Newspapers / St. Andrews University Student … / Sept. 17, 1987, edition 1 / Page 4
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k September 17, 19S7 the lance page 4 Candidates Debate in Chapel Hill by Dave Snyder Seven Democratic and two Republican presidential candidates converged on Chapel Hill last Friday to explain their views on education to the 5,500 in attendance at the Dean Smith Center. In atwo hourmomingsession, Democrats called for variations on a theme of presidential leadership and reform. In their two hour afternoon session, the two Republicans empha sized fiscal restraint concerning the federal government’s role in education. Before each session came the customary television theatrics, giving the audience insight into the maxim, “mass media doesn’t just report events, it creates them.” Though a television official was hissed for asking the audi ence to “applaud when the sign says ap plaud,” virtually everyone loudly coop erated. Moderator Jim Hunt, former governor of North Carolina, posed the first question to the Democrats: if it were impossible to provide any more federal funds for education, what measures would they take to improve this country’s education? None of them accepted the premise. “I wouldn’t spend the money on merce nary soldiers in Nicaragua, I’d spend it on educating the kids of this country,” said Representative Richard Gephardt of Missouri. The Republicans had a much easier time accepting such a premise. Pierre du Pont IV, former governor of Delaware, emphasized that the problem was not a money problem, but that better education required “testing teach- Reoublican candidate Pierre du Pont IV listens to Representative Jack Kemp from New York respond to I question from moderator Jim Martin, Republican governor of North Carolina. ers more, testing kids more, bringing up reading scores.” Another distinction was the Democrats’ focus on education in poor areas. Front-runner Jesse Jackson stood out as the most vocal on behalf of the underclass. In a discussion on merit pay, Jackson called for extra benefits for teachers who teach “in the war zones, in the dangerous areas” of the inner cities. Senator Paul Simon from Illi nois followed J ackson’s lead. “What we are doing,” he said, “is investing more in suburban schools, where the need is not that great.” He said that a long-term perspective warranted more attention to urban schools. The candidates also displayed their anti-drug credentials. Jackson did so dramatically, asking members of the audience to stand if they knew someone who “used drugs.” Over 1,000 stood. The forum featured both poles of the mainstream American political spectrum. Du Pont suggested a state and federal system of vouchers to be given to parents who would use these vouchers to shop’for an education for their children, encouraging more par- continued from page 2 Gaidai and both have written about wonderful adventures and good times. Sharon promised me she would try sushi and has discovered it to be as good as I promised her it would be. John has learned that you can finance a global travel by being a ready volunteer to be bumped”. He ended up with $700 more than he started with, plus a round-trip ticket to Hong Kong. Both got moved up to Executive Class for their flights to Japan. Oh, the trials and tribulations of struggling students! Skip Clark and his happy band of Castle and Cathedral pilgrims report a memorable trip to Scotland, Wales and England right after Spring Term ended. We hope that more international courses will be offered during that time and are grateful to Skip’s willingness to give it a try. The rain didn't help matters much but it jH-epared them mightily for the first ten days of this term! Billie and I had the pleasure of directing the College’s first summer institute overseas. Thirty hearty souls joined us for a two-week institute at the University of St. Andrews. Cather ine Neylans was a participant and a wonderful one. Seniors will remember George Bruce who was the Evans Fellow at the College during the Spring of 1985. He was one of the lecturers at the institute and he and Elizabeth send their love to the community. Jean Red- path, the Scottish singer of Prarie Home Companion fame was also a lecturer and, like George, was simply marvel ous. Ian and Joan Fairweather “came through” to see everyone on two occa sions and Peggy and Dudley Crawford were with us one of the evenings Jean Redpath gave one of her two evening performances. Not to rub it in but., while Skip and company had four days of sunshine...we had four days of rain plus one day when it was 92 degrees! Best wishes fora new year that wil be one in which we keep our win dows open to the world close in and far out, enriching the one most immediate and contributing to the larger world as humane citizens. ticipation by private enterprise. Du Pont’s emphasis on the market made Representative Jack Kemp of New York, himself supported by Jesse Helms, look moderate. Kemp was prompted to defend some public institu tions, like a post office and a school system. Vouchers were first proposed by -Secretary of Education William Bennett, who was present at the forum. Senator A1 Gore from Tennes see said his first act as president would be to call Bennett and “tell him to clean out his desk.” Gore was opposed also to “tuition tax credits,” a milder form of support for private schools which al lows parents who send their children to private schools to deduct the tuition from their taxes. Defending this posi tion, Gore said, “even someone who has no children at all gets a substantial benefit from living in a country which has universal public education.” They all spoke in favor of federal support for day care. Massa chusetts governor Michael Dukakis said, “the country is ready for it if it can be linked with real efforts to lift families out of poverty.” None of them spoke of day care in terms of women’s liberation. Representative Pat Schroeder from Colorado, a likely Democratic candi date, was not invited because she has not officially declared her candidacy. She announced last week the success of an initial fund-raising drive and is expected to declare soon. A Democratic president in 1988 would reduce students’ depend ence on college loans. Former Arizona governor Bruce Babbitt suggested that college students who become teachers should have their loans forgiven, but students who used their education to become doctors or lawyers should pay them back “at full interest.” Simon was the only one to mention aid for the disabled and the need for “a massive assault on adult illiteracy.” Democrats on hand included Babbitt, Dukakis, Gephardt, Gore, Jackson, Simon, and Joseph Biden, a Senator from Delaware. Republicans present were Kemp and du Pont. The four Repub lican candidates not present were George Bush, Robert Dole, Alexander Haig, and Pat Robertson. Ethics Stressed at Honors Seminar by Bonnie Blackburn On Wednesday, Sept 3, 64 new andretuming St. Andrews students cut short their summer vacations and returned to school to take part in the Sl Andrews Honors Seminar, a four- day “pre-season warm-up” for the aca demic year. Students who were invited to attend the seminar discussed various topics which are at the forefront of American society in 1987. The topics, which were selected by the faculty who led the discussions, included such issues as AIDS, surrogate motherhood, America’s relationship with the USSR, and relative world views. The faculty who took part in this year’s seminar included Dr. Mel Bringle, Chair, Professors Jesse Johnakin, Dennis McCracken, Pete Prosser, Bob Martin, Robert Carter, and D.K. Beyer. A special discussion of the AIDS crisis was led by Dr. W.D. White. Entitled “Frontier Issues in Bi omedical Ethics”, this discussion brought home the fact of the legal and ethical dilemmas of the epidemic. The purpose of the special Honors Seminar was to “recognize genuine academic achievement”, said this year’s Chair person, Dr. Mel Bringle. In order for a student to re ceive an invitation to the seminar, the student had to receive a 3.6 or higher cumulative GPA. The seminar’s goals and objectives were to “reward these students and to develop a pre-term intel lectual community. It also gives in coming Honors Students a foothold into the St. Andrews community.” said Bringle. Brunnenburg Ezra Pound-Weg 4 39019 Dorf Tirol Italy
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Sept. 17, 1987, edition 1
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