Schools: Blogtown, PDX, Portland Mercury

Where Your Money from Those Very Expensive Prince Tickets Went

Ned Lannamann — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:44:02 -0700

As NME reported last week and OPB reposted yesterday, Prince used part of the proceeds from those very expensive tickets to his two April 21 shows at the Roseland to help send Portland-area high school jazz students on a trip to a competition in New York City. The American Music Program's Pacific Jazz Orchestra is made up of musicians in grades 7 through 12 and, thanks to Prince, are going to the Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival at Lincoln Center this weekend, where they're one of only 15 finalists from across the country.

From NME:

Acclaimed jazz trumpeter and Artistic Director of the programme Thara Memory said: "The promoter [of Prince’s Portland gigs] is a longtime friend of mine and he told Prince about the programme. Prince was looking for something to give some money to anyway, and that’s how it came about."

Tickets for the two Portland shows were $175 for floor seats—substantially cheaper than tickets for Prince's shows in other markets like Seattle and San Francisco. Assigned balcony seating were $300. I believe there were several day-of-show tickets that went on sale for $100, and those may have been the tickets that, at least in part, went to fund the AMP's Pacific Jazz Orchestra's trip.

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Oregon House Votes for Daily Pledge of Allegiance

Virginia Alvino — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:59:30 -0700

The Oregon House Representatives this morning said okay to a bill that requires all schools in the state to allow time—every day—for the Pledge of Allegiance.

HB 3014 requires all Oregon classrooms, including public charter schools “to provide time for students to salute flag once daily during school hours.” School districts would also have to pay to procure flags—“of suitable size”—for every classroom.

The bill’s chief sponsor Representative Sal Esquivel, R-Medford, says the pledge is currently recited once a week, which he's decided isn't enough.

Groups like the ACLU of Oregon are opposed to the measure. In written testimony, legislative director Becky Straus says “in our view, the bill only serves to heighten existing concerns about the religious freedom implications of the current law.”

But most House reps don’t seem to share that sentiment. The bill’s vote in the House began with lawmakers sharing stories of veterans, and the proposition that reciting the pledge every day allows time to reflect on patriotism. The bill cleared the House 42-16.

Now the measure heads to the Senate where it can expect a vote in the next few weeks. If approved, students would still be able to opt-out, in accordance with a 1943 Supreme Court case. It's unclear what would happen if schools or districts tried to opt out, too.

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Let's Go to Florida and "Passively Distribute" the Koran, the Book of Mormon, God Is Not Great, and The Joy of Gay Sex Inside Public High Schools and See How That Goes Over

Dan Savage — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:14:34 -0800

Meanwhile in Florida:

Orange County school leaders are allowing members of World Changers of Florida to passively distribute Bibles to students Wednesday.... Passive distribution means the group cannot have any contact with students and can't even speak to them. The Bibles will be placed on an unattended table for distribution in a location where students normally congregate outside of class. The students won't face pressure to take one.

And students won't be pressured to pick up a copy of God Is Not Great or Joy of Gay Sex either.

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Is the Arts Levy a Benefit to Portland or a Burden?

Fiona Smith — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:14:01 -0700

Things are slowly heating up in the campaign around Measure 26, the "Arts Education and Access Fund" ballot measure that aims to restore arts funding in Portland’s six school districts this November. The measure was officially okayed for the ballot on September 4th.

It may come as a surprise that despite Portland's thriving arts and culture scene, Portland schools have a way-below-average number of art classes compared to other school districts nationwide. The question voters need to consider is: The proposed fund will improve arts education in schools, but is it a fair way to fund the arts?

The proposal, put together by School and Arts Together and the Creative Advocacy Network (CAN), would charge Portland residents who are over 18 a tax of $35 a year and direct the money to a fund for arts and music programming in elementary schools. People with an income below the federal poverty line are exempt from the tax. If passed, the tax would raise $12.8 million annually for schools' arts and culture programs.

Backers say the fund will pay for an art teacher in every elementary school. In addition, it will ensure there are significantly more art classes in schools, either by the school itself or an outside arts organization, such as the Right Brain Initiative.

