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The Quilfor6ion
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John Ladd's Letter
In the Letter to the Editor titled "Ladd
Cites Student Frustrations" John Ladd
charges that the wild rampage of week ago
last Wednesday night occurred "because
of the need to express the pent up frustra
tions that this campus yields."
Among the causes which Ladd cites as
responsible for this frustration include
"working well over a year on the extension
of women's hours and for all intents and
purposes being ignored" and "having all
sorts of proposals we would like action on
in a state of limbo."
In addition Ladd cautions that "the cam
pus may well see a real 'wild rampage/
a rampage not erroneously aimed at a court
yard or a hut, but at a group of men
and/or their buildings."
Certainly no one can deny that the Guil
ford campus yields pent up frustrations.
Nor can anyone deny that in some extreme
circumstances, such as the ghettos which
pervade American cities, life becomes so
deplorable and the oppression so severe
that pent up frustration may be used as
an excuse for the spontaneous combustion
which occasionally occurs.
However for Guilford College students,
the "pent up frustration cry" is completely
unacceptable as an excuse for the pillage
and terroriza'ion which occurred one week
ago last Wednesday night.
In the first place, despite Guilford's man;
shortcomings, the college campus, is not a
ghetto. Campus residents find themselves
blessed with towering trees, green grass,
comparatively clean air, and some degree
of peace and quiet.
In addition the residents have at their
disposal a supply of competent faculty mem
bers and administrators who are willing to
work with students to resolve basic griev
ances.
Moreover most Guilford students, are
classified as functionally literate and are
equipped with the skills necessary to ef
fectively communicate their concerns devoid
of mob style tactics.
With this distinction between excusable
and unexcusable expressions of pent up
frustration in mind, it would seem that
the students themselves ought to be able to
responsibly map out solutions for their
problems.
Perhaps before Guilford's frustrated stu
dents throw any more garbage or blowup
any more toilets, they ought to consider
the course of action that consumer advo-
THE GUILFORD IAN
cate Ralph Nader pursued in his success
ful drive to improve the safety of auto
mobiles.
THE NADER WAY
During his studies at Harvard Univer
sity Law School Nader came to the conclu
sion that American consumers were en
titled to safer cars than the automobil
industry was producing.
However it is worth noting that Nader's
conclusion did not prompt him to hurl his
garbage into the street or blow up his toilet.
In fact Nader meekly declined to make any
threats against the lives and property of
automobile industry executiyes.
Instead Nader devoted long hours to pains
taking research on the automobile safety
question and eventually published his find
ings in a book titled UNSAFE AT ' ANY
SPEED. The wisdom of Naders course ol
action is evident in the growing list of
safety features found on new automobiles.
THE FRAZIER SCANDAL
Last spring a smiliar though obviously
less shattering form of student activism
was evident in THE GUILFORDLAN'S pub
lication of then trustee chairman Robert
Frazier's involvement in the Gillespie Street
slum controversy.
Although the staff members in charge ol
the Frazier articles were disheartened by
Frazier's relationship, they carefully re
frained from blowing up THE GUILFOR
DLAN'S lone toilet and throwing their trash
from the windows of THE GUILFORDLAN'S
executive offices in Cox Hall. (Staff reg
ulations prohibit such acts).
Instead the staff writers assigned to the
case chose to constructively devote their
energy to thoroughly researching their
assignment.
Undoubtedly the success of their ef
forts was a prime reason for Frazier's
subsequent trustee inactivity as well as the
decision of the Board this fall to politely
oust Frazier from the trustee chairman
ship.
NO APOLOGY
With such a record of success for re
sponsible student activism, we will not as
John Ladd requests, apologize for either
our news story or our editorial covering
the rampage of a week ago last Wednesday
night.
Instead, we urge John Ladd and those
who share his point of view on this matter
to reconsider their own positions and stop
making excuses for the uncivilized behavior of
Guilford's ambitionless students who are too
lazy to work responsibly for rules changes.
Letter To The Editor
Ladd Cites Student
'Frustrations'
Dear Editor,
I was very impressed by the
editorials on the first and sec
ond pages of THE GUILFORD IAN
in reference to the "wildram
page.'' I was glad to see that the
administration didn't have to tire
themselves out writing their own
opinions; THE GUILFORDIANdid
it for them.
It is obvious to most of us
that the actions of Wednesday
night were immature. However,
the reactions of THE GUILFORD
IAN and the House Council were
almost as immature. Did THE
GUILFORDIAN or the House
Council ever wonder why the
events of Wednesday night oc
curred? Is analysis the ex
clusive burden of Doug Scott?
It appears that the only reaction
the House Council could muster
was the Pavlovian response of
law and order, rather than at
tempting to understand the whys.
God bless banality and super
ficiality!
Why did Wednesday night have
to end as it did? Because of
the need to express the pent up
frustrations this campus yields.
There are more pent up frustra
tions within our students than any
of us can comfortably admit.
Why? We are told we are to be
responsible adults, but are we
allowed that "priviledge by our
"benevolent" despots? No. In
the finest parochial traditions of
the turn of the century (19th)
we are not allowed in the girl's
dorms, nor they in ours. Also, the
scourge of the devil, alcohol, is
not allowed here. Guilford has let
the fine tradition slip a bit by
allowing it's women to stay out
to the unladylike hour of 1:00
a.m. That may seem insigni
ficant but it kept us from win
ning the Bob Jones University
Award for Vigilance last year.
We are told we are here to
become adults. We are allowed
the responsibility of flunking out
if we wish but damn near no
responsibility for our personal
lives, the dichotomy, a certain
amount of academic freedom, but
none in our personal life.
Frustration is made of such stuff.
Frustration comes from not be
ing allowed to drink in our rooms
even when that priviledge is given
us by state law. Frustration
comes from not being able to have
women in our rooms when we
know damn well we could if we
lived off campus. Frustration
March 16. 1970
is built from working for well
over a year on the extension of
women's hours and for all in
tents and purposes being ignored.
Frustration comes from having
all sorts of proposals we would
like action on in a state of lim
bo. In short, frustration is built
up by hearing fine sounding re
marks about how we are to be
adults and then being treated as
if we were four year olds. And
these frustrations build up in us
until we have to do something
immature like getting drunk, or
throwing bottles just to keep
some semblance of internal sani
ty.
These frustrations aren't
nearly so deeply buried as most
of us would like to think. In the
fall it took a power failure, in
March it took a basketball game.
Dammit, doesn't that say some
thing to you? Can't you draw a few
conclusions from that? It tells me
that the angry frustrations are
kept from expression only by a
very thin veneer shattered at
the least provocation. It also tells
me that our frustrations are
released with pitiful mis
guidance. What I fear, "Moms",
is that the students will realize
that their frustrations are not
aimed at a quad or a hut but at
a group of people who cause their
frustrations in the first place.
Then this campus may well see a
real "wild rampage", a ram
page not erroneously aimed at a
courtyard or a hut but at a group
of men and/or their buildings. If
certain closed eyes, closed ears,
and closed minds aren't opened it
could happen here.
I would like letters of apology
sent to the student body from
"The Board of Trustees, Dean
William J. Lanier, and Head
Resident Landrum Cross" and
the House Council and THE GUIL
FORDIAN asking our forgiveness
for their shallow shortsightedness
and inability or unwillingness
to see what is really happening
here.
To the superficial observer
the events of the''wildrampage"
might seem to jeopardize re
form. However, the careful ob
server I feel certain will see
that these events merely point
up the need for reform much
more powerfully. The boiler is
about to burst.
Is anybody listening?
Sincerely,
John Ladd