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2010: YEAR IN REVIEW
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ALL THE NEWS THAT’S fit
to tattle.
January 19, 2011 • Estd. 1892 • Vol. 119 • No.4• Published Monthly • www.ihstattler.com • Ithaca High School, 1401 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY, 14850 • FREE
Changes to IHS Dance Policies
Violence in Arizona Spurs Discussion on Civility in Politics
By Khalid Vrede
IHS school dances are a time to listen to music and spend time with friends all the while raising money for the senior class’s upcoming graduation. Despite the positive aspects of school dances, many students, dance chaperones and school faculty have been reporting disturbing and overly inappropriate behavior from a small minority of dance patrons. Many outraged parents attended a site-based council meeting in early December to express their concerns. The two main problems site-based council members and school faculty must deal with concerning school dances include inappropriate dancing and general disrespect shown toward the volunteer chaperones. These chaperones are required in order to have school dances, and acquiring enough of them is becoming increasingly difficult due to the bad behavior being displayed at dances. To combat these extreme cases of inappropriate conduct, new material will be added to IHS’s dance policy. These revisions include, as stated above, the promise that any attending student will dance appropriately and respect any chaperones present. Specifically, new rules include “[no dancing] in a way that mimics sexual activity” as well as “no hands under clothes, and no hands placed on the ground.” These changes are included in the sobriety contract that all students wishing to attend the dance must sign before they purchase tickets. Other innovative ideas may be put into effect, such as an increased number of chaperones. These chaperones’ responsibilities will also be altered: shifts on certain areas of the dance floor will be equally observed by each chaperone as well as a shift in a break room where refreshments will be provided. Chaperones may also greet students as they enter the dance in an attempt to create an increased level of respect between students and chaperones. Other changes include a break in the middle of dances consisting of slowerpaced songs and/or dance competitions. continued on p. 3
Mark Kelly, husband of Congresswoman Giffords, receives support from First Lady Michelle Obama. By Larry Ge
On January 8, 2010, Arizona Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot, along with at least 17 others, in an assassination attempt by a gunman who opened fire upon a supermarket where Giffords was meeting with her constituents. The shooting left six victims dead, including a nine year old girl, Christina Green, and a federal judge, John Roll. Giffords was rushed to the University Medical Center in Tucson, sustaining a gunshot wound to the head. However, she is expected to survive and the head surgeon Dr. Peter Rhee is “very optimistic about her recovery.” Police have identified the gunman as Jared Lee Loughner, 22, who has so far been uncooperative in the investigations. Loughner has been tied to several eccentric, threatening Internet postings which included his own political conspiracies, and in one instance, a photograph of his gun. The shootings in Arizona have launched a nationwide whirlwind of discussion focusing on topics ranging from potential political motives to gun-control laws. Almost immediately following the shootings, Pima County Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik set the spotlight on the debate over increasing anger and violence in American politics when he said that it was time for America to engage in “a little soul-searching.” While both Democrats and Republicans have been united in sorrow following the shootings, there has also been much heated discussion between the parties on the atmosphere of current politics in the United States. Democrats were quick to denounce the extremely par-
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tisan atmosphere in Arizona, especially in Gifford’s district, where controversial issues such as immigration and the health care overhaul deeply divided the voters. They claim that this partisan atmosphere has led to an unneeded level of hostility among political figures, specifically citing a graphic featured on the website of Sarah Palin’s political action committee. This now infamous image displayed several Democratic House candidates with crosshairs over their districts, signifying Palin’s goal to target these districts in the last election. Ms. Palin quickly responded to these allegations, taking down the image from her website and issuing a statement in which she offered her condolences to Representative Giffords and the rest of the victims. Republicans responded to allegations by accusing Democrats of using the situation to overly victimize themselves. President Obama attempted to address these issues in a nationally televised speech given at the University of Arizona. Obama was careful not to directly cast blame on either political party, but instead called for a movement towards civility in modern politics asking Americans to “sharpen our instincts for empathy.” Obama also emphasized that the blame for the incident could not be easily placed on any one group, or even on the political discourse that has embroiled the government; instead, the shooting was the work of one violent man. The president suggested that in the aftermath of these events, people should look within themselves, yet not prompt a response against free speech and social conflict. Obama was joined by a bipartisan group including Senators John McCain of Arizona, who together made the call for a new era of cooperation and political courtesy.