If you have caused another person harm and they tell you, ‘This is how you can fix that harm,’ the thing you can do is take their word for it,” said Zoernig in an interview with The S&B. “I truly hope that my resignation is restorative and meaningful to the individuals that I caused harm.”

Katai agreed that resigning was the right thing for Zoernig to do.

But for McClendon, Zoernig’s resignation is just the beginning of her no-holds-barred approach to dismantling SGA, an organization she described in no uncertain terms as “anti- Black.” For her, it’s time to “scrap it and start over.”

“I think that we can have a student government that is uniquely Grinnell … instead of modeling our government off of a white man’s government that says we can’t talk a certain way and wants to police our tone,” she said.

McClendon referenced the use of Robert’s Rules of Order, parliamentary standards established in the 19th century to regulate deliberation within assemblies, as an example of tone policing within SGA. She said that the Rules exclude those who use vernacular English variants that have been traditionally considered “incorrect” by white institutional authorities.

The use of Robert’s Rules is just one example of many in which McClendon says SGA fails to be an inclusive space.

Lana Katai ’21, the current SGA president, “absolutely” wants to see the overhaul of SGA, but cautioned against large-scale change in a pandemic.

Katai agreed that SGA perpetuates anti-Blackness, saying she has experienced it herself. And she concurred that SGA needs to be reformed, noting that one “immediate change” that could be instituted is ensuring “there is literal representation of students in the elected leadership,” especially for international students who are “not participating with SGA in a way that is representative to them,” she said.

But while Katai said that she “absolutely” wants to see the overhaul of SGA, she also cautioned that it may be difficult to embark on large-scale change amid a pandemic. “I don’t know if in this pandemic that can happen in a way that doesn’t compromise student voices,” she said. “I still think that [SGA] has the capacity to streamline information that students need and to represent voices in conversations that need to happen.”

For McClendon, it’s that kind of hesitation that hinders change. “I will never say that the solution to change is pausing it. … Especially when the time is now. Yeah, there’s a pandemic, but what else the hell is going on? We see all these fucking protests happening during this pandemic. Life is not stopping for us. … We can do an overhaul. We really can.”

One thing that McClendon, Katai and Zoernig agree on is the need for white students to take point in confronting anti- Blackness on campus, rather than relying on students of color to do that work.

“I think it’s really high time that Grinnell College non- people of color wake up to the fact that they are all so complicit in the narratives that we love to analyze in class,” Katai said. Schuster, Driscoll win primary races for state senate

Voters chose Democrat Ivy Schuster and Republican Dawn Driscoll to face off in the general election for the District 38 State Senate seat in Tuesday’s primary. Schuster and Driscoll will be competing to replace Senator Tim Kapucian, who announced last year that he would not be seeking reelection.

Kapucian, a Republican, has held the seat since 2008.

On the Democratic side, Schuster won definitively, defeating Alvin Aragon with 83 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

On the Republican side, Driscoll defeated Garrett Dozark and Bruce Adams. Driscoll received 46 percent of the vote, with Dozark receiving 35 percent and Adams receiving 19 percent. In Poweshiek County, however, Driscoll and Dozark were neck and neck, with 455 and 461 votes, respectively.

The results released by the Poweshiek, Benton and Iowa County auditors Tuesday night are unofficial, and they may be subject to minor changes as ballots continue to be counted.

Schuster, who works at Grinnell College as a training specialist with Information Technology Services, told The S&B in a February interview that her campaign will prioritize women’s issues as well as affordable childcare.

Driscoll, from Williamsburg, Iowa, is a farmer and the current Iowa County Farm Bureau President. She has campaigned on ensuring safe drinking water for Iowans and shoring up the state’s mental health care system. She also argues that loosening work requirements across the state would encourage economic growth.

Past results indicate that Democrat Schuster will have an uphill climb to defeat Republican candidate Driscoll in the general election; Kapucian won the seat by nearly 26 percent in 2016.

Schuster and Driscoll weren’t the only winners on Tuesday night, though.

In the most closely watched race in Iowa, four Democrats vied for the chance to take on Senator Joni Ernst in the general election. Theresa Greenfield, who had been heavily favored to win, defeated her challengers with a comfortable 48 percent of the vote. The next closest candidate, Admiral Mike Franken, collected 25 percent. In Poweshiek County, Greenfield won 52 percent of the vote.

Greenfield’s campaign has been endorsed by national organizations including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the progressive women’s organization EMILY’s List, as well as a slew of prominent Iowa Democrats.

