8A | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS
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SAILORS from page 7A
While gender identity issues
with Salty have certainly been
discussed, it’s only a small part of
the broader conversation regard-
ing representation that the board
is dealing with, and the school is
trying to foster in conversation
with their students. What were
Jensen’s views on that?
“Oh gosh, that’s a hard one,”
she said. “Obviously, none of the
gender stuff bothers me. I’m try-
ing to think about this. … It’s just
what it’s always been. I guess my
main thing is, yes it should stay.
But if there’s going to be a big talk
about it, I would say put some-
thing more neutral down. But I
really don’t know.”
Religious symbol
“It starts with gender, but it
also has to do with race, ethnic-
ity and disability,” O’Mara said.
“Those are four protected classes
where Salty comes in.”
Comments regarding the
Salty debate have been centered
around the fact that he is male,
but what is often overlooked is
that he is also white and not visi-
bly disabled.
“I can’t think of any human
mascot that does not discrimi-
nate any protected class,” O’Mara
said.
But recognizing that fact, and
discussing it with the students,
is what she believes makes this
moment in Mapleton history im-
portant.
“I think this gives us an op-
portunity to help our students
broaden their perspectives, in-
stead of just staying with the sta-
tus quo. It’s our jobs as educators
to open our students’ minds to
different perspectives, different
viewpoints. When you go out
into the world after high school,
it’s all there. And you have to
be able to adapt and work with
them. That means we have to
talk about these things, even if it
is a hard conversation. Helping
the students work through those
conversations is our job, and
that’s why we’re excited.”
Of course, discovering differ-
ent viewpoints is something that
adults constantly deal with as
well, a concept that was on full
display during the board meeting
when the logos were revealed.
Three of the logos featured
a depiction of Salty. One was a
warship, submitted by former
teacher Will Crook.
“It represents strength, tradi-
tion and success, relevant to all
students,” was the way the logo
was described. “If the students at
Mapleton are sailors, all sailors
belong aboard ship.”
However, a member of the au-
dience pointed out that the ship
could be considered too milita-
ristic.
Then there was an anchor, sur-
rounded by a ring of rope.
“The anchor is a symbol of
strength and stability. The anchor
relates to all students, whether
they are scholars, athletes, avid
readers, college bound, trade
bound, actors or actresses, danc-
ers, writers, comedians, etc. The
rope keeps us from drifting apart
and helps stabilize the anchor.”
The anchor is a staple within
the Mapleton logo wheelhouse,
gracing t-shirts and uniforms
— especially as the school has a
large anchor sitting outside the
building.
But during public comments,
the notion of using an anchor ran
into a problem.
“You had a symbol of the an-
chor and the rope,” they said. “It’s
a symbol of Christianity. It means
different things. It could be hon-
oring someone who passed. If
you have a cross on it, it means
someone else. If you go with the
anchor, how long before some-
one is going to say, ‘I don’t agree
with that because that’s not what
I believe in.’ To me, the anchor
could give a lot of uproar to dif-
ferent religions and beliefs.”
The board members, and most
in the room, seemed surprised by
the reference.
“I think we all went home and
Googled that,” Burruss said the
day after. “I was shocked, but also
really appreciative of the com-
ment. That is the kind of thing
we’re trying to bring out into the
conversation and understand
exactly what the issues are out
there. We were clearly missing
that one.”
Mapleton has multiple logos in
the school, including the anchor,
a capital M, a schooner boat and,
of course, Salty. As of right now,
the board is only focusing on
Salty in the gym.
“But I would think it makes
sense for public materials to be
consistent,” Burruss said. “We ha-
ven’t gotten that far in that con-
versation. Those decisions will
be informed by the conversation
we’re having now.”
Does that mean the Mapleton
anchor is now an issue?
“We’re going to consider it,”
Burruss said. “It’s information we
didn’t have before, and it would
be hard to not consider it. I per-
sonally feel, at this point, there’s
enough of a separation. The use
of an anchor on a boat is clear,
but I could be wrong. I didn’t
know about that symbology until
yesterday. Of course, we’ll con-
sider that aspect now that we
know about it. Once you know,
you have to add it to the conver-
sation.”
But this conversation can be
frustrating to many involved.
Politically correct
“I’m just a little torn up about
this!” one person wrote on Face-
book about the issue. “Upset,
mad and disappointed about
this topic even being considered.
Why change Salty? This is a Ma-
pleton icon! You cannot change
history! Just to make gender neu-
tral happy. Just a bunch a crap!”
Another said, “Don’t sell out to
political correctness.”
The vast majority of Ameri-
cans have grown weary of polit-
ical correctness. A recent study
by the international research
initiative More in Common fund
that 80 percent of the population
believes political correctness is
a problem in the United States.
While some of the Facebook
posters blamed younger gener-
ations for the Salty debate, the
study found that 79 percent of
people under the age of 24 were
uncomfortable with political cor-
rectness.
The reasons people are un-
comfortable are various. For
some, it’s the constant struggle of
trying to figure out which form
of language they should use. For
others, it’s the fear (or for some,
exhaustion) of being told they are
wrong or discriminatory.
