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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2017)
LET TERS RAPE CULTURE It isn’t a surprise that the two men ac- cused of sexually assaulting a woman at the Hi-fi Music Hall were not prosecuted, as only 11 out of 1,000 perpetrators are brought to trial on those charges, accord- ing to RAINN. Prosecutors commonly insist that they can’t bring rape cases to trial because they can’t prove “beyond a reasonable doubt.” But, as Leigh Gilmore extensively docu- ments in her book Tainted Witness: Why We Doubt What Women Say About Their Lives, women’s testimony is doubted and disbelieved regardless of evidence. To quote Gilmore: “The discourses about rape that circulate within rape cul- ture undermine women’s testimony. Rape discourse casts doubt on women as cred- ible witnesses to their own harm, and on claims of rape in general. Through rape discourse, women who bring forward ac- counts of sexual violence are turned into tainted witnesses before the law and in courts of public opinion.” Gilmore explains how the pernicious influence of the “he said/she said” dynamic combines with the feeble excuse “no one knows what really happened” to immedi- ately cast doubt on women and their tes- timony. These weak justifications for dis- believing women need be erased from the discussion if society is ever going to put an end to rape. If prosecutors won’t go after rapists as hard as they go after others, we will need to hold them — and the rapists they excuse — accountable. Ryan Foote Eugene LOVES THE COVENANT Unlike the author of the previous re- view (“In Space, No One Can Hear You Yawn,” EW, May 25), Alien: Covenant is my second-favorite Alien film. The title it- self, reflecting on the agreement between God and Noah after the flood (the char- acter David does deliver a torrent of sorts back to the Engineers). I loved the recurring theme of the sym- phony, starting with the prologue after Da- DEMOCRACY & EDUCATION vid gets a taste of sitting on the “throne,” to where Walter mentions how one sour note can derail the entire symphony, and in the end when you hear the full composition of what David first played to bring it all full circle. I also loved the inclusion of the reli- gious captain that everyone brushed past, but towards the end the protagonist needs his faith if they are to survive the horror. The Weekly reviewer chose to sit through an entire movie specifically look- ing for things to go against his liberal sen- sibilities to get triggered by. I wish people could just sit through a movie with an open mind and enjoy the ride. Especially a movie so rich in undertone and symbolism that’s both well crafted and acted. Scott Stewart Eugene ARE THEY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS? The writer who wrote the Alien: Cov- enant review is an idiot with delusions that his opinions matter. I guess if a mov- ie doesn’t blatantly explain the plot and makes you think a little, it must be bad. Perhaps author Rick Levin is in the wrong job because his reviews are not only inaccurate but borderline misogynistic; see line stating, “Katherine Waterson in the Butch Ripley role, right down to nipples poking through her tank top.” Perhaps he should apply at the local 7/11. William Hermann Eugene SAVE THE HULT CURTAIN Another mistake, replacing the main curtain at the Hult Center. This is not a curtain; this is a piece of art. It was selected in a national juried art competition and funded with one-percent for art funds. This work, along with the other de- stroyed or misplaced forms of art, is a com- munity resource. It is community property and must be maintained and cared for. Art all over the world is restored, not destroyed. Our current short list of not caring: BY L ARRY LEWIN, R ACHEL RICH AND ROSCOE CARON A Stick into the Spokes OPTING OUT OF TESTING T esting season is upon us — again. During April, May and June, students take weeks of Smarter Balanced Math and Language Arts tests. This is in addition to a year’s worth of other tests such as OAKS Sci- ence, EasyCBM, DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Ba- sic Early Literacy Skills), STAMP (STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency), EDL2 (Evaluación del desarrollo de la lectura), etc. Yet some choose not to. Their families sign the Oregon Department of Education’s Opt Out form be- cause House Bill 2655 allows every parent to make this choice for their kids for any reason. Forms are available online or in all school offices. Two years ago, 10 percent of Eugene School District 4J students opted out; last year that number increased to 13 percent. (The numbers for this year are not yet tabu- lated.) Lake Oswego’s opt-out rate was an astronomical 71 percent — with no repercussions! The Springfield School Board last June unanimous- ly passed a resolution urging parents to opt their kids out, calling the tests an “ineffective measure of student growth and accountability.” Then-Board Chairman Jonathan Light said the Smarter Balanced test was never created for students’ benefit. “It was designed to compare districts and teachers, not to help students learn,” he said. “As a board mem- ber, I just don’t feel like it’s OK to encourage our stu- dents to participate in something that doesn’t help them in any way. I really feel like school boards have to stand up for what’s right for their students.” Amen to that. 4 June 1, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com WHAT OPTING OUT ACCOMPLISHES When parents say no to these tests, they are jam- ming a stick into the spokes of a system that unfairly punishes many kids who don’t test well for a variety of reasons, including various disabilities or English lan- guage learning. Nationwide, teachers say the technology demands of tests, the wording of questions and even the tasks them- selves are not age appropriate. Yet students who fail can be placed in remedial classes, too often at the expense of missing out on interesting and enriching electives. HOW DID WE GET HERE? Under No Child Left Behind, corporate reformers and their political allies believed they knew more about what’s best for kids than teachers, administrators, lo- cal school district leaders and even parents. Under their corporate model, they determined that public schools (not the schools their own kids attend) should be run like businesses: data-driven, top-down and one-size- fits-all. Corporate opportunists then turned classroom ac- tivities into profits. Work normally performed as part of a teacher’s salary is gradually being replaced with computerized lessons and ever more standardized tests at enormous costs. This model has set the stage for U.S Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her corpora- tion-friendly devaluation of public education. THE RESULT? Before No Child Left Behind, kids normally took only three or four standardized tests from kindergarten through graduation. Now students in 4J and other dis- tricts take up to 120 standardized tests in addition to classroom tests and quizzes! And strangely, the Oregon Department of Education is considering adding even more standardized tests. Since Oregon launched the state’s Smarter Balanced tests three years ago, our overall standardized test spending has exploded to over $80 million annually. (Figure based on research through Oregon Rep. Susan McLain, a state contract and a grant application we’ll post online.) Yet training to improve teaching dropped by millions! Electives like music, art, shop and PE all but disappeared. And key student services ranging from nurses to counselors rose a mere $125,000 annually — only 25 cents per student per year! We must restore a balance. Schools are not factories. Kids are not products. Learning is not output production. Teachers are not in- put and output managers. Educational leaders should not be production supervisors and enforcers. Make your voice heard and put a stick into the spokes. Contact your kids’ teachers, their principal and your school board members to demand we rebalance our spending, reduce standardized testing and restore electives and student services. The timing is perfect; the state budget and test contracts are under negotiation. Opt out now! Larry Lewin, Rachel Rich and Roscoe Caron are former middle and high school teachers in Eugene and Springfield Districts. All are members of CAPE, the Community Alliance for Public Education, a coalition of parents, teachers, professors, students and community members who challenge the many assaults on public education and who believe that strong public education is the foundation for Ameri- can democracy. We meet the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Mondays at 4:30 pm at Perugino in downtown Eugene. For more information, visit CAPE’s website at oregoncape.org.