Whoever wins Iowa’s Senate seat will help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Last month, analyst newsletter The Cook Political Report changed its rating of the race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.”

In the first Congressional District, Republican Ashley Hinson defeated Thomas Hansen and will now challenge first-term Democratic Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer in the general election. The race is rated as a toss“ up” by The Cook Political Report.

Other primary races in Poweshiek County were uncontested. State Representative David Maxwell will face Democratic challenger Sarah Smith in the general election, as well as Kamal Hammouda, who is running as an independent.

Incumbent county supervisor Diana Dawley, a Democrat, will face Republican Kelly Bryan.

Poweshiek County Auditor Missy Eilander, a Republican, went unchallenged in the primary and will remain unchallenged in the general. Democratic Sheriff Thomas Kriegel also faced no challengers in the primary and will face none in the general.

Giani Angel Chavez

Giani Angel Chavez is a studio art major and a computer science major, but it’s no secret which discipline he prefers.

“Why would I spend all my time doing computer science just to make money?” he asked. “That’s not what I want to do with my life. … You’re just profiting off of everything.”

Yet when Chavez graduates in May, he will move to Boston to work as a software engineer at Wellington Management, one of the world’s largest private investment management firms.

“I’m a hypocrite,” Chavez said, half-laughing, half-grimacing over the phone.

Chavez describes taking the job at Wellington — as well as his pursuit of computer science as a major — as a “practical,” “realistic,” and “tactical” decision to ensure he can support himself while pursuing his real passion, art.

It’s a decision that reflects the grim reality faced by many of this year’s graduates — especially amid the current crisis — a reality that defies every feel-good, coming of age flic about following your dreams no matter what. It’s also a decision informed by his own life experiences.

“Computer science has given me a financial safety net that I feel like I have not had in my life,” Chavez said, speaking as both a first-generation student and the child of immigrants.

To be clear, Chavez doesn’t revile all of computer science. In addition to being a financial safety net, Chavez said computer science has also helped to ground him. “It really changed me, grounded me more. I felt like I was more of a dreamer [before],” he said.

And the field is not devoid of creativity, either, according to Chavez. He compared the creativity of art with the creativity of the problem solving central to computer science. He enjoys working with user interfaces and website design, and in this way, he can mesh his skills and his passion for art with his work as a software engineer.

But asked how his work as a computer scientist affects his artistry, he was quick to separate them. “I take joy from art in different ways than I do from computer science. Mixing them together would take the joy out of art,” he said.

While he’s following a career in computer science, Chavez will continue to make art. It’s clear that art is his priority, not only academically and professionally, but personally. Art gives Chavez a way to explore his own complex character and identity in ways that computer science cannot — in ways that most academic fields cannot.

In a Grinnell figure-drawing class, Chavez crafted a zine that explores the homoeroticism of volleyball, a work he cited as his favorite created at Grinnell. “I hadn’t made anything that outwardly said that I was gay, and I was like, ‘I don’t really need to tell people that I’m gay,’ but I’m also like, ‘This is pretty cool,’” he said.

The zine, titled “Volley Boys: Volume I,” follows the story of a player and a coach in a sexual relationship.

“It was half volleyball, half porn,” said Chavez, describing the zine. “I found pictures of … models in pornography in different positions and then I would draw them and make them look like they were playing volleyball.”

“It’s very artfully done, and it’s not super inappropriate,” he said, quick to clarify. “There’s maybe two, three penises. A bunch of butts.”

Chavez also explores his heritage with his art. Featured in his February exhibition in Smith Gallery, “Gloria and Guillermo” is a series of photos of his parents in Los Angeles in the 1970s. In a previous interview, Chavez told The S&B, “Creating this piece was almost like the process of creating memories with people I don’t know, … because even though they are my parents, I have no relation to the figures in the photographs.”

Through his art, Chavez hopes to “regain what I have lost” when his parents emigrated from Mexico to the United States.

At Grinnell, Chavez was an active member of the Student Organization of Latinxs (SOL), serving twice as a cabinet member.

“The friendships and all of the stuff that happened there are honestly some of my favorite memories of Grinnell, just because it was so much fun working together, … bringing a part of our culture here. … The energy that we felt at those events is an energy that Grinnell doesn’t always have.”

As a cabinet member, Chavez said that he tried to change “the way people think about us, people who look like me, people of color.” But he also said that SOL’s work centered around its members celebrating themselves — for no one but themselves.

