University of Rhode Island - Renaissance / Grist Yearbook (Kingston, RI)

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The Grist. Let’s see, that’s the yearbook, isn’t it? The student body is often regarded by its critics as a sort of mindless collectivity. In fact, many students do seem content to travel the mud-flanked Union-to-Green sidewalk; they do talk about the same subjects from day to day; to the annoyance of activists and enthusiasts of all sorts, the pool tables are occupied regardless of alternative ac- tivities which might offer more personal involvement, or be more thought provoking; they .do seem to treat social functions with more fervor and interest than the myriad of political, social, and other problems which face the na- tion, the world, today. Not without reason, these, and many other complaints, have been launched against that com- monplace commodity — the average college student. But, to present the student body as a group of habitual conform- ists, the critics cite only those activities which are by nature group activities. They say, for example, that the herd registered today, or that the herd went to the Homecoming game, or it went to a dance last night. Perhaps this view is too telescopic to be entirely correct. Behind the protective covering of the group, there is a diversity of personalities, interests, attitudes. By dissolving the herd identity, as difficult as that can be, it is found that there are unique individuals. Some are profound; others are just as mindless without the group. Some are hopelessly habit- proned commoners; others are so stoned groovy as to stagger the imagination. But, each has his own life; his own story. About the cover. If it says anything let it say, Look, we aren ' t fooling around. There has got to be a change and that calls for a change on the part of each one of you. The gun is not pointed foolishly at some mass of demon- strators, at the Silent Majority (heaven help us if we had to find such a formless entity). It is pointed at each one of you. It is pointed at the source of the problem. It does not represent violence (it is not even loaded). It does not say, Co-operate! It is not coercion in any form. There is no implication that you are ready, that you even want to do anything. It says you are called. Not we. You. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Head Writer: Managing Editor: Academics Editor: Seniors Editor: Business Manager: Joseph Norris Rick Nelson Edward L. Frisella Ginny Drew Georgette Daignault Janet Lee 1970 GRIST UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND KINGSTON, RHODE ISLAND 17