“The most significant cuts to arts education happened at the elementary school level,” says Jessica Jarratt Miller, Schools and Arts Together Campaign Manager and Executive Director of CAN. While every middle and high school in Portland has some kind of arts and music education at every level, the lack of arts education at a young age has left new middle and high school students unprepared for arts and music programs at higher levels.

On the flip side, critics of the tax say that it will hurt low-income people because of its poor design. Since the tax is the same dollar amount for everyone, it's regressive—meaning that $35 will hit someone with a near-poverty income harder than someone with a larger figure income. Economist Eric Fruits and Portlander Robert Clark went so far as to challenge the ballot title last July, saying the title was misleading. Fruits wanted the measure language to read, "Creates retroactive permanent poll tax on Portland residents." However, a judge disagreed and the measure is staying on the ballot with minor changes to the title. The question asked of voters on the ballot will be: "Shall Portland restore arts, music for schools and fund arts through income tax of 35 dollars per year?"

Despite opposition, the campaign remains optimistic. Jarratt Miller says they've done three separate polls on whether Portlanders will support the $35-a-year tax and had more than 70 percent of respondents say "yes" every time. However, these polls will not be made public.

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Adams Okays 30-day Armistice with TriMet on Youth Passes

Denis C. Theriault — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:14:08 -0700

It was a handshake deal. But the terms, as Mayor Sam Adams saw them, were pretty clear. The city wouldn't raise a stink over TriMet's decision to cancel free light-rail trips downtown—so long as the transit agency used the money to keep alive another of Adams' top priorities: free bus and rail trips for high school kids for the academic year that starts this fall.

TriMet didn't quite hold up that bargain in its most recent budget, and so Adams decided to get its board's attention. He pitched a surprise plan that called for raising permit fees for TriMet some 8,000 percent—raising $2 million bucks that he'd then hand back to keep the YouthPass program alive.

Adams' gambit worked. Today, during a scheduled council vote on the fee hike, TriMet's board chairman, Bruce Warner, and others showed up and asked for a 30-day window to reopen discussions. They said they couldn't afford the fee increase—without cutting service even further than they already have, they claim—but offered to re-examine the original handshake deal.

TriMet is "still prepared to honor what I thought was a cost-sharing agreement"—a deal that would have split the $3.5 million cost of the program between school districts, TriMet, and the city, Warner told the council. "If the student pass program is really the issue, please defer this entire ordinance for 30 days to allow us to talk through with your staff, and with you, the mayor, how we can come up with a true agreement."

Adams, along with the rest of council, agreed.

"The reason I have felt compelled to be as hardheaded on this as I have been," he said, was because "I didn't see this in the budget. You took the resources [from canceling the free-rail zone] but you didn't do the second part of the handshake agreement. I'm willing to take 30 days and set this over and talk seriously about this."

The fee hike plan won't come back to council until July 25. It's the second big hammer the city threatened to drop today, only to hold back for more discussion. Asked whether this was a day of "delaying action," Randy Leonard told me it was more about using sticks before carrots: "motivating people" to do "problem-solving."

The YouthPass program, as we reported this spring, has long been a source of tension between Adams and TriMet. The program had received most of its funding—$2.55 million—from state energy tax credits, with Portland Public Schools paying the other $1 million. That worked until the state, facing its own budget mess, pulled the plug. When TriMet wanted to cancel the program for the school year that just ended, Adams lobbied them to keep it alive.

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Bang a Pot! Quebec Solidarité Protest Downtown Tonight

Denis C. Theriault — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:29:26 -0700

Casseroles - Montréal, 24 Mai 2012 from Jeremie Battaglia on Vimeo

Students in Quebec have been massing in the tens of thousands since February, protesting, at first, sizable hikes in university tuition, and, later, their government's heavy-handed police response to the protests. And since then, the movement has only spread. Nightly protests called casseroles—where people hit the streets, or open their kitchen windows, and bang on pots and pans—have erupted in regular neighborhoods all across Montreal. In some recent protests, crowds have surged to well over 300,000 people.

Tonight, activists in Portland, many of them affiliated with Occupy Portland, are planning to gather in Pioneer Courthouse Square in (forgive me) solidarité. They're also calling on people all across the city, if they can't make it down, to bang pots wherever they live. Our local event—maybe better described as a burgeoning Occupy-like movement—is aimed at the rising cost of education here, but also at larger questions of debt (as in, crippling student loans) and the privatization of what ought to be a government function (educating its people).

