Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Wednesday
December 17, 1980
Dr. Fr
, 31 af
Slouch
By Jim Earle
I’ve sure been getting more respect since I took up the violin.
RADAR fights schools’
vandals, absentees
By PATRICIA McCORMACK
United Press International
A RADAR club helps combat vandalism,
absenteeism, pesky antics on school buses and
other problems at Huntington High in Shreve
port, La., Principal Thomas C. Archey says in
the National Association of Secondary School
Principals “Bulletin.
Other problems RADAR helps curb include
these, common to most high schools: littering,
disrespect toward teachers, disturbances at
assembly programs.
RADAR has nothing to do with trapping
wayward students via electronic circuitry — the
way a state trooper may nab a speeder.
It’s an acronym standing for Raiders Active
on Duty Assisting Raiders.
Archey said RADAR members encourage
students to follow school rules by providing
them with positive examples — “and by using
the art of gentle persuasion.”
RADAR recruits members from among stu
dents with good discipline records and at least a
“C” average.
“The RADAR students, divided into eight
teams of 10 members each, are instructed to
intervene in campus disturbances in their
assigned areas with assistance from other mem
bers whenever possible,” Archey says.
“Other duties include monitoring res
trooms, student assemblies, and other school
activities.
“Students start working when they board
their school buses in the morning and continue
until they get off their buses at the end of the
school day.”
This question comes up: is RADAR a spy
organization that makes a list of infractions
against school rules run up by various cut-ups
and tattles?
“Nope,” says Archey.
. “The students do not report violations of
school rules to administrators.
“Instead, serious violations are reported to
the club sponsors.
“Club members are able to handle many
minor incidents that would otherwise have
been reported to the principal.”
What if being on RADAR duty interferes
with a member’s schoolwork? Getting late to
class, for example.
“Students who are late for their classes be
cause they have been handling campus prob
lems are admitted to their classrooms by show
ing their special RADAR club cards,” Archey
says.
So what’s the bottom line, the payoff?
The RADAR club was formed in the fall of
1979. In the first three months Huntington
High was feeling the results, the principal says,
there were:
— Fewer suspensions.
— Increased daily attendance. (On an aver
age day, eight percent of the students enrolled
A Christmas card for Eddy
j Texas
is been
'Texas
ering.
The til
By BRIAN J. GROSS
Eddy was the kind of guy who didn’t fit into
our group very well; he didn’t fit into anyone’s
group very well. Eddy was a loner. He usually
came up to the high school either in the morn
ing, before school started, or at lunchtime. I
really didn’t know much about Eddy; he didn’t
go to high school (or any school), although I
didn’t know why; he worked in a garage some
where in town (I think), though I’d never gone
to see him, nor did I want to; he didn’t have any
family — at least I didn’t know of any.
But Eddy tried to fit in; he wanted to fit in.
He would usually come up to school and just
hang around, going from one group to another,
stopping whenever anybody would acknow
ledge him. He would sometimes stop at our
group, although none of us knew him (except by
name). We’d usually ignore him, but he’d stay
with us, listening to us talk, laughing at our
jokes, and sympathizing with our problems,
although none of us cared whether he sym
pathized or not.
Eddy always wore some greasy blue jeans, a
torn flannel shirt, and old high-top tennis shoes;
he always had a musty, stale gasoline odor,
which wasn’t particularly offensive, but not
really pleasant either. He was kind of lanky and
had blond hair, which was always dirty and
never combed; I don’t think he ever got a hair
cut in a barbershop; it wasn’t long, but it jutted
out at irregular lengths. I don’t think he ever
Reader's Forum
you don’t even know who I
We all stood there with our 11
em.
Senso
had anything to say; whenever he said some
thing, it would either be very stupid or very
irrelevent, and sometimes both. Eddy was a
kind of inside joke. One time a friend tore his
shirt in chemistry class; when talking about it
later at lunch (Eddy wasn’t with us that day), he
said he had borrowed the shirt from Eddy;
someone in the group asked, “What’s Eddy
wearing?” We all laughed, although we knew it
wasn’t very funny, not even then.
peering
hen he v
dent for
iewabh
ipositi<
’ eeri
But, I remember one incident in particular.
It was a few days before Christmas break. We
were standing in front of the school, waiting for
classes to start, when Eddy came running up to
us. He started to babble about his Christmas
card; he showed it to us all. The card was ob
viously several years old; it was yellow and torn
on the edges. One of the girls asked Eddy who
had sent him the card; he fumbled for an answer
and read the signature inside. “Who are those
people?” she persisted. And, then, something
most disquieting happened. The girl in our
group said, “Come off it, Eddy. You didn’t get
that card; you found it. It’s old and tom up —
e reque
in, the
Jjlt and
staring at Eddy and at each other.[^[Inceii
bled around, insisting he hadn
from some relatives out of tom 111
and we went inside; Eddy left, "
about the card.
By lunchtime we had forgotten
incident that morning; Eddydidnt
school. A couple of days later, we
the holidays. The spring semestei
Eddy still hadn’t come back to
one seemed to miss him. In Maid,||
came up one day, but didn tstopit
Someone hollered to him, "Howreif
Eddy?” He didn 't answer, and we!
off, like an inside joke.
1 saw Eddy maybe a
my senior year. He didn’t reallylmj|
anyone; he ignored us, andweij
we had no reason to talk to him. Oee
body asked, I wonder where
“Who cares?” was the response.E(ii|
sadder; he used to have a
face; now he looked melancholic.