In campus life and in classes, Chavez was acutely aware that he was in the minority. When that changed for a semester in a class on Caribbean Art, Chavez took notice. “That class was all people of color. And I was like, “Wow. This is the first time that I’ve ever experienced this, and it feels great.’”

Asked what he would do to improve Grinnell, he said, “I just wish Grinnell would bring more people of color here.”

Reflecting on the last four years, Chavez resisted the pull of regret so easily acquiesced to, especially as his last semester was cut short by COVID-19.

“Yeah, this happened, but also: I’m still graduating. I still have all the stuff I did before this happened. … Maybe I lost something, but I feel like in the end it was just maybe a couple months of a three and a half-year thing. I feel like I’m still pretty proud of everything I’ve done.”

“Condescending,” “aggressive,” “entitled:” Biden makes few friends in Grinnell By Seth Taylor [email protected]

Joe Biden has tried to cast Elizabeth Warren as “elitist” and “condescending.” After Biden’s CNN town hall on Monday, though, some of those in attendance felt that Biden was the more condescending candidate.

Julia Echikson ’20, who knows she will caucus but not yet who for, recounted a particularly galling interaction—especially for an undecided voter.

According to Echikson, after she expressed dissatisfaction with his answer to a question on Ukraine, “He kind of took my hands and he was like, ‘There’s nothing I can say that’s going to make you change your mind.’”

“That interaction kind of pissed me off, because it was a little patronizing,” Echikson said. “I still don’t think that’s the way a presidential candidate should act.” In interviews with The S&B, students and faculty who attended the town hall used words like “condescending,” “aggressive” and “entitled” to describe Biden’s performance.

The town hall—which was held in Roberts Theatre—came as Biden has fallen to fourth in Iowa in multiple polls. At the same time, Elizabeth Warren has gained traction, and competition between the two has escalated, with Biden assailing Warren’s approach as “my way or the highway.”

Biden links this approach to Warren’s unyielding support for Medicare For All, which would eliminate private insurance in favor of a public system that would “put $11 trillion back in the hands of hard-working American people,” she told The S&B last week. Her campaign estimates the plan would cost $21.5 trillion in new federal spending over ten years.

Biden opposes Warren’s plan, instead proposing that Democrats build on the Affordable Care Act. Biden’s campaign says his plan will cost $750 billion over the next decade, but it will also leave around 3 percent of Americans without government insurance.

In regards to a question from Assistant Professor Joshua Marshack, anthropology, on health care, Biden took the opportunity to criticize Warren. “We have to be honest with the public. Bernie’s been honest,” Biden said, implicitly attacking Warren for not being honest about how she would pay for Medicare for All.

Warren has released a detailed plan—but only after sustained criticism that she refused to answer questions about whether or not she would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for Medicare For All (according to her plan, she will not).

During the town hall Biden said multiple times, “It’s not about [Warren]. It’s about the attitude that exists right now,” which, according to Biden, Warren adopts. He characterized that attitude as, “If you disagree with me, you must be bad,” and “I know more than you, let me tell you what to do.’”

But for Marshack, Biden was the candidate adopting that attitude. Marshack is a strong supporter of Bernie Sanders, and he intends to caucus for Sanders in February.

During a break, the Vice President stepped into the audience to speak with Marshack about his question, and Marshack said their exchange wasn’t entirely enjoyable. “I was a little star struck, particularly when he sort of jumped down at me. … I felt like he was trying to win me over, or kind of beat me into submission—maybe a little bit of both,” Marshack said.

Marshack described Biden as “condescending,” “arrogant” and “manipulative,” but he clarified that he doesn’t believe Biden is a bad person. “I think he means well. I think he’s probably a decent guy,” Marshack said.

Declan O’Reilly ’21, who asked Biden to compare modern events with the events of Watergate, said he’s leaning towards supporting Biden, but he’s not sure if he’s going to caucus.

O’Reilly agreed that Biden was “aggressive in getting his point across,” but he was skeptical when asked if Biden was condescending. “I didn’t feel like he was very condescending, but I wasn’t talking to him personally.”

O’Reilly also noted that he was “surprised” students were so confrontational when approaching Biden. “Four years ago, I don’t think any one of those students would have considered yelling at him in the way that they did,” O’Reilly said.

Multiple students approached Biden after the cameras stopped rolling to challenge the former Vice President.

Keir Hichens ’22 asked Biden about his climate change plan, intimating that it amounted to “compromise.”

“It’s not compromise!” Biden responded during a lengthy exchange, his voice rising.

