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J anuary 29, 1997 • Tm P o k ii and O ksi rvi r
E ducation
P age A4
“Who’s Who” honors student
excellence at MHCC
'Schools of M erit’ honored
Ten Oregon schools with high
numbers of students from low -in­
come families have been recog­
nized as "schools of merit" by the
Oregon Department of Education.
The schools posted high scores on
slate tests and provide students with
exceptional learning opportunities.
Three schools will be forwarded
to the U S . Department of Educa­
tion as nominees lor National Title
I D istinguished Schools status
They are Huntington School. Inde­
pendence Elementary School and
Barnes Elementary School in Bea­
verton
The other seven recognized
schools are W oodlawn Elementary
School, Portland; Blanco Middle
School, Eanglois; W ashington Ele­
mentary School, Medlord; Scott E l­
em entary School, Salem; Mosier
Elementary, and Mid Valley and
PineGroveelementary schools, Hixxl
River.
These schools receive federal dol­
lars through the Title 1 program to
help boost the academic skills of
children.
"Our test results show that good
th in g s are hap p en in g in these
schools,” said Slate Schools Supl.
Norma Paulus. "All Oregon schools
can learn from them."
Barnes Elementary provides a
wealth of learning opportunities lor
students for whom English is a Sec­
ond Language. Technology support
for theses students and expansive
business and volunteer partnerships
reinforce student success
Huntington School, with inno­
vative instruction and career devel­
opment and jobs exploration pro­
grams, m aintains outstanding test
scores on the state assessment.
Independence Elementary, with
a strong parent volunteer program,
effectively involves Spanish-speak­
ing parents in their children s edu­
cation and meets English literacy
goals for students through a variety
o f instructional approaches.
All ten schools will serve as m od­
els and receive state assistance in
sharing their success with other
Oregon schools.
Thirty-five students from Mt
Hixxl Community College have been
chosen as outstanding campus lead­
ers by the national honors program
"W ho’s Who Among Students in
American Junior Colleges" The stu­
dents will be presented in a presti­
gious publication by the same name.
Students are nominated based on
their academic achievement, service
to the community, leadership in ex­
tracurricular activities and potential
for continued success. They join an
elite group from more than 1,800
institutions of higher learning in all
L u s tric i o
o iu iiiu i«
50 states, the District
ol i L Columbia
■ ■
.
l i
_ »’
: .J
remains totally unacceptable." said
State Schools Supt. Norma Paulus.
“A school system must question it­
self when more than 25 percent ot its
students don’t complete the process."
Oregon students who dropped our
last year cited irrelevant course work
as the number one reason lor leaving.
Paulus said the state's unproved
economy is luring high school stu­
dents,” she said. Noting that the
State
set m
high
Mate Board
Boaru of
oi c Education
u u c a iiu ii sci
g ii
iz. v t ' standards
i n / l ' i r z R lu « last
t t ill (all
1 f o r tor the
academic
Certificate of Initial Mastery. Paulus
said, "Schixils need to beet up their
curriculum and give students hands-
on experience in the workplace.
Scott Mutchie, superintendent of
Bend-LaPine School District which
has a dropout rate ol 4.2 percent,
agrees.
“W e’re changing our high schools
to create more opportunities for kids
to meet
said Mutchie
...w . success," ~----------
-----
are;
Jo n a th a n E. A ho, T rev o r J.
Bodine, Matthew R. Brown, Karin
R Deeke, Carlos M De l a R o sa,
Melissa R. Durr, Yvonne R. Gardner,
Margaret C. Goodsell. Jetlrey W,
Hanks, Amy A. Hirsh, Aaron L.
Hodges,
SaraT. Holden, Rebecca L
&--------------
Portland residents named
distinguished sophomore
High school dropout rate dips
O regon’ s high school dropout de­
clined slightly last school year. The
Oregon Department ol Education
reported that 7.2 percent of all O re­
gon students in grades 9 - 12 dropped
out during the 1995-96 school year,
down from 7.4 percent 1994-95. T he
one-year rale translates to 26.6 per­
cent four-year rate tor the Class ol
1996.
"I am pleased our dropout rate is
ight direction,
direction, but
but it
it
headed in the right
Hollen. Gregory J Judkins. David
E. Eaughm an. Gregory J Lind,
Vanita B McConnell. Christine G.
