local news
Freedom
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The PBS exhibit is based on the docu-
mentary, “Freedom Riders,” by filmmaker
Stanley Nelson that premiered on PBS’s
“American Experience” May 2011.
Raymond Arsenault’s book, “Freedom
Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial
Justice,” on which the film is based, is con-
sidered the definitive history of the
Freedom Rides.
Roosevelt Principal Charlene Williams
says, “Roosevelt High School is building a
college-going culture, fueled by a dose of
ice and deeds.”
The “Freedom Riders, Fighters & Writers
Exhibit” was designed to accomplish the
following goals: to inform and inspire local
citizens about the role the Freedom Rides
played in the Civil Rights Movement; to
honor Portland’s local Freedom Riders and
Fighters; to engage local audiences in
exploring ways to take a stand for social
justice; to support local students’ travels to
historic black colleges and civil rights sites;
and to provide an opportunity for Roosevelt
students to advance and high-
light their writing and presen-
tation skills.
The students, under the
direction of Roosevelt’s
Writing and Publishing
Center facilitator, Kate
McPherson, spent the sum-
mer and fall of 2011 conduct-
ing oral history interviews
with two Portland-area Freedom Riders, as
well as other local men and women engaged
in social justice work. They also inter-
viewed staff in Mayor Sam Adams’ office,
The Oregonian and Powells Books to learn
about public service, journalism and career
choices. Material gathered through these
During the month of January, a
“Freedom Riders, Fighters &
Writers Exhibit” created by
Roosevelt High School students
moral indignation. Students of color and
those in poverty are statistically less likely
to go to college. Adults and students at
Roosevelt are not OK with that. They are
rallying around the recognition that educa-
tion is a civil right. And starting in January,
they’ll show what they mean in words, serv-
Roosevelt High School students researching the Civil Rights movement toured
the Oregonian offices, where they met reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, second
from left. Photo courtesy Roosevelt High School
interviews provided inspiration for the cre-
ation of poems, narratives and artwork for
the exhibit as well as to improve their writ-
ing and research skills.
First person contacts with individuals
involved in social justice work provided
powerful experiences for understanding his-
torical events and community problems.
Roosevelt student Dorian Erich says, “To be
a Freedom Fighter does not mean to be
something
extremely
big
or
perfect…Becoming a Freedom Fighter will
change lives for [a] better future.”
Criminal charges? No.
“It just doesn’t make sense. We have to be
smarter about how we help kids and fami-
lies.”
Jonathan Cloud, a delinquency prevention
specialist, said brain development
research should guide policy.
Children are hardwired to mirror the
adults around them, and the experi-
ences they have, he said. Comfort
and safety are essential and so are
joy and pleasure.
“The best things you all can do, is
construct experiences that turn the
brain on and help kids understand what they
can do.”
“The kids you’re working with don’t have
a lot of positive “files” to draw from: The
guy down the street who beats people up the
drug dealer. Whatever is on late night TV. A
kid in domestic violence will have the neuro
track for aggression locked in.”
“I want to load his file cabinet up with
tons and tons of possible files to draw from
so that when he gets to 14 or 15 he has a lot
of successful experiences to draw from.”
Cloud said that teens are hardwired to
take risks, challenge authority and seek
excitement. Breaking rules and making mis-
takes have to be understood as efforts to
find their own unique path in life.
Hill Walker, a researcher from the
University of Oregon has studied children
from pre-kindergarten through adulthood.
He called for more investment in preven-
tion. Children with problems can be identi-
fied very early, he said. The research shows
that when families get support from pre-
kindergarten through 3rd grade, children
don’t fall into crime.
email last January to professors to be more
accommodating for the BCS Championship
game.
For example, UO professor Peter Laufer
arranged a compromise that allowed one of
his students to miss class and instead, com-
plete an alternate assignment that incorpo-
rated his trip to Arizona for the game. As a
The report points out that 211 out of 218
Division 1 athletic departments received
subsidies in 2010. According to researchers,
the average subsidy increased 25 percent to
nine million dollars from 2006 to 2010.
“Our results suggest the subsidies should be
the other way around,” says Swensen.
However, Swensen admits the researchers
weren’t able to obtain specific infor-
mation on subsidies received by UO’s
Athletic Department. Also, he says
there haven’t been studies on the
effects of other sports seasons on stu-
dent grades.
Hope suggests the student body’s
fixation with football might come
down to a simpler issue.
“The whole school can’t really rally
around the science department,” she says.
“However, everyone can participate in foot-
ball in some way.”
Reform
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them up to fail.
“We shouldn’t leave them with convic-
tions,” said Judge Patricia Martin. “Why
haven’t we thought about automatic
expungement for juveniles?
“Do you know how many kids in
child protection can’t get a job
because they have a conviction?”
A staggering one in three
Americans have been arrested by
the time they are 25, a new federal
study reported this month. The
crimes? Most common are arson,
disorderly behavior, vandalism,
burglary and theft.
Researchers said the figures may reflect a
criminal justice system that has become
increasingly inflexible and focused on pun-
ishment to the detriment of prevention.
International studies show the United
States jails more people than any other
Western democracy: 714 for every 100,000
people, compared to 96 for Germany, 91 for
France and 142 for Britain which has the
highest rate in Europe.
A staggering one in three
Americans have been arrested
by the time they are 25
At the Dec. 9 conference, Judge Martin
condemned what she called “fake” crimes.
A boy in a state institution took a candy bar
from the storeroom, she said, and was
charged with trespassing on state property
and robbery. Consequences? Yes, she said.
Study
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Female grades were also affected but the
study suggests that grade curving masked
the
severity
of
the
results.
Elizabeth Hope, who also attends UO, sug-
gests that the gap between male and female
achievement during fall term could be due,
in part, to societal constructs.
According to the study, only ten percent
of female students watched zero football
games in 2010. Even less males reported
not watching a single game.
Across racial lines, the survey found that
black male students are the most affected by
the football team’s success.
“There are relatively few non-white stu-
dents so those results are suggestive at
best,” says Isaac Swensen, a coauthor of the
report. “80 percent of the sample were
white students.”
According to the UO’s campus profile,
people of color make up only 17.6 percent
of the student population; less than two per-
cent of the student body is Black.
The lack of Black students is one of the
reasons Harris is skeptical of the study.
“Even if they interviewed every African
American student there still wouldn’t be a
reasonable survey size,” he says. “I don’t
buy it right now. There could be other fac-
tors like the economy. Plus fall term is
weird for many students anyway.”
The researchers acknowledge that most of
the hype generated for the football team
comes from students rather than the univer-
sity’s promotion.
Some examples include students
wearing athletic apparel around cam-
pus and attempting to lobby their pro-
fessors for leniency on game days
during the school week.
In response to the survey question,
“Does the success of the University
of Oregon football team decrease the
amount of time you study for class-
es?”, males were more than twice as
likely to answer “probably” and “definite-
ly.” However, the majority of both males
and females responded “definitely not” and
“probably
not.”
Both professors and students acknowledge
that the school tries to work with students
when conflicts arise with athletic events and
class schedules.
Harris says the university sent out an
Across racial lines, the survey
found that black male students
are the most affected by the
football team’s success.
part of an interview class, he assigned the
student to interview one person at every gas
station he stopped at and then compile an
essay from the series of interviews.
Nonetheless, researchers suggest that the
gender gap in grades and the seemingly
negative effect of football season on GPAs
across the board can be addressed by a real-
location of resources to academics.
Read the rest of this story online at
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January 4, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 3