Page Two
HIGH LIFE
.May 19, 1970
R0TC"Past, Presentj Future
By Steve Settle
With the advent of the current-
scheduled May 22 parade, the Ma
rine Corps Junior ROTC program
at Grimsley will have by-and-large
EDITORIALS 70-71
By Jeff Fenn
Next year the readers of High
Lifei will find several changes in
the editorial page.
Most significant will be a change
in approach. So far this year High
Life has gained a reputation of
being generally anti-everything—
antistudent council, anti-School
Beautiful anti-library. Next year
wfe. hope to take a more positive
view of things. We plan to be pro
student cooperation, pro-environ
mental control, and pro-student-
faculty communication. This does
not mean that we will cease our
cynicism toward out-dated tradi
tionalism; nor does it mean we wiU
not continue to question admini
stration policy with which we take
issue. We will merely aim our cyni
cisms and questions toward a posi
tive plane.
In regard to editdrials and the
■editorial staff, there wiU be a
change one might less readily not
ice. This year most of the unsigned
editorial copy has been the work
of individuals representing the en
tire staff. Next year, in every
paper, there wRl be an editorial
which will be the product of the
entire staff, with the members
working together to create a union
of ideas. (Therefore, when the ed
itorial “we” is used, it will mean
just that.)
It is also planned to include one
editorial in each paper concerning
national issues such' as the war in
Southeast Ahia, the draft, and pov
erty. While there is little a high
school newspaper can do to affect
these issues, we can affect opinion
in our school concerning these is
sues.
We hoipe to have a bigger and
better cartooning staff for the next
year. The cartoonists will no long
er be, for the most part, limited
tj cartoons concerning editorials
on the page.
As in most major papers, they
will be autonomous. A good politi
cal cartoon despite what it con
cerns, is probably more influential
than the most precise editorial be
cause it presents an opinion in a
subtle and generally condensed
fashion. Therefore, we will try to
do so.
completed its second year. As a stu
dent of the course, I have been
asked to express my beliefs and
opinions concerning the past pres
ent, and future growth of the pro
gram, its achievements, and areas
in which progress should be and,
I trust, will be made.
What makes a student-freshman,
sophomore, junior, decide to give
JROTC a try in the coming year?
The administration, instructors,
and cadet corps know that, on be
half of the greatest majority of ap
plicants, it is the desire to be the
part of and identify with an organ
ization whose reputation is an his
toric one of hjonorable lentrust-
ments and responsibilities, and an
organization that hopes for a great
future. The candidate should be
lieve that he has something to con
tribute for betterment of the pro
gram. This means leadership, the
chief purpose of JROTC. Few lead
ers are born, but many men have
the desire to try and hope. On the
negative side, the “squarehead”
who is looking for a “crip,” like to
play soldier well enough, but gives
up when the work comes through
to him, such few had better stick
to their GI Joe footlockers and Sgt.
Rock comics. As in any mass en
deavor, success boils down to the
individual. Failure ultimately will,
also.
A good proigram depends on the
cadets—next yqar more than ever
before. The course will enter Mili
tary Training III, the last in the
series, and completion of the first
full agendum. Each cadet must
strive to lead, make the decisions,
or at least be willing to accept the
large responsibility of relaying
command. Upoh this rests the
achievements of JROTC at Grims
ley, and it is this direction that evi
dent progress should be made each
term, each time the opportunity
arises, for the good of the unit
and pride of the cadet. Mistakes
come, but Colonel Booker and Ser
geant Zales are always on hand,
observing, ready to give advice, a
pat on the back, or a kick in the
end, for those who need or deserve
either.
It is not the purpose of this ar
ticle to expound upon personalities,
examples, or instances which have
affected the program here at GHS.
I feel that an effective JROTC must
be, and is, a definite asset to the
school and the community, and a
boon to developing self-confidence
and potential character in a per
son.
School Beautiful,
YRC Re-evaluated
By Meredith Foltz
As the school year draws to a
close, many school organizations
must submit to evaluation or re-
evalution. Two organizations now
due for their annual spring review
are School Beautification and the
Youth Recreation Committee.
First, School Beautification is to
be commended for altering their
approach for securing student sup
port. Second, School Beautiful is
to be commended for the job they
have done in view of the size of
Grimsley’s littering population. If
the inconsiderate students who
place empty milk cartons in the
gutter of the walkway cover beside
the auditorium would refrain from
such clever tricks, the members of
School Beautiful would have one
less concern. In other words, the
prime responsibility as always,
lies with the students. School Beau
tiful needs the cooperation, not the
competition, of students.
