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K O V, V K K W S
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Rogue News
Published bi-weekly, during the school months, by the Associated
Student Body of Ashland Senior High School, 201 Mountain Ave..
Ashland. Oregon 97520. Subscription cost $2.50 per year.
Kditor Rosario De La Torre
News Kditor Jeanne Hoadley
Kditorial Kditor '.. Joseph Hawk
Feature Kditor Steve Schmelzer
Snorts Kditor Sharon Hill
Advertisers Shirley Delsman. Teresa Fowler. Anita Johnson
Business Manager Jeri Lewis
Photographers Harold Berninghausen, W illie Thompson
Reporters Kandy Dew, Garry Now. Dale Nelson
Sports Reporters Kevin Gandee, Charlie Lewis
Advisor Clifford M. Brock
Member of (Juill & Scroll and
Oregon Scholastic Press
Printed by THK PRINT SHOP, Ashland. Oregon
Comments d
Cost of Graduation
Seniors have been looking forward to graduation for some time
now- and they may make it yet. if they aren't forced to quit school and
get a job to raise money to pay the cost of graduating.
Beginning in September, seniors are plagued with the expense of
their rank. First comes sitting fees and costs for senior pictures. If
pictures are ordered the student can scarcely bet by for under fifty
dollars. Then, for the college bound comes the expense of taking SAT
tests. Sitting for the tests shoots another ten dollars. As the year
progresses there comes the five dollar cap and gown fee followed
closely by the cost of announcements which may run anywhere from
ten to thirty dollars more.
College bound students are hit again w hen applying to their chosen
schools Admission fees run from ten to twenty dollars and the student
applying to more than one institution probably averages at least
twenty dollars in application fees.
These are only the costs which have already confronted seniors.
Who knows what lies ahead of them in the coming three months?
Added up it appears that seniors or their parents will probably have
shelled out nearly one hundred dollars toward the costs of graduation
and its raditions along with college preparation before he receives his
diploma. Of course none of these costs are completely mandatory but
graduation would certainly lose its expected tradition and meaning
without them. Perhaps it is time to consider issuing scholarships to
seniors so that they can afford to finish high school. JLH
To the Editor:
I w ish that the people w ho w rite
editorials and cartoons about
Student Senate proceedings
would either attend meetings or
get first-hand information on
what actually happens.
It was stated in the last issue of
the Rogue News that "the Stu
dent Senate abolished compul
sory participation in the flag
salute and instituted that will
henceforth be known as the
Thought For the Day." After
reading this quote it was obvious
that a distortion of the facts was
present.
First of all the "Thought for the
Day" was just an added extra to
the meetings which could add
variety and meaning. This was
not, however, intended to replace
the flag salute. The person who
proposed the "Thought for the
Day" suggested that the flag
salute be abolished. This caused
ill feelings among many of the
Senate members. The issue was
discussed and the general opinion
was to keep a compulsory flaR
salute. But several members of
the Senate said that they would
not stand if it was made man
datory. What do you do? You
can't "make" them say it, so the
easiest solution was to make it
like it is at the present time. If
you have been present at Senate
meetings in past years you will
remember that several Senate
members refused to stand for the
flag salute. The situation hasn't
really changed.
I, myself, feel that everybody
should say the flag salute. This
unifies everyone and recognizes
the basis of our w hole democratic
process.
I suggest that if next year's
Senate believes that everyone
should say the flag salute then all
Attendance System
Ashland High School's attendance system is not working. Both
teachers and students are unsatisfied with it.
I'nder the present system, when a student is absent or tardy, he
must bring a note w ith a reason for his absence in order to be excused.
The student must then present a notorious "green-slip" to each of his
teachers to sign. The slip is then returned to the office.
There are several problems with this system. Teachers complain
that requesting and signing numerous "green-slips" wastes valuable
class time. Students complain that the slips are immature and
degrading.
A more effective and less embarrassing system was recently
proposed by Mr. Gerald Merryman of the Knglish Department. I'nder
his proposal a student would still be required to bring a note. But
instead of carrying a "green-slip" the rest of the day, his name would
he placed on a master attendance sheet sent out to teachers. This sheet
would indicate whether the student was excused or unexcused. This
would save teacher's time and eliminate the embarrassing
"green-slip."
This system, if adopted, would not solve the attendance problem,
bul make it easier to deal with. The ultimate answer lie-, in getting the
so-called "skippers" to come to school. Right now, about 60 students
are gone each day.
Could it be that some of these students feel alienated or stifled by a
boring and irrelevant class, impersonal teacher, or bureaucratic
tangle?
Whatever the reason, cracking down after-the-fact will not
accomplish anything. The reason that so many students are gone must
be discovered before a solution can be arrived at. RPD
Turn-about Awards
Ashland High can boast about having some of the most talented
people in the nation.
It verv seldom occurs that a male student is honored with the
Betty Crocker Award. And. additionally, it is only once-in-a-blue-moon
that the girls' gymnastics teams has one of the winningest records for
the school year.
Such a diversity in talent is uncommon. Under normal
circumstances, we get the stereotype of the virile male athlete
spinning a basketball on his finger and the diminutive schoolgirl
whipping up souffles in home-ec.
But this stereotype is not present at AHS.
