I was pretty shocked to read this news:
Three students were sent to an in-school suspension classroom after
refusing to take a military aptitude test at Cedar Ridge High School on
Tuesday.
Principal Gary Thornburg said the students were not being
disciplined, rather the in-school suspension teacher was the staff
person available to supervise them.
More than 300 juniors spent two hours Tuesday and again Wednesday taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
Thornburg
said the test, which the U.S. military calls the ASVAB, is
traditionally administered to juniors at his school. The military
provides the tests, proctors and grading without charge. In exchange,
the scores are sent to military branch recruiters and the school.
- newsobserver.com: 3 decline to take military test, 2/14/08
It turns out people are resisting these tests all around the nation:
I just saw the 10:00 AM performance of Because We're Still Here (And Moving) at the ArtsCenter. If you're not familiar with the show yet, it's a theatrical retelling of 140 years of Chapel Hill and Carrboro's African-American History. The fine people at Hidden Voices have spent two years working in the community to collect hundreds of stories and photographs.
The production was wonderful. It uses an authentic style of African-American multi-generational storytelling to make connections between the past and present. I most enjoyed the stories of Ruth Stroud, especially her recollections of her grandparents' story about being freed from slavery. I also picked up a copy of the accompanying neighborhood walking tour guide, and I learned so much about what was here (long) before I arrived in 1998.
I highly encourage you to see the FREE production tonight at 8:00 at the ArtsCenter. And if you know a young person that you can take with you, make sure you do. It has the potential to be a wonderful opportunity for community building.
Yesterday, I was going some historical research on the Chapel Hill Iron Mountain Railroad, the original name of the rail line that ran from the Carolina campus through what is now Carrboro on to University Station between Hillsborough and Durham.
I found the original 1873 Charter, and wonderful narrative on the coming of the railroad in Kemp Plummer Battle's 1912 tome the History of the University of North Carolina. The initial 1873 attempt failed, and the 1879 legislative session rechartered the railroad with the new name "State University Railroad", in place of the earlier name "Chapel Hill Iron Mountain Railroad".
Hey it's my first new video in over a month! In this "episode" I talk about the new system and policies for commenting on OrangePolitics. I'd love to hear your feedback.
Students are voting today in this year's student body elections. You can't walk through the main part of campus without being assailed by a horde of shouting, sign-bearing, leaflet-handing campaign workers. But, if you don't spend time on campus or read the DTH, you probably had no idea. While some local elected officials have certainly benefitted from their experience with student government (I'm looking to you, Mark Kleinschmidt), one might wonder just how much influence the student body president and congress has on the larger issues affecting the town and university. I worked my butt off for Tom Jensen's unsuccessful 2005 student body president campaign, which was the first and only time I recall sitting council members weighing in (Tom was endorsed by Bill Strom and Sally Greene). Other than that, do town folk care?
Below are excerpts from each Student Body President candidate's town relations platform...
J.J. Raynor:
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