M cG ettigan. Y onaira M artinez.
Nancy M Miller, Stacey Nelson,
Laura L. Norcult. Gayle L Parker,
Kathryn L. Sheppard. Kimberly M
Short-Southern, Linda S. Smith.
Keri L. Stone, Lon A. Sweeney,
Karl Lee Swope, Patricia A. Tho­
mas, SonyaC. Trammel, Michael R
Turley, Amy M. Viceroy. Natsumi
W atanabe and Paul R. Zeller
The honors program selects stu­
dents each kill. In nominating sec­
ond-year college.
and several foreign nations.
Outstanding students have been
honored in the annual directory since
it was first published in 190b The
Mt. Hoixl Community College stu­
dents to be included in the 1997
edition of "W ho’s Who Among Stu­
dents in American Junior Colleges'
Nili Schiffman, a resident of Port­
land, Ore., we recently named a
Distinguished Sophomore by Bos­
ton University’s College ol Arts and
Sciences. The top 40 students in the
College's sophomore class, which
includes more than 1,500 students
this year, are selected lor this honoi
on the basis ol the outstanding grade
point averages they achieved during
,E,.iohtor nt'
daughter
ol Charles a and Marsha
Schiffman of Flanders Street.
Boston University is the third-
largest independent university in the
United States, with an enrollment ol
nearly 3O.(XX) students in its 15
schools and colleges. The Col lege ol
Ai ls and Sciences, which is the core
ol Boston University, otters degrees
m KM) diilerein disciplines.
their freshman year.
Schiffman is majoring in art his­
tory and religion. She is a Trustee
Scholar and a student in the Univer­
sity's Honors Program. She serves
as the educational programmer for
the Hillel Student Board and sings
as a member ol Koi Echad, a Jewish
a cappella chorus A graduate ol
Lincoln High School, she is the
o
Ebonics: The hidden issue is about teacher certification
.........
in D k . K i m i O klani »«» H u io n
Let’s put to rest the debate about
Ebonics being a language, a dialect
or slang. Empirical studies have been
done to support the fact that it is
indeed a functional language.
Bigger issues regarding Ebonics
are; I ) teacher certification and 2)
expanding the public education def­
inition of bilingual education and/or
E SI.-English as a Second Language.
Approximately 90 percent ol pub­
lic school teachers are white (Euro­
pean American) and while many
may grumble silently about faculty
development and Ebonics as a part
of getting a job, who do you think
sist ’ The
will resist?
The many
many whiles
whites and
and
other non-Black teachers who dom ­
inate the ranks.
So it is much easier to question
Ebonics than discuss greater issues
o f human empowerment and re
sources for African children, par­
ents and teachers.
Did you know that English is a
borrowed language comprised ol
Arabic, Latin, French and Atrican
languages while Ebonics is as old as
humankind?
W e suspect that the issue ol
Ebonics will be discussed well into
the 21st century. In fact, I have a
1986 article by Dr. Ernie X. Smith
titled, “Ebonics and the Standard
English
Englisn Barrier"
Barrier that
inai I i periodically
peuouicany
cite. This is a l()-year-old article
A lso, during the C h ristm a s/
K w an/aa holiday I went into my
personal library and came across
two related books that I have had for
over 20 years, "Black English by
J.L. D illard (1972) and "B lack
American English" by Paul Stoller
(1975).
Yes, this issue has been around
for sometime and it has ram ifica­
tions beyond Oakland. California.
Now, about Jesse Jackson and
Maya Angelou! In some ways their
immediate responses to Ebonics were
similar to those ot some critics ot the
Million Man March.
Remember how ..............-
some in the white -
media quickly found Atrican critics
ot the march such as Angela Davis,
Julienne Malveaux and Manning
Mai able? And in some cases it didn't
lake much looking.
Yes, critics are important to dis­
course and often provide invaluable
insight to a topic, however I am hard
pressed to think of too many instanc­
es when the white m ediacollectively
endorses African re-empowerment
issues.
Sometimes, however, it is just
better to say, :I don't know or let
me consult with some other with
more direct knowledge or just let me
have some time to reflect on the
issue."
,ii,irt'i ft™
iiia llv
Jackson didn't
do th:ii
that in
initially
and as a result some wondered il he
flip flopped for some other "shake-
down" reason instead of looking at
the issues beneath the surtace.
