Student ballet show on “pointe”
Ferguson: was justice done? Page 3: Writer’s take on police shooting
Volume 59, Issue 4
Page 5: Students take stage in The Nutcracker
December 18, 2014
Newest Big Hero hits screen Page 6: Falling for Disney’s Baymax
We are born to seek the truth ! www.cvhsolympian.com
“Most wonderful time of the year” UC tuition rates
continue to climb By Caitlin Forbes Staff Writer
Alison Dhont/ Photo Editor
Madrigals spread holiday cheer as they carol around the community.
Detentions given for forgotten cards Students face pushishments for not having ID By Laniah Lewis Staff Writer
CVHS gave out 98 detentions to students checking out books without their student IDs on Nov. 12. This has seemed to raise awareness of the problems caused by students not having their student IDs in their possession, as well as question what punishment (if any) is appropriate for these forgetful students. Even though these detentions were distributed, no students were obligated to serve them. If students brought their IDs in the following days their detentions were dismissed. “The students couldn’t serve the detentions without their IDs regardless. So it was meant strictly as a fix-it ticket,” said Darrin Vanderpan, an instructional assistant. This is not the first time that detentions have been given out for students not possessing their
IDs. It is not school policy to receive a detention for this offense, however it is possible for it to become one in the future. When students lack their student IDs during book checkouts, it can become very tiresome and stressful on the staff that has to perform these checkouts, not to mention the problems not having your student ID in your possession can cause. Sue Hale, who works the bookroom, struggles with students forgetting their IDs every day. “It gets very frustrating. It just takes a lot longer and I have to enter things in manually and it just makes a lot of room for error because I am only human. I wish the kids would remember their IDs because the amount of kids that forget is ridiculous. Ninety-eight [students who forgot their IDs] is nothing compared to what I have to deal with when checking out English books. And there are always those repeat offenders too,” stated Hale. Students forgetting their IDs directly make Hale’s job substantially harder. However, Hale is against the detentions, and hopes that a new school policy concerning student IDs and detentions will not be put into action.
“I don’t think detentions are going to stop these kids from forgetting their IDs, it’s a responsibility thing, not a rebellious thing. Maybe positive rewards would work better than punishments,” stated Hale. Hale also brought up some very interesting reasons as to why student IDs are so important. She explained that for most students, student IDs are the first form of personal identification that a person is responsible for, therefore having it on hand is good practice for the real world. She also stated that student IDs are important when concerning safety, especially during fire drills or lockdowns, because they are valid proof of who you are and can benefit you in sticky situations. Also having your ID speeds up the process of checking out books and creates less errors in the school system. J.C. Farr, the House One assistant principal, commented on the detentions. “It’s more of a fix-it ticket rather than a punishment. We are just aiming to stress the importance of having your ID on you at all times,” said Farr. When asked if administration was considering making it a school policy Farr stated, “We haven’t discussed the long term yet.”
Students have been protesting in the Universities of California campuses due to recent tuition increases. The UC Board of Regents has constructed a plan to raise the tuition in UCs up to five percent each year for the next five years to increase their funding. The President of the UC, Janet Napolitano, and the Board of Regents stated that if they did not receive more state funding they would go forward with the plan to increase tuition, to the dismay of Governor Jerry Brown and prospective UC students. With the tuition increase, the annual in-state tuition for students would increase to an estimated $15,563 in 2019-20 from the current $12,192. Outof-state students would pay as much as $44,766 by 2019-20, compared to the current average of $21,706. This increase does not include additional fees, such as books, and room and board. Even though more than half of UC students pay nothing because of financial aid, this tuition increase could limit the amount of students that are able to attend these schools because of the larger need for aid. California Governor Jerry Brown is opposed to the increase in tuition. Brown’s suggestion is to reduce spending, offer more online courses, and cut executive pay raises. In the past, Brown has turned down opportunities to give the UCs an increase in money with state funding, believing that if the tuition increased then the students would protest and put extra pressure onto the state. The UC Board of Regents approved the plan with the vote 14-7, and on Nov. 19 the Regents Long-Range Financial Plan Committee approved the plan on a 7-2 vote, with Brown and student regent Sadia Saifuddin voting against it. Before the meeting, student protesters linked arms in front of the entrance, causing a slight delay. The outraged students believed that UC spent too much money
on executive pay. Student protests occurred throughout different UC campuses. At UC Berkeley, hundreds of students occupied Wheeler Hall on campus after the board vote. In addition, the students also planned a walkout Nov. 24, where an estimated 1,000 students participated. Other schools like UC Irvine and UC San Diego began occupations of their own. Most of the senior class at CVHS has turned in college applications either during or before the tuition increase. The real question will be if prospective students from the junior class will shy away from applying to UCs because of the tuition plan. “In my plan, I would like to go to UCLA because of its photography program,” said junior Jes Smith. “I still plan on going even with tuition increases, but it does put fear in the back of my mind that I won’t be able to go.” The increase in tuition could be an obstacle in many applicants, creating an even larger competition for scholarships and financial aid. A lot of students at CVHS are unaware of the increases in tuition. “It’s moronic,” said junior Maricela Corona. “Students already have to pay a lot of money, when they raise tuition it will be worse.” CVHS college counselor Jennifer Kline isn’t happy about the tuition increase plan either. “I do not agree with the tuition hikes. I think that the state should increase funding,” she said. Kline explained that the increase in tuition would raise the funding of the school, but the money won’t necessarily go toward the students. The money could go toward retirement, pay increases, and the hiring of teachers. In addition 5,000 more California students would be accepted into the school creating larger classes, and possibly less adequate room and board. “Tell us what that money is going toward,” said Kline.