page 4
the back page
feb.2001
2001 vs. 2002
Michael Jerch
Everyone knows that Sci
ence and Math is different from
other schools. Our classes are
much more difficult, we can’t
have cars, and we all live to
gether. There are unique con
flicts that arise from the
residential nature of this
school, such as the junior/se
nior rivalry. Science and Math-
style rivalry includes all of the
normal jokes and pranks be
tween upper-classmen and
lower-classmen, plus unoffi
cial senior privileges like the
bench, mock graduation, and
chants (2-0-0-1). The major
difference, however, between
this school and other schools
is that the classes involved are
separated by only one year.
“The seniors here are a
whole lot meaner to the juniors
then the seniors at my old
school were to the freshmen,”
replied one junior when asked
to share her opinion regarding
the issue of junior/senior ri
valry. She later went on to say,
“Since we’re both here and
there is only one year separat
ing us there’s not much of a dif
ference.” For this reason it is
easy to understand why many
juniors arrive here not expect
ing to encounter a rivalry. She
has a point, for to the outside
observer it appears that juniors
and seniors are too identical to
differentiate. Unfortunately
for the juniors, the one key dif
ference of having lived at Sci
ence and Math for an extra year
is enough to upset the balance
between the eleventh and
twelfth grades. Plus there is an
aspect of pride in having sur
vived one year. For many se
niors juniors haven’t been
through that process and there
for don’t deserve respect. The
juniors should expect that
Obviously, seniors are
more experienced in the mat
ters of this school. I will be the
first to admit that moving here
was a lifestyle change that took
some getting used to. So why
does the rivalry not end after a
few weeks of adjustment? The
seniors retain their privileges
and continue to crack on the
juniors throughout the year.
But why is this so? Well, in my
opinion there isn’t any rivalry.
Contrary to popular belief,
most seniors do not dislike the
juniors. In fact, out of the mi
nority of seniors who do ex
press a disliking for juniors,
only a few actually put their
feelings into action.
“Individually the seniors
are cool, but when they are to
gether and chant things it is an
noying. However, most seniors
are nice. You can’t use those
few seniors who aren’t friendly
as examples for the rest,”
agreed Allison Hager, a junior.
“Seriously, I don’t think
the seniors hate us, and I don’t
hate them,” concurred Jessie
Furr, another junior. Some jun
iors are less willing to admit
that the seniors don’t hate them.
“Pets”
FROM THE FRONT PAGE
thorities intervened in his
plans, however, and prevented
Alba from leaving the laboratory
where she was bom. Although
Kac’s supervisor had previously
not paid much attention to Alba’s
creation, he forbade Kac to re
move her when higher authori
ties at the French National
Institute of Agronomic Re
search balked. Kac is still en
thusiastically lobbying for Alba
to be allowed out of the labora
tory and into his home.
He says, “Alba, like any
other rabbit, is sociable and in
need of interaction through
communication signals, voice,
and physical contact.”
There is also the issue of
whether the transfer of genetic
material hurt Alba in any way.
After all, most people would
agree that rabbits are not sup
posed to glow. In answer to this,
Kac emphasizes that none of the
procedures he used in Alba’s cre
ation are revolutionary. Micro
injection into a zygote is a
common procedure, and the flo-
rescent protein has been suc
cessfully integrated into other
organisms. Mammals have
even been given this protein
gene before. The procedure
was routine and safe.
“It is also important to
point out that the ‘GFP Bunny’
project breaks no social rule:
humans have determined the
evolution of rabbits for at least
1400 years,” Kac comments.
Many would argue that
breeding animals is very differ
ent than injecting genes from
another organism. Indeed, Kac
has met with much resistance
towards ‘GFP Bunny’ and his
previous artwork, much of
which also uses genetic and
computer technology and in
cludes living organisms. In an
interview with the Genolog
community, Kac was con
fronted with questions about
the value of genetic art,
whether or not he was being re
sponsible for Alba’s well being,
and whether or not he con
doned all forms of genetic en
gineering. He has been
accused of‘playing God’, irre
sponsible use of scientific pro
but they say that it is really only
a small portion of the entire
class. As for the smidgen of
those seniors who do openly
dislike juniors she said, “Some
people just don’t get along with
everyone.” Also, one must re
member that although it is hard,
all the seniors were at one time
juniors and had to deal with the
flak that juniors are taking this
year. The ones who make the
most fun of the juniors were the
ones absorbing the jokes last
year.
“You see these people
more, and you’re closer to them
so it’s ok to joke aroimd. I think
it’s just for fun, and people
screw around regardless of
whether the people involved are
juniors or seniors,” said Mark
Baglia, a senior with a junior
roommate. Additionally, the
chanting of “2-0-0-1” has be
come so uncommon that it is
hardly of annoyance anymore.
Also, of the two other senior
privileges mentioned, one of
them lasts only a few minutes
per year while the other is not
really a senior-only thing any
way. Overall, I think that the
occurrence of junior/senior in
cidents is rare.
So let’s recap; Seniors do
have a right to feel superior in
certain ways yet do not often
overexert this feeling onto jun
iors. The percentage of seniors
who actually hate juniors is
minimal. Additionally, most of
the time rivalry between the
classes involves playful joking
and harmless chants. However,
there is still a piece of the
puzzle missing. If junior/senior
rivalry isn’t really a rivalry at
all, why do some juniors still
see it that way? The answer is
not what you might think. New
juniors come here expecting
no such rivalry but are soon sub-
jected to it. Because the first
few weeks of school are an im
pressionable time for new jun
iors, these experiences become
engrained in their minds. In
essence, they go through a para
digm shift and become biased
toward senior attitudes. The
problem only exists with those
who think it exists. This is un
fortunate for both groups.
Therefore, the juniors are just
as responsible for the imagined
rivalry, if not more so, than the
seniors. By believing that the
seniors are out to get them, the
juniors create a fantasy rivalry
that has little basis in reality.
Unfortunately, this entire pro
cess repeats itself every year
without either class realizing it.
So what am I trying to teach the
reader? Well, I’m not trying to
advocate an end to senior
privilages, chants, or harmless
jokes. What I am asking is for
the rising senior class to be es
pecially mindful of the feelings
of the upcoming junior class.
After all, we were in that same
boat six months ago.
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cedures, and unfairness to the
rabbit. After all, there exists a
large amount of anti-genetic en
gineering sentiment in the world
at large. Using a search engine
to look for web sites concerning
genetic engineering produces a
few objective sites, but mostly
ones with a strong bias against
genetic manipulation.
The creation of Alba
raises pressing questions such
as: Where is the boundary be
tween science and art? Where
is the boundary between differ
ent species or between human
and animal? Is genetic engi
neering permissible for scien
tific purposes only? Or can it
be used to create art if the artist
take responsibility for the cre
ated organism? As experimen
tation in genetic art and science
continues, these issues will
continue to be the center of sci
entific, ethical, and philosophi
cal debate.
P
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