Many of the protests in Quebec have ended violently, with fringe participants, yes, throwing things at cops—but mostly because of riot cops, working at a numbers disadvantage, throwing things like flash grenades, kettling people to make mass arrests, and using their batons. Portland's organizers have sent a letter to Mayor Sam Adams letting him know they're not getting a permit for tonight's protest but asking him not to send in the riot cops to bust it up.

Hit the jump to read it.

To Mayor Sam Adams, Portland Police:

People of the City of Portland, representing all walks of life, will gather in Pioneer Square at 7 pm on June 11, 2012 to express solidarité with people in Québec and around the world who are asserting their rights to education without lifelong debt-slavery. This event will also mark the beginning of a local effort to organize ourselves against the profiteering of education by the people and institutions that make up the economy’s financial sector. There will be music. There will be dancing. We have invited the public, including yourselves, to join us. This is about highlighting the importance of education, and asserting our right to it. We write to strongly express our desire for this to be a safe event for all.

With that said, we feel it is important to state that we will not pull a city permit for the use of Pioneer Square on June 11 because, in short, public space in the United States was made into a commodity during the last century. We reject the legitimacy of this process and the restriction of expression that has resulted from it. Additionally, the safety that city permits claim to provide explicitly requires our submission to the authority that you frequently abuse. The safety you offer has costs, both in terms of dollars and in the otherwise free movement of our bodies. As recent history demonstrates, to refuse this offer of safety is to accept fully any violence that you may choose to use on us. Again, we reject this. A continuation of your history of violence would not surprise us; still we write to demand better of you, our public servants. Regarding the offer of safety that your permits represent, we write to say “No deal.”

This event will be safe because we, the organizers, will ensure the safety of the people who choose to attend it against any and all people who choose to disrupt it. We thank you for your cooperation in advance.

Sincerely,
The Organizers

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Q & A with Schoolyard Farms' Courtney Leeds

Alex Zielinski — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:14:57 -0700

What happens when you turn three quarters of an acre into an urban farm right next to an elementary school? You get Schoolyard Farms, the six-month-old start-up—located near Oregon City's Candy Lane Elementary—with a mission to educate kids on urban farming and the local food system! Schoolyard took over from Singer Hill Farms, a local CSA that used the plot to fuel their weekly output of produce, but without any real connection to the nearby school. Courtney Leeds and Justin Davidson, Schoolyard founders, both worked at SE Portland's educational Zenger Farm, and saw this abandoned site as a perfect spot to kickstart their project. Now, as they head into the summer months, the pair are jumping headfirst into fundraising and brainstorming for the future of their small educational farm.

I caught up with Leeds for a quick Q & A about Schoolyard Farms a little while back.

MERCURY: What encouraged you and Justin to take the reins of Schoolyard Farms in the first place?

LEEDS: It was more born out of our love and work for urban farms across Portland. And already having the Singer Hill Farms plot on school grounds made it easy to coalesce well with the school.

The program's pretty new. How's it been going so far?

It's been overwhelming! But really good. We have a great support network with the school and the surrounding community. And getting to work with these kids is very exciting. There aren't really other models out there that we're going off of, so we're really learning by doing.

I know this is a bit of an old question, but why is encouraging students to cultivate their own food is important?

Our current food system in the country is not quite working the way it should be. Education is one way of shifting people's views on the system, especially when you start at a young age. At Schoolyard, kids can actually see the process and understand how much work goes into bringing food to the table. Also, neighbors can see what we're doing here and hopefully be inspired to start a garden of their own.

So where does the food you grow at Schoolyard go? To the students?

Well we give five CSA shares out a week to low income families whose children go to Candy Lane, and of course the kids snack as the work. We're hoping that in the future we can actually serve what we grow in the school cafeteria!

And what's being harvested right now?

A lot of lettuce and garlic!

Woohoo!

Tomorrow, June 12, Holocene is hosting Schoolyard Farms' first big fundraiser. Swing by to learn more about the inspired project and catch some local bands!

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Salad Bar Coming to Local Elementary School

Alex Zielinski — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:29:43 -0700

Blasphemy!

