4
May
*
Military recruiting tactics take advantage of students
C alley L athrop
Staff Reporter
The war machine that
our military has turned into
since 2001 is starving and,
as a result, is wasting away.
Students, or should I say
potential recruits, have been
privy to the bloodshed in
the middle east and have
probably heard that soldiers
are having to endure multiple
tours of duty. This has caused
many to rule out the military
as an option. But because of
legislation like the "No Child
Left behind Act," recruiters
are obtaining more and more
personal information about
us and using aggressive and
often inappropriate tactics in
their efforts.
The No Child Left Behind
Act created in 2001, set new
standards and regulations for
public schools. Section 9528
specifically allows "military
recruiters access to secondary
school students names,
addresses, and telephone
listings." If a school does not
agree to this, it will lose all
fe d e r a l fu n d in g . T h e act was •
'
s u p p o s e d ly c re a te d to h e lp
r a is e e d u c a tio n s ta n d a r d s ,
but where does giving more
information to recruiters
improve the education of our
country's youth?
A student's parents
can ask that their child's
records be withheld, but
only after writing a letter
to the school asking to opt
out. At West Linn, contact
and information sheets are
mailed home each year. In
the lower comer, parents
can check a box stating that
recruiters cannot have their
child's personal information.
If access to personal
information such as your
B etsy L uehrs, ju n io r, fills out a q u estio n n aire fo r the U .S Navy. N avy
recru iters v isit W L H S several tim es p er m on th to ta lk w ith in terested
stu d en ts.
Photo by Calley Lathrop
phone number and address
isn't enough, the Army,
Navy and Marines have
also been given the right to
blanket our school with self-
promoting merchandise such
as calendars, book covers
and pencils. It is as if they
are trying to incorporate the
armed forces into every and
any aspect of high-school life
that they can.
Another issue with
recruiting in schools is the
fact that the armed forces
break a cmcial mie that
s c h o o ls h a v e r e g a r d in g
discrimination. Schools
A dam H olmes
Staff Reporter
During the week of April
15-18, freshmen, sophomores
and juniors took part in a
necessary evil. It is a process
that many consider stressful,
but one that is very important
to determine the "course" -
of the following year. I am,
of course, talking about
forecasting. My experience
with this process in the past
West Linn High School, 5464 West A Street, West Linn, OR 97068
(503) 673-7843 »fax: (503)657-8710 •
wlhs-amplifier@wlhs.wlwv.kl2.or.us
The Amplifier is published approximately every four weeks by the West
Linn High School Advanced Journalism class. Opinions expressed in
commentaries and editorials represent only those of the writer, and are
not necessarily the opinions of West Linn High School, its administration,
faculty, staff, or student body.
co-Editors-in-Chief:
Staff Reporters: Chelsea
N icholas A m tz
Callas, H illi Ciavarello,
Jon H elm kam p
C hris Erbin, M ax H ays,
Page Editors:
A dam H olm es, C alley
•News: H illi Ciavarello,
Lathrop, Sydney
Syd ney M acN aughton
M acN aughton, K elsey
•Forum: A dam H olm es
Schrader
•Features: C helsea Callas,
Chris Erbin
Photographers:
•Sports: M ax H ays
M alia Chong, C alley Lathrop,
•Entertainment: Kelsey
Schrader
Photo Editing: M alia Chong,
•Photo Editor: M alia C hong
Sydney M acN aughton
Adviser:
A nn Breyne
t
the military only about
shooting people? Yes, video
games act as simulations
for soldiers in training,
but potential recruits, aka
teenagers, should not be
exposed to something so
unrealistic representative
of normal military life, or
taken advantage of for their
curiosity and, for some, their
attraction to violence.
Don't fall under any
spells that the armed forces
try to cast upon you. War
is not a game, especially a
video game! Joining any
branch of service is very
honorable, however, these
new recruiting tactics are a
horrible invasion of privacy.
