Vol. 168, No. 10
• CLINTON, NEW YORK • September 17, 2014
Jack Behrens Starts a New Chapter that, and possibly not to our benefit.” Behrens credits the changing times and the need to keep up with state regulations for new fiscal struggles—a new $250,000 ladder truck for the Fire Department, for instance, which is required due to the height of some of the buildings on the Hill and was purchased through a large contribution by the College. Dealing with citizens, who may not be exposed to some of the obstacles the Board has to jump through to move an issue forward, is another issue. “Sometimes all you end up with is a lot of words, a lot of fiery anger that comes out of it, and no one’s happy,” said Behrens, adding that, once you were able to talk to people, they were always grateful. To his memory, Village budgets have always been lean and problems that Photo by John Howard After 19 1/2 years of dedicated service as a trustee to the Village of Clinton, Jack Behrens will embark on a new journey down south. By John Howard
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fter 19 1/2 years on the Village Board and 48 years as a resident, Jack Behrens is calling it quits. This month, Behrens will say goodbye to Clinton and head south to Florida to start the next chapter of his life along with his wife, Gert, of five years. On Sept. 3, Behrens sat through his final meeting as a trustee, where he was presented with a plaque in recognition of his years of service. Through out his time, Behrens certainly formed plenty of memories. His first task, which became constant throughout the 19 years, was serving as water commissioner, and while the abundance of water in Clinton never proved to be an issue, regulating it certainly did. His first year served as a
crash course in the responsibility. “I came in and I had never held a position that involved water in my whole life,” said Behrens. “I ended up learning everything I could find in six months, because we were going through a period of time to keep the rates stable.” His first memory of service was driving around to view the water district with then superintendent of Public Works Bob Galinski. The car they were driving was 22 years old and promptly broke down at one of the furthest points away from the center of the Village. “That was a period of time when we did everything we could to keep things operating without going into any cost,” said Behrens, remembering mostly how composed Galinski was through the event. “We’ve since gotten past
Kirkland Bloodmobile Celebrates 45th Anniversary
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Town and Police Union to Close on New Contract By Staff
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he Town and the Kirkland Police Benevolent Association have come to an agreement on contract that will carry through to 2017. A contract between the Town and the PBA expired at the beginning of this year. Once authorized, the agreement will be retroactive to January 2014. The new contract will have similar financial responsibilities as previous years for the Town, with a few added benefits rewarding loyal officers. The contract has also been extended from a three-year to a four-year agreement. According to Town officials, both sides appear content with the agreement, the details of which will be available pending final approvals. PBA members need to vote on the contract and Association’s legal counsel will need to weigh in before the contract is made official.
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Clinton High Recognized For College Readiness By Staff
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he Clinton Central School District is one of the top high schools in America, according to a new list published by Newsweek. Schools were judged based on enrollment and graduation rates, as well as standardized assessments. Changes in enrollment from Grades 9–12 and a counselor-to-student ratio were also taken into account. Clinton scored 232 nationally, and was ranked 23rd in the state. Comparatively, New Hartford High was ranked 286 nationally and 29th in the state. “It feels good to be recognized not only for academic excellence and college readiness, but for ensuring that educational opportunity is available to all students regardless of socioeconomic status,” superintendent of schools Dr. Stephen Grimm said in a statement. “Such achievement is truly the result of a district- and community-wide effort to ensure each student receives what they need to be successful from kindergarten through graduation.” Broken down into its parts, Clinton earned a college readiness score of 84.83, with an average graduation rate comparative percentile score of 60.95 and a college-bound percentile score of those student graduates of 78.81. The Newsweek list states the top high school list is “based solely on achievement,” an approach Clinton High School is aiming to get away from with its own college readiness assessment, headed by principal Matthew Lee. In addition to the high ranking, Clinton High was also awarded a gold star for demonstrating equal academic performance for students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Hamilton Adjusts Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy By Kaitlin McCabe
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From left: Bill Rudge, Kay Schwartz, Dr. Roger Moore and a Bloodmobile worker pose inside the giving center at the United Methodist Church. By Staff
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eptember marks the 45th anniversary of the Kirkland Bloodmobile. On Saturday, community members gathered at the Methodist Church to give blood and celebrate the achievement. On hand at the event were longtime supporters Jean Wainright, Anita Fitzgerald and Mayor Jack Lane. As a special treat, Kay Schwartz, CEO of the New York-Penn Region of
the Red Cross, handed out certificates of appreciation to organizations that have helped make the Kirkland Bloodmobile possible over the years. Among those given certificates of appreciation were the Clinton United Methodist Church, Clinton Kiwanis Club, The Clinton Courier, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Lutheran Care Campus, VFW Post 9591, Alexander Hamilton Institute, Villas at Sherman Brook, Clinton Lion’s Club, the Town of Kirkland, the Village of Clinton, Stone Presbyterian Church, and American Red Cross Blood Services. “The entire community comes out for these drives,” said Schwartz. “[Clinton does] a phenomenal job. DONORS, page 5
n recent years, the nation has actively engaged in a dialogue about sexual assault on college campuses, and Hamilton College is no exception to this effort to increase awareness and prevention. On Friday, Sept. 5, the Title IX Task Force released significant recommended changes to Hamilton’s Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy to the College community. The Title IX Task Force, formed in May by College President Joan Hinde Stewart and chaired by Senior Associate Dean of Students for Strategic Initiatives and Title IX Coordinator Meredith Harper Bonham, consists of several senior members of the College: Dean of Students Nancy Thompson, Associate Professor of Women’s Studies and 2014-15 HSMB Chair Vivyan Adair, Associate Dean of Students for Academics and Professor of Government Steve Orvis, Assistant Director of Counseling David Walden and Lea Haber Kuck ’87, an attorney and trustee. The new policies introduced by the Title IX Task Force reflect recent federal laws as well as the group’s independent ideas. Specifically, the 2013 Campus SaVE Act (Sexual Violence Elimination Act) and the 2014 “Not Alone” White House Report provided institutions with guidelines for handling sexual misconduct on their campuses.
Federal law will also permit students to have an attorney as an advisor during the investigative process. Honoring both federal regulations and the needs of Hamilton students, the Task Force recommends dividing the current Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy into two distinct policies, which would in effect produce a process centered on an investigative team. This team would be composed of an external investigator and a trained member of Hamilton’s Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Board (HSMB). Further, the Task Force proposes recreated the current HSMB Hearing Committee as a Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Review Panel (HSMRP)—composed of three members of the HSMB—in order to ensure that students involved in cases will be spared reliving their experiences during both the investigation and the hearing processes. Following investigation, the HSMRP would review the Investigation Team’s report and recommend a decision and sanction to the relevant senior staff member, who in most cases would be Dean of Students Nancy Thompson. The Title IX Task Force’s proposal also seeks to replicate effective policies at peer institutions, specifically those enforced at fellow NESCAC member, Middlebury College, which the Task Force calls a “really solid model.” These changes, Harper Bonham explained, bolster Hamilton’s HAMILTON, page 10