Portland has been selected to be one of the 12 cities targeted by HBO's "Weight of the Nation" show on childhood obesity. One school in particular, James John Elementary, will receive the HBO treatment. Which isn't as fancy as it sounds. Turns out, these kids are going to be rewarded with a salad bar and water tap station (isn't that just called a water fountain?).

HBO representatives, city councillors and school board members will unveil these gifts on May 1 at 10 am at the school. Here's the agenda, according to the press release:

"Following a short speaking program to celebrate the new salad bar and water tap station, all will enjoy a screening of “The Weight of the Nation for Kids”: The Great Cafeteria Takeover, followed by a healthy lunch."

Celebrate the salad bar? I doubt many kids will be pushing each other out of the way to get a heap o' iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. But I can see some serious fireworks going off for the water fountain (which they didn't have before? Is this a problem?).

Jokes aside, I think it's a little weird that Portland of all places is on the list of places needing to combat childhood obesity. Granted, it's an issue everywhere. Not all Portland babies had liquefied flax/spinach/acai berry baby formula.

Catch the show's premiere on Monday, May 14th at 8 pm on HBO.

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Red Fang to Play Benefit for Grant High Art Department

Ned Lannamann — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:13:01 -0700

While one might not initially think of the Red Fang dudes as role models (exhibits A, B, and C), they're getting into the do-good business with their next hometown show. On Friday, May 25, Red Fang headline a benefit show at the Hawthorne Theatre which will raise funds for the art department of Portland's Grant High School. It will be just like a bake sale! But with more metal.

The show—which also includes performances from Lopez, Nether Regions, and a band of Grant High students called Hell's Parrish—will raise money for basic art supplies like paint, paper, and clay, as well as awareness for the beleaguered, underfunded arts programs in schools. Red Fang's Aaron Beam has this to say:

It is a shame that Grant High's arts are underfunded, and a bit mysterious to me. Young artists looking for cheap venues to create and display their works move to and revitalize cities and neighborhoods. It happens repeatedly. I watched it happen in Portland in the 1990s, with artist communities such as The Lab and The Modern Zoo, and clubs like the X-Ray.

It all goes down Friday, May 25 at the Hawthorne Theatre. It's a mere 10 bucks and tickets are on sale here.

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PDX Hosts First Youth Violence Summit

Alex Zielinski — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:59:02 -0700

Thanks to the internet and, most recently, the controversial documentary Bully, the issue of school bullying has elbowed its way into the national spotlight. And local. The Multnomah Youth Commission, the "official youth policy body" for the city and county, is putting on a first-of-its-kind conference in Portland this weekend: the Rob Ingram Youth Summit Against Violence.

This comes on the heels of MYC's new Youth Against Violence Committee, formed in response to the growing local violence directed towards youth "in the forms of gang, anti-gay and gender, home, school, police, sexual/dating, and cyber-bullying."

The Saturday event starts off with a youth-only portion—asking local kids/teens to get together and brainstorm policy recommendations to later present to local policy makers. Later in the afternoon, invited elected officials (Mayor Sam Adams, Multnomah Board of Commissioners Chair Jeff Cogen and Police Chief Mike Reese) will meet with the 21 and under group to hear their stories and understand how they, and other adults in the community, can help combat youth violence and bullying. Interesting to see what will come from this.

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Glenn Beck's Blog Bashes PSU Courses

Alex Zielinski — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:44:38 -0700

The Blaze—Glenn Beck's news blog—zoomed in on a pair of Portland State University's "controversial" courses today: "Revolutionary Marxism: Theory and Practice“ and ”Art Within Activism.” The author is shocked that good ol' American taxpayers are funding these Marxist courses without providing a political balance. The Marxism course urges student to connect with local groups like Occupy Portland, Jobs for Justice and Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights. The author asks: "Would Portland State University allow a 'Limited Government: Theory and Practice' course where students were forced to make a 'connection' with Tea Partiers and the NRA?" The art class is really just that: a course on modern art based off of recent activism pieces and products. WAR!

The dual courses are part of PSU's Chiron Studies program, when students can layout and instruct classes for credit. The post's comment stream are on FIRE, of course, chock full of fist shaking at the education system and that crazy "B. Hussein Obama" and pleading for a McCarthy return.