According to Dr. A.S. Diamond
of the British Supreme Court, in his
1962 book, "The History and Origin
of Language.” "It might seem likely
that we should f ind the clearest evi­
dences of the origin of speech near
the areas where man arose. To the
present author the evidence seems to
indicate as the birthplace of man the
areas around the great lakes ol East
Africa."
Smith in his paper also takes the
position that "archeological evidence
is irrefutable that the original man is
the Asiatic Black sounds. '
Smith further notes that. Black
sounds then, |Ebonics| always were
and always will be Hence, in the
deep structure of Black speakers,
there is a cognitive process and deep
phonology that is not the same as
that of non-Blacks."
Dr. AishaBlackshire-Belay,a lin­
guist and chair ol African Studies at
Indiana State University also noted
that “Ebonics represents the oral
tradition of African people . We speak
American English but we also have
another language, which is our own
language-E bonics It is indeed oui
first language."
What would W.E.B. Du Bois have to say about Black English
by Sidney E. Morse
W hen the Oakland, California
School District sanctioned so-called
"Black English" as an official lan­
guage, its stated justification for this
controversial move was to negate
the stigm a” placed on African-
American students who come form
communities that have developed
their own dialect.
Sometimes, in order to strategi­
cally understand where we are go­
ing, it is beneficial to intellectual ot
the 20th century, attended both Fisk
University and the University of Ber­
lin before becoming the first person
of African descent to obtain a doc-
toratc from Harvard. Throughout
his life, both his vision and scholar­
ship emphasized education as a key
to improving the standard of living
for African Americans nationwide.
Dr. Du bois, seemingly wise be­
yond the years, anticipated the ram ­
ifications ot change and positioned
him self on "the cutting edge" as the
period ruled by agriculture gave way
to the "Industrial Revolution in the
late 1800s. If he were alive today, in
his wisdom, he would see similar
dynamics occurring as we witness
the age of information taking con­
trol in preparation tor the arrival of
the 21st century.
____
In the summer of 1906, W E B
Du Bois would give a now famous
speech, "The Hampton Idea", as­
sailing the reliance ot Hampton In­
stitute and others like it on the deliv­
ery of practical education in an ellort
to prepare the then considered "less
capable” African American for jobs;
a perception 1 might add. that has
since been changed. He would go on
to use these same themes across the
country to warn Af rican Americans
of the dangers of this idealogy and
how il would not only result in hand­
icapping of intellectual ambition,
but it creates a comfortability with
“second-best” status in society as a
Ramaley leaves Portland State
Judith A Ramaley, whose em ­
phasis on community service learn­
ing, curricular reform and urban
initiatives helped Portland Stale
University gain national accolades,
is leaving PSU to become the 24th
president of the University ol V er­
mont, in Burlington, Vermont.
Ramaley was appointed today by
the University of Verm ont’s Board
of Trustees, according to an an­
nouncement by University of Ver­
mont officials Ramaley was one of
two finalists for the position.
Ramaley, 56, begins her new
post July I She will remain at
Portland State until about mid June,
she said.
Joe Cox, chancellor of the O re­
gon State System of Higher Educa­
tion. said he will begin m eeting
with Portland State constituent
groups next week to consult and
discuss the search process and tune
frame for Ramaley’s replacement.
"Judith Ramaley has had a re­
markable tenure at Portland Slate
and has taken the University aquan-
tumdistance,’ Cox said "She leaves
behind an institution of l().(XX) stu­
dents (undergraduate and gradu­
ate), I .OCX) faculty and nearly 2.000
staff members. Major issues their
include stagnant state funding and
enrollm ent, and attracting a more
diverse student body. She will suc­
ceed Thomas Salmon, who is retir­
ing. Ramaley will earn $157,000 a
year at Vermont. Currently, she re­
ceives an annual salary of $ 13(),(XX).
Ramaley said she was proud of
Portland State’s accomplishments
and honored to have served the stale
o f Oregon.
"Portland State University is a
very special institution and it has
been a privilege and an honor to
serve as president of this fine univer­
sity lor seven years." Ramaley said.
"We have faced numerous challeng­
es with spirit and integrity, and have
responded to the grateful tor what I
have learned here and for the con­
stant generosity and courage that I
have witnessed every day among our
students, our faculty and staff, our
graduates and our community part­
ners.”
