Issue 3

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PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. XCV, No. 3

50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • www.palycampanile.org

Friday, November 9, 2012

Five propositions pass

Voters approve Prop 30 for emergency school funding Charlie Dulik editor-in-chief

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lection day in California can often be predictable and boring. On Nov. 6, Californians overwhelmingly re-elected prominent Democrats like President Barack Obama, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representative Anna Eshoo, and Democrats in the state assembly are on the verge of a supermajority. However, California state propositions, from legalized marijuana to banning same-sex marriage, have a history of contentious debate and close results. Here is a breakdown of the five statewide propositions that voters approved, and what they mean for Californians.

Staff aim to create a policy with a focus on intervention rather than punishment. Albert lee Maya Kitayama Staff Writers

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Prop 30

Governor Jerry Brown can breathe a sigh of relief. Proposition 30, the Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act which he championed, passed by a 7.2 percent margin, with 53.6 percent of voters supporting the measure and 46.4 percent opposing. Prop. 30 will raise the income tax on individuals making more than $250,000 a year for the next seven years. Prop. 30 will also increase sales tax by a quarter of a cent per dollar, bringing it up to 7.5 percent. The money raised from the tax hike is estimated to generate between $6 and $7.6 billion for education, which will prevent billion dollar trigger cuts on Jan. 1 that were projected to have drastic effects on state schools. The measure bans the use of its funds for administrative costs and instead allows local school boards to decide how to allocate the money. Though the proposition focuses its revenue on

Academic honesty policy committee formed

Michael Wang/the campanile

the education system, some money is diverted for public safety and paying the state’s debt. The measure includes a provision to the state Constitution to dedicate money from the vehicle license fee (about $6 billion a year) to local governments to cover the costs of state programs under their jurisdiction. Prop 35

Endorsed by both the Democratic and Republican Parties of California,

Proposition 35 passed with 81.1 percent of the support of California voters. Prop. 35 creates tougher sentences and increased fines for human trafficking convictions. The bill legislates that human traffickers must register as sex offenders, and requires registered sex offenders to disclose Internet activities and identities to law enforcement. This proposition will cost state and local governments a few million dollars a year. Revenue raised from the increased fines goes

toward causes such as human trafficking victims. Prop 36

Proposition 36 reforms California’s “Three Strikes Law.” Previously, if an offender with two serious or violent felonies committed a third felony, even if the crime was nonviolent, they would automatically be sentenced to life in prison. Prop. 36 dictates that the offender would only be required See PROPOSITIONS, A4

new committee of teachers convened at Paly to discuss changes to the current academic honesty policy. The committee will clarify the current policy. “Our goal is to clarify to students, parents and teachers what the academic policy is going to be like,” history teacher and committee member Adam Yonkers said. “There is a lot of murkiness around the academic honesty policy now. By being more clear with our policies, everyone can be on the same page.” The committee, including teachers Kelli Hagen, Radu Toma, Kirk Hinton, Adam Yonkers, Grant Blackburn and principal Phil Winston, is discussing ways to prevent students from cheating instead of merely punishing them. “We want the policy to do what it’s supposed to do, like teach kids how to cite, or what was wrong about what they did,” Yonkers said. Though Winston says no concrete changes have been made to the policy yet, he also believes the policy should teach students more than punish them. “We’re aiming for the policy to be more interventionist rather than strict,” Winston said. “It is hard for a student to come back from a zero. That student would lose motivation and a sense of well-being.” See CHEATING, A3

Local Election Results Cystic fibrosis carrier returns to Jordan Alvin kim

editor-in-chief

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itizens of Palo Alto visited the voting booths on Nov. 6, voting on key local issues. For Palo Alto City Council, voters re-elected Pat Burt and Greg Schmid. They also elected newcomers Liz Kniss who was a former mayor and Marc Berman who is a local attorney. Incumbents Melissa Baten Caswell and Camille Townsend won their bids for the Board of Education.

