Volume 80, Issue 5
Friday, June 15th, 2018
The Psychology of Buckeye Boys State Vincent Patierno Editor-In-Chief
Upon arriving at Miami University on June 10, delegates may have taken note of the tones spoken across the acclaimed cities—and with regard to discourse—the essential lack thereof. Today, political institutions in Washington DC and state governments alike are notorious for their embodiment of divisive conduct. From commonly used terminology such as “side of the aisle,” to partisan splits found all around— Buckeye Boys State proves to remove itself when compared to the political arena at large. For those who lead the program—as well as the delegates that participate—welcoming and inclusivity were first on the agenda. Politics is generally understood by most as an institution grounded in public opinion and a constant game of persuasion by those who practice it. And today, with increasingly common themes of division and fickle nature—the greater body politic strives to make understanding as to where the groundswell of discourse originated—and where the nation directs to from here. Psychology, on the other hand, while noted for its deep analysis and study of the mind and its functions at large, a branch known as political psychology often moves to explore the cognitive underpinnings—or roots of thought—at the base of citizen and voter political action. Those same cognitive political bases are at the heart of educating in the program’s famous “week to shape a lifetime.” Aside from socially shared beliefs of groups that individuals are a part of, people often use what are known as mental models to apply their personal experience and knowledge to
Art courtesy of Carter Collins understand better their various roles in society. It’s that same mental structure that allows us to explore and understand the basis of individual discourse. Through any event or action, individuals form mental models. In settings such as Buckeye Boys State, young people are surrounded by new individuals, encouraged to interact and form new bonds. Thus, potentially leaving an everlasting imprint on future social political belief with respect to lessening discourse. What some social psychologists classify as “negative partisanship” has swarmed the political climate of America and while there was some partisanship practiced through the week, it was all in good fun. Cognitive psychology is a division of psychology that is often misunderstood due to the complexity of its contents—but in this regard says that forms of discourse generally derive from our general political representations, such as attitudes or ideology. While only cognitive theory is able to effectively explain and lay out the connections between social and personal interfaces per a
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a recent research study investigating both cognition and discourse, it can be deduced that one may not draw conclusions based off of just one or the other. Political discourse is best explained when examined by both socio-cognitive combinations in relation to socially shared political representations that more often than not take control of collective political action. As for the nation collectively, most call for a new type of empathy—political empathy. Much of the same was practiced all across the campus of Miami University this week. It was witnessed in dorm room cities among delegates, dining halls and government offices. All equating to an efficient week of campaigning, electing and not to mention: governance.
The Rise of the Most Provocative Group in the History of Buckeye Boys State Billy Bugara Reporter
What was originally a light-hearted group of friends has turned into something that we’ll never forget, and maybe still can’t believe. I am of course talking about the ascent of the delegateestablished group known simply as “The Brotherhood of Support”. As the Brotherhood became more widespread and its members steadily increased, so did its overall influence and clout. The group was securing positions at all three levels of government at an astounding rate, especially at the state level: five state executive positions, four of the six house majority positions, two of the four house minority positions, thirty of the other house members, most of the senate, three state judges and three entire counties. Rough statistics depict the staggering numbers of the Brotherhood’s members: one-fifth of all delegates here at Boys State. Though these are rough statistics, this goes to show how much leverage the selfproclaimed “interest group” has gained over the past few days here on campus. They have
dramatically affected elections and swayed them in their favor, and they plan on continuing to do this through the power they’ve gained in all three branches of government. I was able to talk with some of the most important members of the Brotherhood. Among these men were Adjutant General and leader of the Brotherhood Cole Nicholas aka The Overseer), House Reps Seth Bolyard, Haranath Medapuram, Christian Sovern and finally State Senator Brandon Greathouse. Sovern spoke of the power that the Brotherhood had come to hold since its creation. He is quoted saying, “one of the big things about Boys State is that they manually force you into two parties that you have no say in, and the Brotherhood - (as a bipartisan interest group) - we can put anyone in as they wish to join.” When asked if they were creating a voice for the delegates, he answered by comparing this group to “the closest thing we’ll see to a third party”. As far as legislative intentions by the House, it seems they are in full support and are working on the legalization of marijuana and a bill that forces the Governor and Lt. Governor to hold hands within ten feet of each other. As we continued, the central topic of our discussion began to revolve around their lucrative endorsement given out by the Brotherhood to Blaise Tayese for Governor of Buckeye Boys State. Tayese has had an interesting path to