It is refreshing to see students stretching for a high goal. It is more
refreshing, still, to see them achieve that goal.
Who knows, maybe in a few years, we can boast about having gone
to school with the next Olga Korbut or Chef Bov -ar-dee.
JAH
Editorial
Movie Ratings
Those movie-goers who are under 18 years of age are very
frequently forced to take their dates to see movies as popular
among the teen world as Pinochio In Outer Space. This is not
the kind of movie that impresses most people, however, many
times under-agod movie-goers face this problem.
Last year. Oregon political officials passed a state law
w hich to them would begin the elimination of violence and sex on
the screen. Our representatives raised the age limit for entrance
into H and X rated movies to 18. Of course, everyone can see how
successful their effort was.
Looking at this week's movie line-up we see Oh Calcutta.
Kverything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex Bul Were
Afraid to Ask. The Female Animal. Friti the Cat, and the near
award winning Deliverance. Each of these movies are R or X
rated.
This week the average high school student in the
Ashland-Medford area are given the opportunity to see The
Sword In The Stone.
Our state office-holders must believe that we, in the state of
Oregon, are not as mature as those in other states such as New
York. New York X-rated movies admit no person under 14 years
of age and R-rated movies no one under 13 may enter without
parental guidance.
A logical solution to this problem would be not to admit
anyone into X or R-rated films without parental consent.
Another problem is that several students in our high school and
others are under 18 and live on their own. If they live on their
own, it is highly possible that they are mature enough to see an
R or X-rated movie.
Of course, there are those, regardless of age, that are not
mature enough to see an R or X-rated movie and are greatly
bothered and offended by them.
It just might be possible that some of our state officials, w ho
give us so much credit during election time, fit into this category
tions which supposedly are held
so dear by this country.
If Mr. Hawk wants to demon
strate the patriotism he expects
the Student Senate to display, he
should begin by recognizing the
fact that it was a majority of the
Senate, not, "certain individ
uals," who voted for abolishing
the compulsory participation in
the flag salute. Realizing this, he
should then understand that it is
the right of any elective body,
Executive Council members and under our democratic process, to
representatives should swear, set up its' own rules of conduct
before they take office, that they contingent upon a majority ap-
w ill say the flag salute. This is the proval of its members. Our
only way to eliminate the prob- Student Senate has done pre-
lem. I believe that this is some- cisely that,
thing to think about. So. whether or not Mr. Joe
Dave Jensen Hawk agrees, our student rep-
ASB President resentatives can and should con-
Kd It should be noted that the ,in"e not having the flag salute
editorial said nothing about until s"ch time a majority decide
abolishing the flae salute. Onlv otherwise Steve Hauck
COMPULSORY
was eliminated.
participation
To the Editor:
RK: Concerning the recent
"Flag Salute" editorial by Mr.
Joseph A. Hawk.
In this editorial, Mr. Hawk
states that the wish of the student
representatives not to stand for
the flag salute is "intolerable"
and "a very vile attitude," He
proposes that any student rep
resentative who does not stand
for the flag salute should be
impeached.
Mr. Hawk quotes one of the
so-called "non-participants" as
saying that his reason for not
standing was "not wanting to
waste any time on something so
unimportant as the flag salute."
Mr. Hawk considers this "a vile
attitude," However, this "vile"
attitude is one held by a majority
of the Student Senate which voted
for the abolition of the flag
salute. And as such, it must be
respected as one of the demo
cratic traditions of this country,
which Mr. Hawk is so "patriotic
of, which say that the majority
rules. Mr. Hawk says that it is
"intolerable" that "certain in
dividuals" refuse to show pa
triotism by standing, lor a tnc
tion of a minu'e," lor th- flng
sulule. I feel that there is more to
patriotism than just standing at a
flag salute. Actually, real pa
triotism is better shown by
following the democratic tradi-
To the Editor:
In reference to Joe Hawk's
editorial on the flag salute, we
have only this to say: the
editorial is too blinded by loud
mouthed patriotism (or lack of
copy for the newspaper) to even
think about what the words of the
flag salute mean. In principle,
people do not say the flag salute
out of blind nationalism ; they say
it because thev believe in the
meaning of the words.
"I pledge allegiance to the
flag of the United States of
America, and to the republic
for which it stands, one nation
under God. indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all."
These are the words of the flag
salute. We love our country and
its flag, but we will not pledge
ourselves to a series of admin
istrations that started and sup
ported an illegal and immoral
war. No one with an open mind
and open eyes can say that we are
"one nation, under God. indiv
visible," for we are not one
nation, but a combination of
many. Can Mr. Hawk assure us
that we are a nation "under
God?" As to indivisibility, the
very fact that the Vietnam war is
ended shows that we are not
indivisible.
all" means more than just the
right 'to practice capitalism and
democracy, it means freedom in
all areas of life, including the
choice of whether or not to stand
and say the flag salute. Mr.
Hawk, would you force us to be
run like a communist country
with forced allegiance to the
state? Or will you allow us the
freedom to worship our country
as we please? Amy McNair,
Jay P. Yancey, Shirley Delsman,
Tamara Stubblefield
AKNOUNCEMENISJ
Um.cs J L
'Am I going to College?
who has the money?'