Inklings September 19, 2014 Founded in 1933 inklingsnews.com
PHOTO BY CAROLINE O’KANE ’16
CT officials debate tenure validity
MEET AND GREET Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy greats supporter Sal Liccione at a Democratic event in Westport on Sept. 3.
Michael Mathis ’15 & Emily Wolfe ’15
O
n the fully-lit stage of the Norwich Free Academy auditorium, Democratic Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Republican opponent Tom Foley seemed at equal ends. Insults harangued, fi ngers pointed. It
was a tennis-match of accusations and persecutions against the opponent. However, the most powerful moment wasn’t an uncovered scandal or a simple gaffe. It was an apology. “It was bad language,” Malloy said. “It wasn’t about them. It was about tenure.”
Malloy was referring to his now infamous statement four years ago, in which he said that teachers could receive tenure simply by showing up. “I shouldn’t have said it. I apologize for saying it,” he said. Tenure, by defi nition, guarantees that a teacher or professor will not be fi red unless there
is a justifiable cause. Recently, the question looming over the state’s school systems is if tenure will be restricted further or even outlawed in the Connecticut school systems. In California, it was almost outlawed completely. According to CNN, on June 10, 2014, California
judge Rolf M. Treu ruled in favor of the law, arguing that fi ring bad teachers is nearly impossible due to tenure laws and union protections. He stated that this deprives students of the quality education they deserve. However, this reform was continued on page 3
Emma Lederer ’16 This summer, a select group of Staples students spent their time working in Bridgeport, Connecticut for Democratic candidates, Congressman Jim Himes and State Representative Jonathan Steinberg. Nora Cowherd ’15, who interned for Himes, explained that a lot of their job involved getting a head count. “We make phone calls to voters and try to get a feel for how many votes we have,” she said. Another student, Max Kaplan ’15, who worked for both Steinberg and Himes, agreed with Cowherd. “I primarily called people on the phone to ask
Inside the issue
if they were supporting Malloy, Himes, etcetera, this November,” he said. However, in addition to collecting data to try to better predict the fall elections, interns also tried to connect with both confi rmed and potential voters in person, as opposed to solely interviewing over the phone. Cowherd explained that interns would go door-to-door talking to voters about the campaign. They also did a lot of work at local events. “Interns will sign people in at events, take photographs and other odd jobs at fundraisers,” Cowherd said, and she added that a few interns even got the opportunity to participate in Himes’ campaign com-
mercial. Even though there was a lot of work that came along with the job, it was still a personally beneficial and enjoyable summer for these students. Olivia Jones ’15, who interned with Himes over the summer, enjoyed working with and for these political figures. “I had so much fun working there over the summer,” she said. “I got to learn a lot about our political system and meet a lot of extremely interesting people.” Agreeing and expanding on what Jones said, Cowherd explained that you not only form bonds with people who are involved in politics, but also form bonds with fellow interns.
“You get to know the other interns well, so that makes it really fun,” she said. Even with the sacrifices that came along with the job, students appreciated the opportunities and the real world experiences they gained. “[I got] to see the political world from behind the scenes,” Cowherd said.
LITTLE LEAGUERS HIT THE BIG LEAGUE Page 11
LEVITT PAVILION RECEIVES NEW CHANGES Page 17
PHOTO BY CAROLINE O’KANE ’16
Students get involved in local politics