OPINION
On the
Tiimlng
Away,.
The last one. This is the ninth and
final issue of The Stentorian I have
been associated with. And I'm happy
to say that the sixteen pages that
you're holding in your hands is
something I've wanted to acheive for
a long time. It's the biggest Stentorian
ever.
I was told that the last issue of The
Stentorian was the best by some, and
the worst by a few. One residential
advisor told me it was all just a bunch
of opinions. Quite the contrary, the
issue had opinions, news, features,
and sports. However, 1 understand
what was meant. The issue did attack,
to some degree, the administration
and staff for insensitivity and
infringement of student freedom.
Every page seemed to highlight more
and more problems with our school. I
would like to mention, however, that
the articles were all written privately
and independantly. The issue wasn't
planned to be that way- it's just a
reflection of the feelings of the
students.
And now, in a very similar way,
the spread on the opposite page
addresses racial issues. Every
problem thus far addressed seems to
lead me to the conclusion that there is
a major communication gap between
the students, staff, and
administration. And everyone wants
to blame somebody or something else.
... But that's not what the last
issue of the year is for! Life at Science
and Math wasn't all bad. We worked
a lot. We played a lot. We learned a
lot about responsibility and growing
up. We'll all remember a lot. Though I
don't have much control over what
the wills say, 1 don't want this last .
issue to leave a bad feeling on the
school community. There have been
good times and bad times; no need to
forget about the good ones.
As you and 1 count the hours
until we graduate (or "commence"',
do a really big favor for someone.
Anyone. Try to consider the school as
if we were all on the same team. If
you believe this, it will be true. But if
you carry a chip on your shoulder, it
wasn't the school's fault, and it will
not disappear when you leave S&M.
Daniel Aldrich and John Gjertsen,
editors-in-chief
Opinion Page
Erika Petersen, editor
Steve Christian
Josh Levy
Luke Meyer
Mark Overcash
Kwame Manley
Albert Monroe
Jennifer Neale
Mike Simon
Tracy Steen
Tung Tran
Jennifer Troublefield
David Young
News Page
Hunter Tart, editor
Jeremy Dilbeck
Kristine Johnson
Anthony Ku
Jennifer Lee
Maurine Shields
Features Page
Joe Hensley, editor
Julie Bass
Braden Boone
Shea Dickerson
Beth Glenn
Amanda Pearson
Arts, Entertainment & Humor Page
John Patty, editor
Anuja Antony
Ford Choi
James Dasher
Jeremy Greene
Tiffany Holland
Kenny Jackson
Christine Moritz
Sports Page
Jason Katz, editor
Kevin Lee
Mohit Kasibhatia
Prerena Patel
Derek Raynor
Holly Stallings
Todd Sullivan
Photography
Lori Wittlin, editor
Mary Kiesau
Alan Krakauer
Todd Rose
Cartoonists
Rhett Brown
Seth Grossman
Jin Park
Production
John Gjertsen
Allison Roof
Amy Wilson
/
/
How Much Input Do
We Really Have?
DANIEL ALDRICH
editor-in-chief
“...the School of Science and Math in Durham
refused to run the ad. Others, such as Chapel Hill,
Jordan, and Riverside high schools, accepted it.”
—From the News and Observer, 4128192, page 6E
The ad referred to here was an
advertisement by the group OutRight,
which wanted “to let more teens know
about the support group.” OutRight is a
youth group that supports “gay, lesbian,
and bisexual teens.” Our administration
refused to allow The Stentorian to mn the
ad, providing the weakest of explanations.
Does this mean that the administration
believes all students at our school to be
heterosexual? I’m glad the administration
has such progressive, open minded
attitudes towards us.
I wonder how many other decisions
have been made by the NCSSM admini
stration without student notice? It is
difficult for us to get involved in policy
decisions unless we know what issue is
being discussed.
Consider other issues which the
administration has quietly swept under the
rug, or attempted to control; the radon
contamination (see last year’s Stentorian
spread on environmental issues) present
in Hill, the serious injuries inflicted on
students who were mugged in 1989 (see
last Stentorian issue for information), the
vandalism done to the RA transport van,
and the attempted break in to the school
while we were away on break last year.
All of these topics were “handled” by the
administration- that is, not mentioned to
us at all, until we found out ourselves.
Perhaps the juniors present this year
will be able to crack the tight shell of
secrecy surrounding all the major
decisions made at this school, and even
put some of their input into it.
For example, just recently the new
policy to take down all lofts present
(including those covered under the
grandfather clause) in Bryan, Hunt, and
Hill. We students certainly have no
interest in this law- we are forced to take
down lofts that we have not only put
down $100 deposits on to the school, but
that we had to pay for or build ourselves.
And consider this: since there will be
no standing lofts present next year, the
school will make SKX) per loft, as it will
require every loft to be covered by the
deposit. That is a lot of money for the
school to hold on to.
Did any student help to make this
decision? Are we not mature enough to
be involved in the running of our own
lives? This seems to be the case when the
administration is willing to take full
control of them.
How about the latest decision to have
the seniors arrive back at NCSSM after
the juniors arrive next year? How many
returning seniors want this policy
instigated? A faculty member told me
quietly that “The administration is going
to have more faculty than students on the
orientation committee.” If we are
supposed to be leaders, can we not lead
ourselves?
Well, I’m leading myself right out of
here- and into college. If you juniors
want to make a change, go ahead and try.
Its your right- no, better yet- its your
responsibility.
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