Here are a few gems:

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Education Evaluation

Alex Zielinski — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:44:31 -0800

Great news everyone! The state's on-time high school graduation rate has increased one percent! According to state school Superintendent Susan Castillo, a rise from 66 to 67 percent over a year is something to write home about, calling the results "encouraging."

However, head honcho (read: Governor) John Kitzhaber reacted differently to this news, calling the low rate "unacceptable." A Department of Education study also unveiled a discouraging dropout rate of public high school students, marking one out of every three attendees an eventual high school drop out. This adds up to about 11,000 high school students in this school year.

Like I said, fantastic news.

Thankfully, Kitzhaber has promised to turn these dreary statistics around. Kitzhaber hopes to push the Legislature to require every school district and community college to sign a yearly "achievement compact" spelling out key results it will try to deliver. If singed off, this compact aims to jump start schools across the state in hopes of securing more stable — and uplifting — enrollment results in the future.

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University of Oregon President Ousted

Alex Zielinski — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:10:36 -0800

I feel obliged to report on this because this man handed me my diploma: Oregon Board of Higher Education decided not to renew the contract of Richard Lariviere, University of Oregon president. To put it nicely, he's fired.

Why? It looks like the man didn't have many supporters in the Oregon University System, let alone Gov. John Kitzhaber, due to his budgetary decision making.

"Dr. Lariviere's actions have done damage to our vision for higher education and other institutions of higher learning; and, ironically, have served to undercut his own aspirations for the University of Oregon," Kitzhaber told the Oregonian.

But his firing didn't go unnoticed. Nearly 60 pro-Lariviere faculty members filed complaint to the ~~university's~~ state's ethics commission, as the Board of Higher Education apparently publicized their decision prior to a mandatory meeting and vote. Students aren't too pleased either. Last night, a group of upset students decorated OUS Chancellor George Pernsteiner's home with eggs, leaving behind an angry letter and the words "The Hat" — Southern gent Lariviere is known for his ever-present fedora, see photo — spray painted on the driveway.

Larievere remains classy in his rejection. On Wednesday, he published a letter to the campus: "I have been heartened by the outpouring of support I have received for the work we are doing to reimagine public higher education in Oregon. While the positive comments from members of the campus community and beyond help to galvanize my commitment to this outstanding institution, I hasten to remind you that this is not about me. We must all redouble our efforts to bring about positive change to the governance, funding and accountability of Oregon’s public universities."

His contract terminates on June 30, 2012.

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Military Recruitment Meets its Match

Alex Zielinski — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:14:32 -0700

The Portland School Board voted unanimously Monday to allow "counter recruiters" as much freedom and attention on school campuses than military recruiters. With this nod of approval, board members said that they expect peace-promoting and anti-war fliers, posters and groups to pop up around local high schools. Reports the Oregonian:

"There is nothing in this resolution that says there is a condemnation of military service," said board vice chairman Martin Gonzalez, a primary driver behind the new rule. "There is a desire on our part for our students to become more educated in the choices that they are making."

This movement comes just under a year since Portland Schools signed a two-year deal with the Department of Defense to teach forth and fifth grade science — an idea which many argued was disguised military recruitment. While this provides a more level playing field for both sides, I'm sure parents will still rally against the not-so-camouflaged military presence.

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Campus Gun Ban Lifted

Alex Zielinski — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:14:00 -0700

An Oregon Court of Appeals panel rejected Oregon University System's ban on guns on its seven state campuses yesterday on the premise that firearm regulation remains solely in the hands of state legislature. Prior to yesterday's ruling, people with firearm permits could not pack their weapon on campus, even if it was clearly concealed. Now, permit-holders can carry their concealed gun all over campus — just as long as they don't brandish it.

This ruling comes partially as a result of a suit filled by the Oregon Firearms Education Foundation over Western Oregon University suspending a gun-toting student who had a permit (which was, in fact, legal).

OUS officials have yet to respond to the decision, but OUS spokeswomen Di Saunders told the Oregonian that they haven't given up the push to eliminate guns — even those carried by permit holders — on campus. One possible solution could be requiring students to sign a waiver promising to not tote their guns in campus buildings, dorms, etc.

