february 2007
news
the stentorian I ncssm
Club
Briefs
Akwe;kon will have
its annual PowWow in
the PEC on Feb. 17. AH
NCSSM students are
admitted free. This will be
a day of Native American
singing, dancing, arts,
crafts and food. There
will be a Native American
feast offered to students,
singers and dancers in
the cafeteria that evening.
Also that day, tite
Admissions IDepaSment
will be sponsming the
DrearainWtersProgBam in
which Native Americans
in grades seven throu^
nine from throughout the i
stete will be invited to
the campus to leam more
about NCSSM.
ReportedfyMcfyBuliard
and Elizabeth DuVaU
Asian Cpijures Clis
will be hosting the annua!
Asiafest show and dimier
on March 17. The dinner
will start at 5:30 p.m. in
the Wodworth Room,
where a variety of Asian
cuisine will be provided
free to the public. At
7:00 p.m. in the ETC
Audih^ium, the Asaafest :
show, f^turing both off-
and on-campus acts. The
shew vtill include NC
State’s hip-hop dance
team, FtEsioa, Lion Dance
frcMn Chinese students
in the Triangle Area,
\dolin performances from
juniors Lisa Zhang and
Sophia Han, Ae NCSSM
Bhat^ Dance Team and
a skk presetted by the
club, to name a few of the
activities.
Rep^ed by Hattie
Chung
The': Murri^^^ruRAL :
Peer Counselors present
Singled Out in the Lecture
Hall at 530 on Friday,
Feb. 16. Partkdpante will
get to know each other
based on the- choices :
they make about NCSSM :
Hfe. Jump otrtsidd^^ywir ^
bi^de and come ctmnect -
with smneofle neWi E-
mail Thuffias Perry at^
perryt(^icssih.edu wjth^
questions. •
Rented by Mary
Kohlmann
Hispanic CumatES,,
will , be hosting.'
America Fest qu.
10. Student-ltd
groups and professioi^
dancers 'Sfwcializang
in salsa, break and
other Latin styles will
perferm. Authentic food
will be served after the
performance. Watch AAG
for tim^ abd locations,
^usitioc@qa^'.'
;;;questi^^or
Student focus group discusses
alterations to Pledge recitations
Use of internet radio in classrooms suggested
Continued from page 1
“I think that the radio idea
was a great idea because it’s
a great way to reach more
students and it makes use of
the radio station, giving it more
exposure,” Que said. “And
when you go to a classroom,
you’re usually prepared to sit
and pay attention, while the
cafeteria, which I think is the
next best idea, can be kind of
chaotic.”
Of course, any Pledge plan
must walk the line between
opportunity and coercion.
“There lies a problem in that
we have to do a daily recitation,
and the administration wants to
make it look good with lots of
participation,” Alexander said.
“I worry that students will feel
pressured one way or the other,
depending on what the whole
class does.”
Another factor affecting
classroom-based recitation was
the opinion of the faculty.
“Several teachers were
concerned about leading it
because they were concerned
about doing it themselves,”
Reid said.
The idea of expressing their
own opinions on the Pledge
while in the dominant role of
teacher apparently felt wrong
to some faculty members.
“They told us that some
teachers didn’t want to set
an example of saying or not
saying the Pledge,” Alexander
said. “They didn’t want to
exercise that influence over
their students.”
The internet radio idea
would greatly decrease the
role of teachers in the Pledge’s
actual recitation.
Plans for stricter adherence
to the original plan were also
mentioned.
“There was a lot of mention
of it being implemented at
all assemblies, which the
administration had noticed had
become a little lax,” Alexander
said.
The focus group itself was
selected largely on the basis of
interest; each SLI was asked to
send one student from his or
her hall, but many were unable
to do so on short notice.
“The focus group was
supposed to be a cross-section,
a slice of student opinion,”
Que said.
Even among only Alexander,
Que, Reid, and senior Courtney
Angers, some degree of
diversity was achieved.
“We had two juniors and
two seniors, and both male
and female were definitely
represented,” Reid said.
Que also felt that the
discussion reflected an
ideological balance.
“I heard a lot of the opinions
that I’d heard students around
campus expressing, and even
some that I hadn’t heard
before,” he said.
Most of the participants
came due to a belief in the
importance of a fair and
effective Pledge policy.
“I kind of wanted to let the
administration know about my
opinions on the Pledge and
what I’d heard other people
say,” Que said.
Alexander’s interest in
the Pledge lay partly in the
differences in its treatment
by NCSSM and his home
school.
“I felt that the student
interest wasn’t really up to
par,” he said. “I remember it
being very present at my old
school. It was very rote. It had
become part of my routine.”
Reid said that the recitation
of the Pledge was significant
in terms of American identity.
“The Pledge of Allegiance
is an important thing to us,”
he said. “It’s important that,
as Americans, we identify
where we’re from. I think it’s
important to acknowledge this
school and the nation and the
people we represent.”
Reid was concerned by
what he perceived as the
administration’s focus on
image.
“I was kind of disappointed
that it seemed to be more of a
fiscal concern than it was about
the Pledge and why we should
be saying it,” he said.
For the most part, the
members felt that the group
had made progress
Que said, “I think that just
going there and listening to
some of the other students and
learning more about the people
around me was great.” ,
/
Photo by Luis Zapata
Tom Clayton holds the American flag and recites the pledge in the Bryan Lobby during lunch. He is one of the
administrators examining possible changes in the time and place of recitation due to very limited student participation.
One suggested plan would move the daily ceremony to the classrooms.