The next year at Christmas has
college, reading the afternoon
accident section 1 noticed a hit-i
night before Eddy had been hit while
street; he died before anyone
city paid for his burial.
Brian J Gross is a senior econi
f
SAN
unty
inspir;
In cl
tant U.t
had bee
sufiici
‘0b(
Id sai
The
ivenq
Veve
jot me
cDon
d tf
derei
Defei
medi
in the nation’s public schools are absent. Na
tional health officials estimate the normal rate of
pupil absence due to illness to be around four or
five percent a year. In some areas absenteeism
averages 10 to 15 percent. The problem is more
acute in urban schools where absentee rates
may reach 30 percent or more.)
— Fewer fights.
— Decreased vandalism.
— Fewer litter problems on the campus.
— Fewer trays and less food left on the
cafeteria tables during the lunch shifts.
— Fewer problems on school buses.
— Fewer incidents of student disrespect
toward teachers.
— Fewer disturbances at assembly prob-
u.
DALE
were kilk
early Tu
chase goi
aa iutersl
1 The cl
when twe
“The RADAR club clearly illustrates that
student influence can make a difference,”
Archey tells fellow principals.
“The sense of belonging and pride in the
school and classroom are the keys.”
A related report in the “Bulletin” tells about
an unusual attendance policy at Ellison High in
Killeen.
The school for 2,400 — grades nine to 12 —
opened two years ago. During the first year it
had the best average daily attendance rate in
the district.
Why?
Robert L. Carruthers Jr., assistant professor
of education Memphis State University in Ten-
nesee, and John Driver, principal of Ellison,
say it is is due to the different attendance
policy.
Major points of Ellison’s policy are:
— Credit toward graduation will be with
held for any course in which the student has
been excessively absent. The policy is based on
the notion the student who attends school regu
larly gets maximum benefit, achieves higher
grades, enjoys school more and is more employ
able after leaving school.
— Students in the first two high school years
must bring a note from borne after having been
absent.
— A student is allowed six absences per
quarter per class without penalty (except for
truancies). Valid absences include personal ill
ness, medical or dental appointments, death in
the immediate family, or serious personal or
family problems.
— When a student runs up four absences
from any one class, a notice is mailed home.
After the sixth absence parents are given an
opportunity to schedule a conference with the
counselor or principal.
— A student absent from a class seven times
within a quarter will lose credit for that class.
The student has responsiblity for filing for an
appeal for credit — which may be granted if the
student makes up missed work.
— Three tardies of less than five minutes
equal one absence to that class. A tardy of more
than five minutes is considered an absence.
It’s your turn
j ■'readini
mes, fre
ubing a;
Creased i
Women athletes deserve kitchenette
Editor:
I would just like to comment on the issue
over kitchenettes and study lounges made for
the women athletes in the basement of Mosher
Hall. I think th it is only fair that the female
athletes of this campus are provided with such
facilities.
Unlike the male athletes, the girls are not
provided with their own dorm. The funds used
to build the kitchenettes were from a donation
made specifically for the girl athletes. The
women athletes have long practices, often mis
sing the allotted dinner time in the Common’s;
cafeteria. It is simple justice that they should
have some compensation.
There was an argument made that the space
could have been used for additional drafting
rooms and study carrels. I lived in Mosher for a
few semesters, and there are drafting rooms
that remain empty and study carrels seldom
used. There are many dorms on campus that
“egin in
The ir
|an 0 {
»nd i$ 1 0
. „ Bryai
Com;
lack study carrels, let alone drafting and typing
rooms, and no complaints were made on their
behalf about the facilities for the women
athletes.
I think that it is time we give tk
athletes on this campus the
deserve. I don’t think that donating it
one dorm to their specific use is IV
much. They work hard to represent^
and never ask for any thanks.
time that we give it to them.
: Wansio
i Iw emj
j wee.
The Battalion
I SPS 045 .160
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism C'ongres
Questions or comments concerning any edilod
should be directed to the editor.
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Rhonda Watters
Asst. Managing Editor Scott Haring
City Editor Becky Swanson
Asst. City Editor Angelique Copeland
Sports Editor Richard Oliver
Asst. Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy
Focus Editor Scot K. Meyer
Asst. Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
News Editors Lynn Blanco, Todd Woodard
Staff Writers Jennifer Afflerbach, Kurt Allen,
Nancy Andersen, Marcy Boyce, Jane G. Brust
Mike Burrichter, Pat Davidson, Cindy Gee
Jon Heidtke, Uschi Michel-iHowell, Debbie Nelson
Liz Newlin, Rick Stolle
Cartoonist 1 Scott McCullar
Photo Editor Pat O’Malley
Photographers Greg Gammon,
Jeff Kerber
LETTERS P0LICV
Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300
and are subject to being cut if they are longer. IM-
reserves the right to edit letters for style and toft’
make every effort to maintain the authors intent &
must also be signed, show the address andphonend
writer.
Columns and guest editorials are also welcomi, 1 *
subject to the same length constraints as letters ^
inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, Theh^
Heed McDonald, Texas A&M University,
77843.
The Battalion is published daily duringTejas I*' 1
spring semesters, except for holiday and examiM^
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, J33 W;
year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper op
erated as a community service to Texas A&M University and
Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily repre
sent the opinions of Texas A&M University administrators or
faculty members, or of the Board of Regents.
quest.
Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDorf 1
Texas A&M University, College Station, TXTiW
(
Ai
United Press International is entitled exclusn'd!*
for reproduction of all news dispatches credited I®' 1
reproduction of all other matter herein reserved
Second class postage paid at College Station, U