"This does not erase all the safety protections we have on campus," says Saunders. "It invalidates one Oregon administrative rule, but it doesn't invalidate our mission to keep students safe."

While the appeal panel deemed the OUS' ban illegal on the state level, it did not mention its potential violation of the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment which protects gun rights. Nonetheless, OUS is walking on thin ice.

This ban lift also creates a backdrop for the recent discussions by mayoral candidates about city gun laws.

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This Week's Back-to-School Issue

Ned Lannamann — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:58:37 -0700

This week's Mercury is our annual Back-to-School issue, and it's crammed with lots of ~~useful~~ useless info for students—or anyone looking for career advice, really. We interviewed a bunch of local professionals with weird, unique, or cool jobs to find out how they got to be where they are (sometimes school helps! And sometimes it doesn't), PLUS we've got a scientific, not-at-all-bullshitty vocational guidance test, to help you pinpoint exactly what job you're best suited for.

You can take the test online right here, and our magical computer interface will calculate your answers and spit out a result: your perfect job. It's totally foolproof. (It's also binding, so, you know, fair warning.) So go ahead, take it!

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Boy Wearing Skirt Is a "Distraction"

Dan Savage — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:44:00 -0700

Having that boy arrested for wearing a skirt and suspending him and making the news and attracting the attention of vicious gay bloggers all over the country? Nothing distracting about that...

Let the real distraction begin...

Coffee High School (Home of the Trojans!)
Principal Greg Tanner
greg.tanner@coffee.k12.ga.us
school 912-384-2094
fax 912-383-4142
159 Trojan Way
Douglas, GA 31533

Superintendent of Coffee County Schools: Dr. Morris Leis
morris.leis@coffee.k12.ga.us
(912) 384-2086 x223
Other BOE members

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Ghost Animal's Practice Space at Reed College

Ned Lannamann — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:14:23 -0700

We like Lance Bangs lots. The Vice folks, slightly less. (An illuminating scene in the new New York Times documentary Page One indicates that a significant amount of douchebaggery is running that enterprise at the executive level.) But we really like new local duo Ghost Animal, and Bangs along with Vice TV have this quick little video doc/performance that peeks into their rehearsal space at Reed College, along with great-sounding excerpts from "Tired (A Ceremony)," the title track of Ghost Animal's new 12-inch.

via Ghost Animal's Tumblr

End Hits: Ghost Animal is a better name than our band, Dead Pets Society.

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School Bond and Levy: We Say Yes!

Sarah Mirk — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:02:42 -0700

Our endorsement in the May 17th election came out yesterday and it has already stirred up a bunch of discussion.

Here's the gist of why we say you should vote yes on the Portland Public Schools bond and levy, even though it's the most expensive set of tax hikes in Oregon history and will cause our rent to go up: Our schools are important and they're falling apart. The state isn't going to leap in to fix them up and we shouldn't make kids wait in dilapidated classrooms for the years it would take to write up a smaller bond. It does seem like Portland Public Schools pinned down a dollar amount that would stretch pro-school Portlanders as far as possible without causing them to revolt and vote "no", but we need to invest in our schools to keep Portland attractive to employers and families... as well as, you know, create smart and well-educated young people.

For people asking exactly where all these piles of money are going to go, here's a chart (pdf) of which schools are going to get which improvements.

We didn't endorse in the school board race, but we recommend you check out the League of Women Voters election guide while filling out your ballot—their quick interviews with candidates should help you decide.

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PSU is a Nazi Liberal Alien Conspiracy!

Dave Bow — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:42:14 -0700

And much more! My friend just moved here to get her masters at Portland State University. Last night she and I did an internet search on the comically named current PSU president, Wim Wiewel. Little did we expect that the first site we clicked on would clue us in to the REAL truth about PSU! The 9/11 UFO Genocidal truth!

A snippet:

What is the reason that PSU Safety Patrollers, routinely profile, harass, and wrongfully cite elderly, black and white American men for trespassing, while continually to grant refuge to and harbor illegal aliens from Mexico? How come all of Portland State University presidents, have to be from out of state, or in the current case of the present, president, to be from Holland? Why is it that no graduate of Portland State University, is ever smart enough, or good enough, to ever become PSU president?