Don't want recruiters to have
your information? Ask your
parents to check the box
that takes you off the list of
students names, addresses
and phone numbers.
The military is mysterious
to many of us, so recruiters
visiting to provide
information to interested
students is a very good thing.
However, these charades
O ffic ia l V id e o G a m e ."
a n d lie s a re ju s t a fa c a d e th a t
th e s e "h u n g ry " fo r c e s h id e
Since when is joining
behind, and it needs to stop.
New forecasting system has its pros, cons
Am plifier
•Business: Chris Erbin,
Kelsey Schrader
are supposed to be places
where race, religion, creed
and sexuality do not
affect students' chances
of joining a program or
participating in an activity.
The fact that the military
does not allow homosexual
or bisexuals among its
membership classifies them
as a discriminatory group,
and public schools prohibit
discrimination of any kind.
Don't get me wrong,
military service is a great
option for post graduation,
a n d is o n e th a t I h a v e
considered. The benefits are
great; your college tuition is
paid for, you enjoy full health
care, you'll be very physically
fit and there's no chance of
your job being outsourced
(yet). All of these are very
necessary in today's recessive
America. However, students
should not feel pressure
from recruiters to join the
military when, in reality, they
will most likely become just
another bit of fodder to feed
the failing fight.
Several weeks ago, I
received a letter from the
U.S. Army in the mail, just
like the pamphlets and
brochures that colleges send
to sophomores, juniors and
seniors. Inside were several
brochures, as well as a
booklet and, surprisingly,
a CD. I opened it up,
and found a video game
entitled, "Special Forces Ops
[operations]." On the cover
was a crouching soldier, a
gun on his shoulder, poised
and ready to fire upon
someone or something in
an all-too middle-eastern
environment. A label on the
cover read, "T h e Army's
has never been extremely
horrible, but I'm not going to
lie—I get a tad stressed when
that time of year rolls around.
I appreciate that our school
gives us the opportunity to
choose what classes we can
take, and that the students
are able to talk face-to-face
with their counselors if
problem occurs. This
year a new factor was
added to forecasting
which caught some
by surprise—
technology.
This new
system had its up
and downs. On the one
hand, it was environmentally
efficient and productive.
Instead of printing off
approximately 6,200 sheets of
paper, not counting the paper
that the adults had to us, it
was completed online.
The computers use a
better organizational system
for deciding which classes a
person will take and instead
of just listing the names of
which classes are available
the next year, a paragraph-
long description of each class
was provided. It detailed
what students would do in
the class, what grade level
is required to enroll, and if
there was an associated cost
for it.
On the other hand, the
computer system seemed
a bit flawed this year. A
few times, there were little
glitches in the system that
hampered the organizational
function. Also, I didn't like
how there was
process
for taking off pre
assigned classes, and how
administrators had to do
it themselves instead of
letting the students do it. I
understand that there are
certain measures that the
school has to go through
to ensure students meet
requirements, but still, it
would be easier to have that
ability. Finally, maybe it's just
me, but the new forecasting
system takes away the time
that could be spent talking
with different counselors and
receiving life advice from
them. That is one thing that a
machine cannot accomplish.
The computer system for
forecasting has potential.
It really is a good idea to
cut down on paper and
switch to computers for
greater organization and
efficiency. However, the
system needs to be revised.
First, fix all the little glitches
that plagued the process this
yean Second, don't rely so
heavily upon computers for
the whole process. Believe
it or not, sometimes good
things shouldn't be changed.
Students still want to consult
with their counselors
and ask questions of
experienced individuals.
I believe that the time
spent on the computers
at school should instead
be spent with different
counselors, so that the social
interaction is achieved. Leave
the computer portion for
when students are at home.
By changing our
forecasting system, our
school is showing that we
not only care about the
environment, but we care
about making forecasting as
easy as possible for students.
The thing is, there also needs
to be a balance between
electronics and social contact.
If we can find that, then
perhaps forecasting will
no longer be considered a
stressful process.
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