Heidi Emberling, who emphasized her background in education, received the final spot over opponent Ken Dauber, who wished to bring a more data-based approach to the council. Voters in Santa Clara County passed Measure A, which will increase the sales tax in order to aid local schools. Measure B, which will implement a cleaner water program, also passed. Measure C, which would allow up to three medical marijuana dispensaries to run in Palo Alto following a set of strict guidelines, did not pass.

Junior debater qualifies for prestigious tournament

Travis Chen earned an early invitation to the Tournament of Champions after three bids. Lily Zhang Staff Writer

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unior debater Travis Chen, qualified for the Tournament of Champions after earning several debate bids from recent tournaments. Chen has placed in many of the past debate tournaments he attended, earning three bids that has allowed him to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. Tournaments have

INSIDE News.....................................A1-A5 Spotlight...............................A6-A7 ASB Post......................................A8 Opinion............................A9-A12 Lifestyle....................................B1 Student Life.................................B2 Culture...................................B3 Music..................................B4 Performing Arts.....................B5-B6 Community............................B7-B8 Sports...................................C1-C8

different standards of earning a bid. In the Greenhill Fall Classic tournament and the Heart of Texas Invitational at St. Mark’s High School, debaters must reach the octafinals in order to receive a bid. “[The Tournament of Champions] is a tournament at the end of the year that invites 70 high school debaters from all over the country to compete,” Chen said. Chen won the debate team’s first bid of the season in the Greenhill Fall Classic in Addison, Texas from Sept. 22 to 23. Chen placed in the Semifinals of the Lincoln-Douglas debate which according to his coach, See DEBATE, A3

PAUSD will allow Colman Chadman to continue to attend Jordan Middle School.

charlie dulik Nira Krasnow editors-in-chief

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ixth grader Colman Chadman returned to Jordan Middle School on Nov. 6 after an 11 day absence. School officials had requested Chadam transfer to Terman Middle School, stating that as a carrier of the cystic fibrosis mutation, he posed a health risk to two siblings at Jordan with cystic fibrosis. Although the family had initially decided to take the issue to court, they were able to settle with the district out of court. An agreement was reached in which the two students would both attend Jordan Middle School, so long as the school implemented cystic fibrosis cross-infection protocols, according to a press release from the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). PAUSD had ordered Chadam to move schools eight weeks into the school year, after deciding that some level of risk remained in allowing a cystic fibrosis carrier to attend school with a student with the disease. School officials were “not willing to risk a potentially life-threatening illness among kids,” PAUSD’s attorney, Lenore Silverman, said, according to the San Francisco

Michael short/sf Chronicle

Colman Chadam, a carrier of cystic fibrosis at Jordan Middle School, climbs a tree in his backyard.

Chronicle. Chadam then left Jordan, and was home-schooled until an agreement could be reached. “I was sad but at the same time I was mad because I understood that I hadn’t done anything wrong,” Colman said, according to Today. “It feels like I’m being bullied in a way that is not right.” Chadam’s parents attempted to convince the district that as a carrier of the disease, their son does not pose a risk to anyone at the school and should not be forced to move schools. However, administrators were not convinced, leading to the family’s decision to take the district to court.

“They made this decision without seeing one medical record on my son,” Colman’s mother, Jennifer Chadam said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “Honestly if I felt Colman was a risk to others, I would move him. I don’t want anyone to get sick.” The district’s arrived at their decision to order the school change in order to keep all students as safe as possible. “Based on the advice of medical experts, [the transfer] is the zero risk option,” PAUSD associate superintendent of education service Charles

mick rodgers/Creative commons

Chang ju wu/creative commons

See JORDAN, A3

Spotlight Sleep An in-depth analysis of the sleep deprivation epidemic. A6-A7

News Election

Opinion College Visits

The Obama administration’s plans for the next four years. A4

Students should take advantage of visiting colleges. A10


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