If I were asked to pick a favorite part of DimWeasel.tripod.com it would probably be the unexpected pro-cockfighting advertisement. But there's so much crazy, low-hanging fruit to pick from!

h/t to Rachel Hunter

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Now Accepting Applications to the Land of the University of Redwood?

Lorna "the Intern" Perry — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 09:44:45 -0800

It's bad enough that predatory, for-profit colleges such as Kaplan and the University of Phoenix overcharge and under-educate students every day. But getting prospective students to apply (and pay fees) to a made-up, completely fictional university?

That's exactly what the "University of Redwood" managed to do.

Okay. So. The University of Redwood doesn't exist. Instead, it's a charlatan website out of China, looking to rip off college hopefuls. Would-be students apply and pay application fees, only to receive a rejection notice weeks later.

And when it comes to not only the phony university's website design, but also its sheer identity, the ballsy minds behind this scheme decided the content over at Portland's own Reed College was simply irresistible. Reed's homepage, history, faculty, academic calendar, photos—pretty much everything—was copied and pasted into Redwood's fraudulent website.

"Clearly, we've been trying to get the website taken down," says Kevin Meyers, public relations spokesperson at the legit Reed College. "We sent a cease and desist back in October, and got them to take it down for about 10 days. But then it went back up."

"It's pretty amazing what they did—they basically just switched out 'Reed' for 'Redwood' in all the text, and took as their own," he continues.

Here's hoping Princesston University doesn't make an appearance on the interwebs anytime soon.

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Teacher Bad-Mouths Students on Blog, Hilarity/Sadness Ensues

Charmaine Pritchett — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:13:00 -0800

Pennsylvania high school teacher Natalie Munroe was just exercising her first amendment right as she as she began her day in August of 2009, confessing to her hatred of her job on her personal blog.

“I’m being a renegade right now, living on the edge and, um, blogging AT work," Munroe wrote. "However, as I’m blogging about work stuff, I give myself a free pass of conscience.” The timestamp on her post was 9:01 am.

“When I was first teaching, I put a lot of time and effort into [report card] comments because I felt it was a great way to communicate the students’ efforts. Then it got to be a complete pain in the ass, just one more thing standing between me and being done with the report cards, and suddenly I realized why I’d always gotten the same comments from my teachers: they didn’t want to do them any more than I do,” she wrote.

“Also, as the kids get worse and worse, I find that the canned comments don’t accurately express my true sentiments about them. So now I pretty much choose ‘Cooperative in Class’ for every kid (or, in some instances, will speak in other codes. For instance, if they talk a lot, I’ll put ‘is easily distracted’ or ‘talks persistently’; if it’s a kid that has no personality, I’ll put ‘ability to work independently’). For some kids, though, my scornful feelings reach such fever pitch that I have a hard time even putting ‘cooperative in class’ and have, sadly, had some kids for which none of the comments fit.”

It's probably not the best decision ever to express such candor about your hatred for your government job online where millions of people have access to it. But people have a right to feel how they decide to feel, and express that. Right?

Munroe didn't reveal her name or the school's on her blog, but it was somehow discovered by her students this past week (didn't see that one coming), which has resulted in her suspension from her job.

People responded that if she's unhappy with her job, she shouldn't work there. I thought that was ridiculous. In my opinion, work is work, and life outside of that involves free speech. She doesn't deserve to be suspended. The comments she wrote that she wanted to say about her students couldn't be that bad, right?

Hold on. Here's her list of comments Munroe confessed to wishing to be able to say in her report cards:

• “Concerned your kid is automaton, as she just sits there emotionless for an entire 90 minutes, staring into the abyss, never volunteering to speak or do anything.”

• “Too smart for her own good and refuses to play the school ‘game’ such that she’ll never live up to her true potential here.”

• “Seems smarter than she actually is.”

• “Has no business being in Honors.”

• “A complete and utter jerk in all ways. Although academically OK, your child has no other redeeming qualities.”

• “Lazy.”

• “Shy isn’t cute in 11th grade; it’s annoying. Must learn to advocate for himself instead of having Mommy do it.”

• “Dunderhead.”

• “Nowhere near as good as her sibling. Are you sure they’re related?”

