The Chronicle
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A look back
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Find out how the men's basketball team won its national championship in The Chronicle's Commemorative Edition. See supplement
Durham schools trying to stop violence in advance By RUTH CARLITZ The Chronicle Gary, Indiana. El Cajon, California.
Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Recent school shootings in these cities have once again brought school violence to the forefront. How can school violence be prevented? The Durham Public Schools system is asking itself this question and coming up with a variety of answers. One promising new initiative centers on student-based programs like
Students Against Violence Everywhere, a nationwide club that works to prevent violence in schools. Another initiative supplies high schools with student resource officers who serve as peacemakers and informal counselors. At the same time, the school board includes character education programs in its curriculum. Boasting over 100 members, the SAVE program at Northern High School boasts comprehensive mediation and conflict resolution programs. The national organization, based at North Carolina State University, re-
cently named Northern’s club Chapter
of the Year. “A lot of people want to solve [school violence] but don’t want to ’fess up and say it’s a problem,” said Wes Blalock, a Northern sophomore and vice president of SAVE. “[The key] is using positive pressure rather than negative peer pressure.... It can work for you rather than against you.” The atmosphere created at Northern has provided senior Roba Ghanayem, who is co-president of SAVE, with a feeling of safety, even in light of recent school shootings. “It was really scary,” Ghanayem said in reaction to the recent school shootings, “but in away it made me happy because at our school we’re doing so much to prevent it. I feel like our school is not even close to that point because of the atmosphere and the influence of SAVE.” No Northern student has been arrested for bringing a firearm to school this year, said Principal Isaac Thomas. However, other local high schools have had to deal with this problem. See SCHOOL VIOLENCE on page 4
JOHN
CHAPPLE/ONLINEUSA
SOME STUDENTS IN CALIFORNIA have to be checked with metal detectors before they enter school. Durham schools are hoping an ounce of prevention will keep them from having to resort to such tactics.
Slavery reparations teach-in scheduled for 8 p.m. today Fourteen professors from various departments participate ByAMBIKA KUMAR
members from several departincluding English, The history department African and African-American will sponsor a teach-in about Studies and Literature. slavery reparations at 8 p.m. Senior Kelly Black, one of today in an attempt to foster the leaders of the protests and dialogue about issues raised president of the Duke chapter in a March 19 advertisement of the National Association for opposing reparations. The ad, the Advancement of Colored written by conservative auPeople, said she was pleased thor David Horowitz, has that faculty members had sparked debate about free come together to discuss repaspeech nationwide but has not rations and other issues. “It’s definitely good, and it’s yet elicited much discussion about reparations, either here going to be healthy for the at the University or in the nacommunity to have a real distional media. cussion about reparations,” “We feel like a lot of faculty she said. “People are talking members here could conabout it, but not in a constructribute to moving the debate tive way, so this will be an opto another level, not so much portunity for a constructive being driven by the controverdialogue.” sy,” said Greg Grandin, assisThe participating profestant professor of history. “[We sors offer a variety of experwant] a more substantial detise and will consequently probate regarding what slavery vide a number of different meant to this country, what it viewpoints. currently means, what the Department of History legacy of it means, how it conChair John Thompson, who tinues to impact the [United studies Canadian history, sees States] in various ways.” parallels to government repaThe teach-in, which will rations for Japanese Canaditake place in the first floor ans interned in camps during commons room of Trent Hall, World War 11. will feature at least 14 faculty See REPARATIONS on page 12 The Chronicle
NEAL PATEL/THE CHRONICLE
STUDENTS PROTESTED THE ANTI-REPARATIONS AD that appeared in The Chronicle, but discussion largely focused on the decision to run the ad rather than the issue of reparations. Professors hope to focus on that issue at tonight’s teach-in.
Div School’s black enrollment drops, page 3 � NSOE creates Christensen
ments,
scholarship, page
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