Although it was not an “adver
tisement” for School Beautiful, the
Earth Day assembly on ecology did,
by the fact that it was arranged
by School Beautiful co-chairman
Miles Thompson, suggest a definite
connection between anti-pollution
efforts on and beyond Grimsley’s
campus. Our school would be as
good a place as any to begin fight
ing pollution.
Once again because of student
lalpathy, a Grpnsley organizatifen
has suffered some failures. YRC
offered open houses to students
during the football season, but one
or two of those dances never took
place because of lack of interest.
Hopefully, YRC will be separate
from student council next year, as
was frequently proposed during
our recent elections. Hopefully,
too, the Committee will broaden
its range of projects and sponsor
some events other than dances.
This brief re-evalution of School
Beautiful and YRC will, ideally,
help members of those organiza
tions realize and reveiew their past
problems and plan for future prob
lems.
EDITOR'S NOTE
The final issue of High Life will
be issued on Thursday, May 28,
1970. This issue will be an unprec
edented eight-page issue—a first
for High Life since it went weekly.
In this issue will be results of the
poll taken on May 13, where sen
iors are going next year. Last Wills
and Testaments, year-end sports’
reviews, and final evaluations by
senior editorialists of the staff.
This eight-page paper wiU be the
last High Life to be distributed
during the school year. Watch for
it!
Letters To The Editor
Open Letter to Student Body:
In comparing the totals of the
first and second elections at Grims
ley, one notices a striking similari
ty. The total number of votes was
nearly the same, and for the candi
dates other than president, the
amounts were nearly identical. So
one would assume that virtually the
same people voted, and that the
tally for the first election was real
ly accurate. The question then
arises; what caused Craig Fox to
■win by seventeen votes in the first
election, and to lose by over one-
hundred votes in the second.
First of all, there were 157 votes
in the first election that apparent
ly should not have been there. But
on second look, I think there is
room to question how this figure,
was arrived at in the first place.
For example, if there was only one
check in the book of registered
votes beside a person’s name, there
was no uniform way of telling
for “being cool”. I personally think
whether that vote was cast in the
primary or the final election. Also
with the confusion surrounding the
voting places, it is not only conceiv
able, but in fact probable that many
legitimate ballots were simply not
checked off on the registration
sheets. So the question arises; who
is to blame?
The center of the blame, I think,
lies in the hands of the election
committee, who admittingly did a
terrible job. They should have origi
nally made plans to insure a fair
and accurate election. The press is
also to blame, I think, because of
their putting the election in the
public eye, and making the contest
between a black and a .white, in
stead of between Craig and Joe. I
think this tended to bother the stu
dents here more than anything.
Class of 1921
Revived by the
Spring Journalism
Class of 1937
which brings me to my final point.
Last week, an article appeared
in High Life praising the students
the students over-reacted to ru
mors, and changed their votes un
der the impression that G.H.S.
would burn if the “black guy” lost.
Craig Fox won the first election,
regardless of the way it was han
dled. Craig Fox was beaten in the
second election not because it was
handled well, but because there
tvas a second election.
Marc Eppley (Class of ’70)
TRAGEDY DEPLORED
The event which happened ait
Kent State was a terrible tragedy.
I can see no justification for the
National Guard to have shot at any
student. I also feel that there
should be further amounts of in
vestigation to find the person or
persons guilty of this crime. Let
me explain why I have come to
this conclusion: the National Guard
was poorly equipped, only having
mace or guns. They are trained
for riot procedure and didn’t carry
out the professional job which
should have been taken. They
could have used billy clubs, shields
or other less violent weapons. The
National Guard is not trained to
kill but to disable. This was not
done. Also, if the rumor is true
about there being a sniper, why
did the Guardsmen shoot directly
into the crowd, not giving any con
sideration whom they might shot?
Brig. General Robert Canterbury,
the commander of the Guard
troops, on the campus said, “No
warning was given to the students
that the troops would shoot.” We
are not on a battlefield. We are los
ing too many lives in Southeast
Asia to continue the slaughter
here. The majority of students at
Kent State and all over the U. S.
campus’ are trying to stop the
senseless killings. Only a minority
are violent. We must all stop and
hear them, not only to save this
country, but to save ourselves.
—Vickie Topkins