Ramaley said she was drawn to
the Vermont position because ot the
opportunity to be in a unique lead­
ership position, particularly as the
university transforms itself into a
stronger research institution.
"The University of Vermont has
always placed a strong emphasis on
undergraduate education, while at
the same time developing a full ar-
ray of graduate and professional
programs that reflect the needs of
the state of Vermont and the North­
east." Ramaley said. "The Univer­
sity ot Vermont has many of the
advantages of a private institution,
combined with a land-grant mis­
sion and a strong commitment to
serving the public good. I believe
Vermont can lead the way in rein
terpreting the land-grant mission
for the 21st Century."
Ramaley said she will continue
to be active in leading PSU during
the next live months O f particular
attention will be the seeking ol in­
creased state support tor PSU and
higher education in the upcoming
session of the Oregon Legislature.
"1 still have goals to accomplish
here and I intend to devote my full
time and attention to Portland State
over the next few months." she said
“My immediate priorities arc to pre
pare for the legislative session
ahead, and to continue to work with
the faculty, staff and students to
build our aw ard-winning under
graduate curriculum and to identify
and develop the many opportuni­
ties in graduate education, research
and community partnerships that
await Portland State as a national
model of the urban university.
whole.
In the debate, Dr. Du Bois would
astutely observe that as was true at the
turn of the century, the power and
ability of a people to move up the
socio-economic ladder in America is
profoundly impacted by its ability to
read, write, interpret and calculate.
So, as this rather surprising issue
reappears, it is apparent that what
we are really talking about here is
literally. Dr. Du Bois would have
most assuredly declared that the pro­
motion of "Black English as an
official language is to say that illiter­
acy is "Okay" for African Ameri­
cans.
Portland
residents
earn
Concordia
degrees
The Rev. Dr. Chris J Reinke, a
Lutheran pastor from Anchorage,
Alaska. Alaska received an honor­
ary degree of Doctor of Laws tor his
work in establishing the Alaska Road
Ministry. Reinke was also the com­
mencement speaker.
Founded in 1905, Concordia Uni­
versity has been awarding bache­
lor s degrees since 1980. three years
after its successful transition from a
junior college. Its 1,100 students are
enrolled in one of five colleges; Arts
& Sciences. Business, Education.
Health Care A dministration, and
Theological Studies. The University
offered its first graduate level de­
grees in June 1996 with the intro­
duction of three m aster's degree pro­
grams in the College of Education.
Unique baccalaureate degree pro­
g ram ’s include; E nvironm ental
Remediation and Hazardous M ate­
rials M anagem ent. H ealth Care
Administration and Business M an­
agement and Communications, a
degree completion program
He would also strongly denounce
it as a condition that it unacceptable
in the context of our struggle. He
would not retreat to a secondary
language that would imply in any
way. form or fashion that we cannot
compete with any measure of intel­
lectual prowess.
Just as he did then, today. Dr. Du
Bois would recognize that English is
the verbal currency of commerce the
world over. He would have grave
concerns about Ebonics because he
would also know that so-called
"Black English" will not be the con­
textual language of the near 60 mil­
lion people now using the Internet to
create a new venue lor a globi
global econ­
create
omy.
No, in the end. W illiam Edward
Burghardt Du Bois would not be
happy to see an investment in re­
gression. occurring at the very dawn
of progress he foresaw and hoped
would be realized in his own life­
time He would promote a language
that stimulates growth, opportunity
and partic ipation in an ever expand­
ing socio-economic universe. Lest
we completely forget our common
sense, contem poraries concerned
about African-American progress
and that of the nation as a whole,
would be wise to do the same.
February is
Black History Month
( all now to reserve advertising spaee,and
receive special display ad rates: (503) 288-0033.
In Last Comes the Ugg, Bruce
Duffy manages the incred­
ible. Here is an American
novel that brings into
uncanny focus the mysteries
o f life, death and lunar
weirdness o f adults—all as
seen through the X-ray eyes
o f a kid. The k id’s name is
Frank Dougherty, and when
he’s twelve his extravagant
mother fails him in the most
profound way possible: she
dies. In her wake, she leaves a
new T-Bird his family can’t
afford and a host o f troubling
questions. Yet, perversely,
Frank feels more alive than
ever. And, in all innocence,
he fights back.
POWELL’S BOOKS
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