Hichens described the encounter as “pretty intimidating,” and said he sensed an element of “entitlement” in Biden’s responses. “He seems to think that he’s done all the right things, [so] why are all these young people asking me hard questions?” Hichens said.

Mariyah Jahangiri ‘20, who volunteers for the Warren campaign, also confronted Biden. She said her support for Warren had nothing to do with why she decided to attend the town hall.

Jahangiri asked Biden how he was planning “to reverse the impacts of the 1994 crime bill,” which she said, “caused mass incarceration.”

Biden responded to Jahangiri by telling her that at the time the bill passed, every “major black mayor and mayor in the country said we had to respond” to rising rates of violent crime.

“That’s not true,” Jahangiri said.

“Kiddo, where do you go to school?” Biden then asked.

The 1994 bill, which Biden was a key supporter of, was one of many “tough-on-crime” bills enacted during the 80s and 90s. That wave of legislation led to increased incarceration and disproportionately affected minority communities.

A New York Times article on Biden’s support for the crime bill notes that African American mayors in Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Cleveland and Detroit supported the bill. Other leaders of the African American community, such as Jesse Jackson, were bitterly opposed.

Jahangiri told The S&B she wasn’t surprised Biden used “patronizing” language.

“It’s clear he doesn’t know how to interact with young women, … young women of color especially,” she said.

Despite Biden’s previous apologies for his role in the passage of the 1994 bill and others like it—as well as his support for criminal justice reform—Jahangiri said he needed to go further. She also argued that policies like these reflect poorly on his character.

“I think it’s interesting that people disassociate people’s politics [from] their personhood so much. I think it’s not detached,” Jahangiri said.

Still, others expressed a belief that Biden was, in the end, “a good person.”

“I think that he’s a good person,” Hichens said. “I think that he believes that he’s a good person. And I don’t think that he believes that any of the real, substantive things that he’s done were wrong.”

“I think he’s a fine person,” agreed Echikson. “Even if you disagree with someone, it doesn’t make them evil.”

Biden faces protestors, questions on veterans, health care Protesters chanted “2050 is too late, climate chaos is our fate,” at Biden’s event on campus Monday night. Photo by Andrew Tucker. By Seth Taylor [email protected]

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was briefly interrupted by students protesting climate change during a CNN town hall hosted by the College on Monday night.

“2050 is too late, climate chaos is our fate,” chanted several students scattered across the audience as Biden answered a question on how to address climate change from Amelia Zoernig ’21.

The interruption lasted only a few seconds, with host Erin Burnett telling the protestors, “We appreciate your passion, but please respect the Vice President and our town hall.” Biden stood silently as the protestors were led out of Roberts Theatre.

After the event, more students confronted Biden about his plans to address climate change, leading to a testy exchange.

In the course of the CNN town hall, the former Vice President addressed veteran’s issues, impeachment and health care. He also doubled down on criticism of Senator Elizabeth Warren.

It was Veterans Day on Monday, and the town hall began with several questions pertaining to veterans and the military.

“We owe [veterans] big. … We only have one sacred obligation—and that’s not hyperbole—one sacred obligation in government: to protect those that we send to war, to equip them when they come home and to make sure they have everything they’re entitled to,” said Biden in response to a question about how to best care for veterans once they have returned.

Biden also told the audience that he did not support “large numbers of combat troops conducting wars.” However, he maintained that it was still necessary for troops to be stationed across the world as a tactic to deter hostile forces from hurting US allies. “[Troops] act as a sign saying, ‘Not here. The United States is here,’” Biden said.

Another hot topic was the looming impeachment inquiry. Biden argued that the White House’s unfounded allegations that Biden and his son Hunter were improperly involved with a Ukrainian oil company were simply a distraction from the central issue: “We have a president who is one of the most corrupt people to serve in that office,” he said.

Biden also said in no uncertain terms that Donald Trump should be removed from office, and he said that he believes Republicans will eventually support Trump’s removal. “If the case is made as strongly as it’s being made in my view … you’re going to find those areas that are independent and Republican areas saying, ‘Woah. We gotta do something here,’” Biden said. He told the audience that Republican Senators would do what their constituencies wanted when it was time to vote on the removal of President Trump.

The town hall came as Biden has fallen to fourth in Iowa behind Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, according to a recent poll from Quinnipiac University, and competition between Biden and Warren—who visited Grinnell last week—has escalated, with Biden assailing Warren’s approach as “elitist” and “condescending.”

