Political Agendas

Stop demonizing the “political agenda”

Daria Azizad Entertainment Editorntertainment Editor

A political agenda, as defi ned by “Th e Practice of American Public Policymaking,” is a list of subjects or problems to which government offi cials as well as individuals outside the government are paying serious attention at any given time. Considering the modern connotation of the phrase, you might be surprised that there is no mention of ideological warfare, or corrupting the youth or communist propaganda. It is almost as if a political agenda is just… an agenda. I have a political agenda. You, dear reader, likely have one too. In fact, anyone who gives a golly gee about the roads being paved or having a justice system in place does as well. However, our current school board candidates, specifi cally Amy Chen and Angie Simpson, claim not to have one. At the Tea Party Forum on Oct. 1, they vehemently denied having any political agenda whatsoever. I was confused: does that mean if they are elected they will have no ideas, plans or concerns to bring to the forefront of the school board?

Politicians have become intent on not being perceived as a politician. Whether you are a lawyer or scientist or parent, if you run for public offi ce, you are now a politician. But every new politician is suddenly just an Average Joe -- political agenda, who? However this mislabeling is playing a dangerous game of semantics that results in no discussion, debate or progress. Board candidates are too busy touting their goals of “listening to everyone” and “improving things”-- no specifi cs, so no way to upset anyone. I have listened to countless board candidate interviews, read through their pamphlets and websites and attended their forums. In all that time, none of them have laid out concrete plans for the future.

Th e board candidates believe they can pacify constituents with blanket statements like “I value students’ input,” but when questioned about letting

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Marli Davis/ Prowler

17-year-olds vote in local elections, they swift ly dodge the question.

Polarization is inherent to any political issue: some people will agree and some will not. Not everything will come to a perfect compromise where everyone is happy -- that is just not how the cookie crumbles. Th e solution is not to pretend the political fi eld is devoid of politics. All that does is place a facade over reality and put a blockade in front of progress.

If you do not have plans more substantial than “listening,” please do not run for offi ce. Listening is important, but a nine-year-old with a good attention span could do the same. We need candidates with political agendas that outline the issues they fi nd important with specifi c solutions. Elected offi cials need to know what they are doing and what they want to do.

Constituents deserve to know exactly what the school board candidates’ political agendas are before Nov. 6.

Coach contact policies makeoach contact policies make ithardforstudent-athletest hard for student-athletes

Prowler Graphic

Hailey Washington Staff Writertaff Writer

If you really think about it, getting recruited is like marketing yourself. You are selling your skills and assets that are associated with your particular sport. Being fast, strong, tall or even left - handed can be some attributes that help you get far in the recruiting process. But the limitations on how these players can contact coaches at young ages is ridiculous.

Recruiting for students depends on what type of school they want to go to and their academics. Aft er all, the coaches usually do not fi nd you, you fi nd them. Aft er a bit of emailing and scouting at your games, you might sign or verbally commit. Th ese words are what make the recruiting process confusing for students.

Being great at your sport from a young age is benefi cial; you get additional acknowledgment from coaches and some might even email you. For example, a coach says, “You will be a great fi t for our team in the future, I think it would be great if you can join us!” Maybe this coach is from your dream school and has everything you are looking for, so you put all your eggs in one basket.

Th is is being verbal; you and the coach are talking, but the coach is not asking for your grades or transcript so nothing offi cial has happened yet. But, this can leave athletes confused about their future. Players may feel that this a verbal commitment to a college and subsequently stop looking for other potential colleges. Since college coaches are limited in the ways that they communicate with young players, clearing up this confusion is not a simple task.

Sometimes players fi nd themselves clearly committed to a college. Th ey send their transcript, their test scores and by sophomore year, they already know what college they are going to. However, in some cases, the coaching staff will change and players committed this early can be let go as late as their senior year. Changes in coaching staff can occur and the players who are unknown to the changed are the ones being punished.

Changes in coaching can happen randomly. It will not be a sudden shift in the middle of their senior year, but if you committed your sophomore year and coaching changes the end of your junior year, they could let you go and then you are left rushing to fi nd a new college team in the fall of your senior year. Th e way that college coaches change is diff erent and can depend on many factors. So, communicating with prospective students should be more expandable so problems like these are less likely to happen.

I understand that scholarships are given and some choose to play the sport for fun, since the majority of students who get recruited do not have a career in the sport they played in college. When recruiting, colleges should be thinking about long-term goals, and it might be hard to do that with all the limitations coaches have with communicating. By opening the restrictions on the communication process between coaches and players, the recruiting process can an easier and more reliable system.

College Prep kids can keep their cool

Emily Augustine News Editorews Editor

As an Honors student...Wow, I already sound like a snob. I am constantly surrounded by endlessly devoted students in my classes, who all have a bright future ahead of them, but it was not until I enrolled in a College Prep class that I saw the dark side of Honors.

In the eyes of Honors students, College Prep students oft en hold the stereotype of being unmotivated and having questionable judgement. I have heard the phrase “CP kid” being used as an insult. Please do not shoot the messenger. Honors kids are just elitist. I will admit it, my respect for students in lower level classes has been compromised in the past, but recently I had a ground breaking epiphany: CP students probably live happier lives than most students in Honors classes.

When CP kids get anything lower than an A on a quiz or test, they do not have a mental breakdown- what a concept! To be completely honest, I cannot relate to that. If I get a C, my life is over. People should still care for their grades, but it should not mean life or death. Last year, I overheard an Honors student say that if she does not become a doctor or lawyer, she thinks she would not be able to support herself fi nancially, which is ridiculous.

A common quality of an Honors student is holding his or herself to an impossibly high standard. It is the endless devotion and fear of inadequacy that blesses and curses us. It aids our success in academic classes, but it crosses a line in some cases, sometimes to the point where people need to seek help from a therapist.

Both Honors students and CP students have their own shortcomings. Th e primary fl aw that Honors kids possess is the fact that a lot of them feel superior and overlook the positive qualities of CP students. Something about taking Advanced Placement classes and spending hours on homework everyday infl ates many Honors students’ egos because they think their excessive amount of academic eff ort puts them above CP students. Th ere is a stigma around CP classes being the easy way out.

Honestly, I had more fun in my CP math class last year than I did in any other Honors class I have been enrolled in, mainly because of my CP classmates. Th ere was no looming atmosphere of stress, and it put me at ease. It was like I left a bubble of stress and was fi nally content with myself.

Th ere is no time to relax in Honors classes. It is constant work, and students always have to be on their toes. In my case, I am surprised I have not gotten gray hairs. Since everyone in the room is stressed, it spreads throughout the classroom like an epidemic. I have become desensitized to the feeling, but it makes the lack of stress signifi cantly noticeable in a CP classroom.

Sure, CP students do not always devote their life to academics, but at least they know their limits. Honors students need to learn from CP students, because newsfl ash, it is not necessary to put this much pressure on ourselves.