• “Rat-like.”

• “Frightfully dim.”

• “Just as bad as his sibling. Don’t you know how to raise kids?”

• “Dresses like a streetwalker.”

• “Whiny, simpering grade-grubber with an unrealistically high perception of own ability level.”

The same day Munroe wrote the post, another woman, presumably a friend, wrote a comment to encourage her, “My fave: Gimme an A.I.R.H.E.A.D. What’s that spell? Your kid!”

On one hand, it's human nature. We aren't always going to be happy with where we are, we aren't going to like everyone we come into contact with. (Even if they're kids.) But on the other, Munroe went through how many years of schooling? And she's teaching your kid about how to prepare for life, even though she doesn't give a fuck about them? How about not.

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"What is Islam?" Class Pulled at Lane Community College

Andrea "the Intern" Vedder — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:44:25 -0800

On Monday, Lane Community College (LCC) in Eugene canceled a winter term, non-credit course called "What is Islam?" that was designed and to be taught by community member Barry Sommer. In a statement issued Monday, LCC administrators said that Sommer's class “reached the attention of administration after a phone call from a local television station on Thursday" and that, considering recent events in Oregon, it was in everyone's best interest to "pause for careful consideration".

Alright.

Sommer promotes profiling by the TSA. He also asks the burning question, "Are our kids not even safe when watching cartoons?" after the announcement that a Muslim superhero show called "The 99" would debut in January 2011 on The Hub—you know, that propaganda-driven, anti-American network formerly known as Discovery Kids. Sommer even compares an Egyptian university to the Vatican, claiming that the words of this man guide the values Sunni Muslims.

Sommer is also the head of the Eugene/Springfield chapter of ACT! For America, which he describes on his blog as "dedicated to education about Islam and the threat it poses to western values", an organization available to all "Americans who care about our freedoms and want to learn more on how to stand and defeat Islamic fundamentalism, creeping sharia and stealth jihad".

The president of ACT! For America, Brigitte Gabriel, has this to say:

My question is, how did Sommer ever get his class on the roster? And why did he give a lecture titled "The Nazi/Islam Connection: Collaborators in Genocide" at the University of Oregon's Pacifica Forum? Is there not a screening process for participation in the Oregon educational system? I'm all for the freedom of ideas, but I'd prefer that bigoted assholes keep their agenda out of classrooms and lecture halls.

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Cleveland High School Dance Cancelled For Fear of "Grinding"

Andrea "the Intern" Vedder — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:44:58 -0800

Apparently high school teachers don't like watching their students dry hump to Chris Brown.

Cleveland High School is calling off its January winter formal because students can't seem to resist rubbing their goodies all up on each other on the dance floor and their teachers have consequently refused to chaperone the upcoming dance.

Cleveland's school officials have done everything else they can think of to curtail the busy jigging, from selling t-shirts that said "No bumping, no grinding" to giving dance chaperones "flashlights to shine on couples dancing inappropriately," said Vice Principal Pam Joyner.

Portland Public Schools spokesperson Matt Shelby is the voice of reason in this situation, likening "grinding" to "grunge and slam dancing" and saying that students always want to "push the envelope", no matter the time period.

"We just think it's fun," said Zoe Koss, a 16-year-old junior at Cleveland. Echoed 14-year-old freshman Imke Sellier: "It's a generational thing. It's just fun."

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Portland Schools Sign 2-Year Contract With Military Program STARBASE

Sarah Mirk — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:14:16 -0700

Last week Portland Public Schools signed a new two-year contract with the Department of Defense to teach science to many local fourth and fifth graders, despite the protests of some parents upset that the program is military recruitment disguised as science.

The STARBASE science program teaches science to elementary school during week-long trips to classrooms on national guard bases and has attracted vociferous protests from Portland parents upset about the military in classrooms. When a Mercury reporter sat in on a STARBASE science class this summer, he found students got hands-on with F-16 fighter jet parts to learn how to make paper airplanes.

The new contract continues the science program that the Department of Defense has offered locally since 1993. The Portland Observer reports that parents showed up to the contract hearing to protest the renewal, pointing to photos of happy kids climbing on tanks and helicopters on the STARBASE Portland website as evidence that the science program has a recruitment bent.

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