He has specifically linked this alleged condescension to Warren’s staunch stance on Medicare For All, which Biden opposes. He instead proposes that Democrats build on the Affordable Care Act, arguing his is a more expedient and efficient policy.

In regards to a question from Associate Professor Joshua Marshack, anthropology, on health care, Biden said, “First and foremost … we have to be honest with the public. Bernie’s been honest,” said Biden, implicitly attacking Warren as he has done before for not being honest about her plan for Medicare For All. Warren recently released a detailed plan, but only after sustained criticism that she has been evasive in answering questions about whether or not she will raise taxes on the middle class to pay for Medicare For All (according to her plan, she will not).

Throughout the town hall, Biden tried to walk the line between not personally attacking Warren and still criticizing her approach. He said multiple times, “It’s not about her. It’s about the attitude that exists right now” and characterized that attitude as “If you disagree with me, you must be bad.” and “I know more than you, let me tell you what to do.’”

In a recent Medium Post that Biden wrote after Warren suggested Biden may be “running in the wrong primary,” Biden wrote that “Some call it the “my way or the highway” approach to politics. But it’s worse than that. It’s condescending to the millions of Democrats who have a different view.” He did not mention Warren by name, but his meaning was clear.

Biden ended the town hall by questioning the idea that his policies are too moderate for the country, an accusation leveled at him by more liberal candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

“My proposals on education, climate change, health care, are as radical and change-driven as anybody else’s plan,” said Biden. “I love this thing about, ‘Well, Biden’s the moderate.’ Tell me, if tomorrow I was able to change the system like I’m calling [for], what do you think history will write? Was it a moderate change? I don’t think so.”

Reporting contributed by Abraham Teuber. Find Abraham’s real- time coverage of the CNN Town Hall on Twitter here. Grinnell to host Joe Biden and Tom Steyer for CNN town halls By Seth Taylor [email protected]

The College will host two separate CNN town halls next week with Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Tom Steyer.

The town halls will be held on back-to-back nights on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. Steyer’s town hall will be first, while Biden’s will follow on Monday. Both will be held in Roberts Theater.

According to Professor Barb Trish, political science, who was privy to some of the organization of the event, students may notice quite a bit of increased activity as CNN begins preparation for the town halls throughout the week.

“We’ll probably all feel the presence of CNN, and I know that the College is alive to try to keep at a minimum the disruption this poses for the day-to-day operations of the College. First and foremost, we don’t want to disrupt classes and academic activity.”

For Eli Shapiro ’22, classes are a secondary concern. When first learning of the event, Shapiro said, “Oh shit! … Fuck classes. Sorry for using that profanity twice, but I’m all for the CNN town hall. I will be there. I will do what I can to participate in this historic event.”

Annie Estes ’22 also expressed excitement when learning of the event. “I think it’s exciting that they are coming to this campus. I think it’s exciting regardless of who the candidate is.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden leads the field nationally with 28 percent of the vote, according to a recent ABC News and Washington Post poll. But in Iowa, Biden sits in fourth behind Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, according to a New York Times and Siena College poll of the state.

Tom Steyer, a California businessman who made his name by using millions of his own fortune to fund a “Need to Impeach” campaign against Donald Trump, currently sits at 2% in Iowa, according to the same poll.

Grace Duffy ’22 said she was excited about the town halls as well–but only if she has the opportunity to go. “I wish that it would be more like a typical town hall where it was open to everyone,” she said.

While the town hall will not be open to the public, there will be opportunities for students to attend the event, according to Trish. Students will have the opportunity to submit a question to CNN, and if their question is selected they will be given a ticket. While Trish could not confirm that students without a question may be able to attend the event, she suggested it was a possibility. “It’s pretty much out of the hands of the College, but [CNN] has a process that makes sense to me,” said Trish.

Asked if he’d be interested in asking either of the candidates a question, Shapiro responded, “Oh fuck yes!”

Beyond actually participating in the town halls, Trish said she sees value in observing the activity around them as well. “It’s something we don’t get to see very often—how this world works. Even if we’re just sort of a fly on the wall, looking at how these people go about doing their jobs, how news gets produced—I think it’s really a neat thing for us to be able to see.”

UPDATE (11/12/19): The CNN Town Hall featuring Joe Biden was interrupted by climate protesters. Read News Editor Seth Taylor’s recap of the event here, or read about the protests and what happened after the cameras stopped rolling. And check out Arts Editor Abraham Teuber’s live coverage of the event on Twitter here.