Is the discussion surrounding
the possibility of changing Salty
just kowtowing to an overly-sen-
sitive minority? Are people who
believe Salty should stay hateful
and non-inclusive?
“My answer is an unequivocal
no,” Burrus said. “I think every
one of us are making the deci-
sions that we strive to make in
today’s environment, and that
changes over time. What’s im-
portant to a group of people
in one time can be different to
what’s important to them at a dif-
ferent time.”
If the board does decide to take
away Salty, which it has not done,
will people view that as a person-
al attack on their heritage and
morals?
“Part of the frustration to me
is, I can’t answer that question
in a way that makes people not
feel personally attacked,” Burruss
said. “Even with the suggestion
that we were considering differ-
ent things, I think people did feel
so attacked personally to what
was important to them. Some
of the pain of this is, there’s no
coming out of it with everybody
feeling exactly what I want ev-
eryone to feel, which is included
and supported. Because there are
people who feel really strong-
ly one way or the other, and we
won’t be able to do the thing that
people feel strongly about. There
are groups that won’t feel repre-
sented, which is ironic because
that’s exactly what we’re trying to
do, is be representative.”
And then there’s the nation-
al politics of the day. Just hours
before the Mapleton School
Board meeting, President Don-
ald Trump held a political rally
in which he stated he could not
use the phrase “the girl who got
away.”
“There’s an expression, but un-
der the rules of #MeToo, I am not
allowed to use that expression
anymore. I can’t do it,” he said,
talking about the Republican
Party’s past inability to win the
state of Pennsylvania. “Pennsyl-
vania was always the person that
got away. That’s pretty good.”
With the polarization of Amer-
ica, it’s possible that one political
party will condemn (and sup-
port) Mapleton’s decision solely
based on their decision on the
30th.
“That’s why this is so hard to
know that this conversation will
be politicized, because it’s the ex-
act opposite of what we’re trying
to do: Value each other beyond
affiliations,” Burruss said. “That’s
the school’s responsibility to
strive for that. But yet, it will be
used to drive wedges and to sepa-
rate. I don’t know how to fix that.
What we’re talking about here is
trying to support a student, re-
gardless of their political opin-
ions. It’s really trying to make a
space where everybody can feel
we could support them. You can
come here and go about your day
feeling like it’s a place where you
belong. That’s the kind of place
we want to create. That’s where
I feel this discussion is coming
from. I understand it’s a highly
politicized issue, but that’s not
where the school board is com-
ing from.”
It’s an issue of community, one
that Burruss and the Mapleton
School board hold dear.
In the community, there are
different politics and genders and
sexual orientations, disabilities,
religions, races and cultures. And
that’s something to talk about.
“We are the Sailors and we will
always will be the Sailors,” board
member Marilyn Fox said during
the meeting, clarifying a rumor
that the board was considering
doing away with the term “Sail-
ors.”
“We’ve always been the Sailors,
and it was never an intent to not
be the Sailors. Now is the time for
the whole community, as Sailors,
to come together on this. We’re
working together on this and we
have the interest of the Sailors in
mind. We just need to work to-
gether and come up with some-
thing that’s awesome.”
To view the final logo submis-
sions, enter another submission,
and to leave a comment for the
board, visit mapleton.k12.or.us
and click on the “Gym Floor
Logo Comments” tab.
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Shorewood Senior Living
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Siuslaw News
Jared Anderson has been the
Community Reporter at Siuslaw
News since July. He is a grad-
uate of the University of Utah
with a degree in Theater Studies
and an emphasis on playwriting
and film history. He has worked
for the Veterans Administration
doing analytical research, edited
scholarly articles on film and
taught special education for chil-
dren with autism and behavioral
issues.
Jared
Anderson
148 Maple St. • Florence • 997-3441
WELCOME TO SHOREWOOD
RICK CHARLES
Rick says… “I was born to cook”. He
actually began cooking professionally at age
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ing Rick cook was like “Poetry in motion.
He can Multi-multi task.” He has Southern
roots and it shows in the signature dish of;
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having the freedom to use my creativity.”
Thank you Rick for joining our team and helping make Shorewood
Senior Living a great place to live.
1451 Spruce St. Florence, OR 97439
541-997-8202
Siuslaw News
Mark Brennan has been the
City Beat reporter at Siuslaw
News since October 2016.
He is a proud graduate of the
University of Oregon, having
attained a Bachelor of Science
degree from the Allen School of
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tified Master Recycler, brewer,
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plays acoustic bass when time
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Mark
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148 Maple St. • Florence • 997-3441
Siuslaw News
Ned Hickson has been with
Siuslaw News since 1998, where
he was sports editor for 17 years
until becoming Editor in 2016.
He is an award-winning syndicat-
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Media Corporation and has been
recognized for his photography,
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Society of Professional Journalists
and Oregon Newspaper Publishers
Association. He is the author of
“Humor at the Speed of Life” and
“Pearls of Writing Wisdom: from
16 shucking years as a columnist.”
Ned
Hickson
Editor
148 Maple St. • Florence • 997-3441