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Governor to say the least; he was elected by his peers with the help of the Brotherhood, but has seemed to pull a complete 180 on them. To put it bluntly, the Brotherhood was not happy about this. Sovern described it like this, “He’s changed his views on everything… he’s being more honest with us now that he’s already been elected.” Bolyard added, “He’s betrayed his own party and he has kind of betrayed the federalist party as well.” So how did this happened? Well according to the group, Tayese himself has publically betrayed the trust of the Brotherhood in multiple ways. As the group is known as only an interest group, they desperately want the public to know of these actions in order to secure the optimal structure for Boys State, as all they can hope to achieve is the support of the delegates. Adjutant General Nicholas had gone into Boys State with the hopes of being in his current position from day one, and asked Tayese if he could fill this position, even though someone had already asked. This someone, however, had not gone for this position from day one. So Tayese gave an interview to both men, with Nicholas coming out on top. “I see him in a good light there, but I also see him in a bad light in other situations,” Nicholas said. Greathouse continued by emphasizing that this was before Tayese was elected Governor, and noted that there was a possibility that some candidates (such as they believed Tayese was doing) were attempting to use the Brotherhood as weight to sway more voters. Without a doubt, the most notable action by our Governor that the Brotherhood condemned was the violation of the United States Separation of Powers Clause in the Constitution. As the House members described it, Tayese drafted his very own legislation and submitted it to the House, defeating the purpose of the Legislative Branch (an illegal action). The House will be performing a class action lawsuit on Tayese for this movement. Sovern elaborates on this, “This will show him that he’s not invincible. He cannot be impeached under Boys State rules, but
he’s not untouchable.” There is no doubt that this will be fully supported by the Brotherhood’s members. This is not a baseless prediction; the Legislative Branch is simply jam-packed with their members. At this point, anything can go their way, even suing the Governor. This group has infiltrated the government from the inside-out, and they have been shaping it the way they want. As of right now, they have not just the Governor, but a good majority of Boys State in the palm of their hand. While this may seem like a issue, the Brotherhood says that their message is a positive one. “We will not bad talk others outside of the Brotherhood. We try to convert them to the Brotherhood. We support our Brotherhood, and we do not put others down,” Nicholas said. The group would like me to let the public know that they are indeed NOT a cult. They are only a interest group that sponsors and creates legislation through the opportunities that they
A delegate learns about his job by reading a law book. Photo courtesy of Taylor Colaizzi
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have capitalized on. Even the Governor himself had made assumptions as to the status of the Brotherhood as a cult. According to the Overseer, Tayese had requested him to,“shut this cult down,” after they talked about suing. The Overseer’s response was assertive, “We’re not a cult. We are a Brotherhood. We support our members… you joined us for a reason, even if you didn’t know what we were about.” A commonality around Boys State and the educational aspects that it presents is the realworld applications that are supposed to be taught. Every aspect falls under this: governmental structure, campaigning, media, etc - you could go down the list forever, until you find something like the Brotherhood. This group, these people - they’re simply otherworldly. Nowhere in any sort of government could you find such infiltrative, cunning, and somehow genius strategies put to order. Here at Boys State however, it’s working, and it’s a sight to behold. If you don’t know their name already, you’ll know it by the end of this week. The Brotherhood of Support will continue to operate until this government is as perfect as they want it. Influence knows no bounds when in the hands of the majority, and they are quickly becoming that majority.
Energetic City School Boards Mason Davis Reporter
Education has always been a priority for Americans, as well as a hot-button political issue. After all, there are so many aspects of education that need to be considered. Whether it be editing the requirements of the common core system or reducing standardized testing, many are calling for education reform. How leaders in youth education are conducting business is at the forefront of the news industry. This is where the Buckeye Boys State School Boards enter. Starting on Wednesday, the 29 school boards that make up each county held their first
meeting. School boards are an essential part of the country’s education system and are in charge of making important decisions that will affect their local area. Beyond city limits, there is the state education board. Unlike the cities, state-level boards focus on the big picture and issues that will impact a greater number of students. State Board of Education President, Kade Kardotzke, explained that “cities deal with funding, hiring positions, and they focus on setting the standards on what their teachers should be able to achieve, and what goals should be set for the area. We focus on security, superintendents, and bigger level issues. Things like lunches would be more of a city thing.” Many of the school boards have been very active at Buckeye Boys State, especially Downing City’s. During their second meeting the group came together to discuss new security strategies to protect students from violence. Superintendent Jebb Rismiller explained, “Some of the issues I’ve been working on within the school are the security problems. You turn on the news every week and see details about another mass shooting going on which is a shame. I’ve been trying to implement changes in the school to help this issue such as the use of clear backpacks. Although people don’t enjoy this because of privacy, I think it’ll help. We want to have a policy to keep doors locked and security personnel on hand.” Similarly, the State Education board has found a cause to get behind: financial literacy. “We haven’t been able to talk much, but we’ve been focusing on financial literacy. We will be adding a curriculum to give knowledge on doing taxes and such so we can prepare the students of tomorrow. But in the coming days, we hope to have a full list of changes we’ve made to the educational system,” Kardotzke said. Clearly, the many school boards of Buckeye Boys State have been working hard and addressing important issues that are present in the real world. Within the coming days, the various school boards will be meeting to address more issues.