Newsletter of October 11, 2005

Civitas Home Page

Middle School Teachers Hold Country Draft

The middle school Model United Nations program is off and rolling after a well-attended and productive teachers' meeting yesterday! After discussing the upcoming student workshop, classroom visits, and spring General Assemblies, teachers divided up and chose which countries their students would be representing. With twenty-one schools and over five hundred students participating in the program this year, a great diversity of countries were chosen from all regions of the world, thus insuring interesting discussions at our General Assemblies. A link to the rosters of countries for each session is located at the bottom of this story.

If you were one of the teachers who were not able to attend the meeting, please email us your country choices as soon as possible. Make sure to check our website to make sure the countries you'd like have not already been chosen by another school on your date.

Our student workshop on November 16th is just around the corner. Held at the Khorassan Room at the Chase Park Plaza, it promises to be an invaluable introduction to the program for the students as well as a lot of fun. The agenda for the morning includes an interactive power point presentation on the United Nations and our Model UN program, a resolution simulation, and a performance by drummers and dancers from Cote d'Ivoire. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Should any teacher have any questions, you can contact:

1. The Civitas office [(314) 367-6480) or [email protected]] or
2. Lisa Granich-Kovarik [(314) 865-4704 or [email protected]].
Middle School Country Selections for 2005-2006

High School Discussion Group This Saturday, Oct. 15!

Following our successful 2005-2006 high school country draft on Saturday, October 1, we will return to our discussion group format this Saturday.

Among the topics that we will suggest are our two most recent survey topics:

1. Should there be dress codes for teachers?
2. Should journalists have the right to protect their confidential sources.

In addition, we can talk about the following:

3. Possible "donor fatigue" -- are people tired from giving to tsunami relief and hurricane relief and less likely to give to earthquake relief in Pakistan, etc.

4. Is the baseball season too long?

We encourage you to bring your own topics for discussion. As always, we will have the tastiest of food with lots of energy-producing carbohydrates. We'll also have some "healthy" food.

We want to remind everyone that the country draft was in preparation for our November 19 Model U.N. session at the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel. We may well also have another model U.N. session in the spring. As of now, there are still 158 additional countries for schools to take.

At the bottom of this article, we have links to the "drafted list of nations" as well as photos and video from recent events.

Map and Directions to Crossroads School

Photos!

Streaming Video!

General Assembly Rosters for 2005-2006

Application Deadline Next Monday for Global Solutions, Local Connections Conference in Santa Fe

Please note that the deadline for applying to attend this conference is next Monday, October 17!

College students, & high-school seniors and juniors--
We invite you to enter a contest to participate in a
national conference in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

"GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, LOCAL CONNECTIONS: MAKING THE GLOBAL LOCAL,
ONE ACTIVIST AT A TIME"

N O V E M B E R 4 - 6, 2 0 0 5

______________________________________________________________________________________

HEAR PRESENTATIONS AND JOIN IN DISCUSSIONS ON:

HOW & WHY THE U.S. SHOULD BE MORE OF A "GLOBAL TEAM PLAYER"
HOW THE U.N. MUST BE CHANGED TO BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE
WHY LOCAL ISSUES ARE ALSO GLOBAL ISSUES
THE CRITICAL WORK OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

PARTICIPATE IN THE SECOND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE
POLITICALLY ACTIVE CITIZENS FOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS
__________________________________________________________________________

Citizens for Global Solutions of Greater St. Louis will provide transportation, registration, meals, & lodging at the La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a college student or a high-school junior or senior to attend this national convention.
The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday, November 4, so you should be able to leave St. Louis Thursday evening. It ends at noon Sunday, November 6, so you could be back by that night. Getting to & from the St. Louis airport is your responsibility.
If you want to be a contestant for this all-expenses-paid trip, write a 3-5 page typed essay (double-spaced) consisting of two parts. In the first part tell us about your background and why you would be a good person for us to send to this meeting. In the second part share with us your thinking about some of the problems our world community faces and how we might deal with them more effectively.
____________________________________________________________________

In exchange for this subsidy C/GS of St. Louis expects you to give us a brief written report about
the conference & what you learned from it. (This gets published in our local newsletter.)

Send your essay to:
Ronald J. Glossop, 8894 Berkay Avenue, Jennings, MO 63136-5004
or preferably by e-mail to:
Be sure to include your home address and home telephone number.

For more information, call (314) 869-2303.

Deadline: October 17, 2005. Winner will be notified by October 19, 2005.
Link to Conference Web Page

Survey on Journalists Being Allowed to Protect Their Confidential Sources

Last week, New York Times writer Judith Miller was set free after 85 days in prison. She had been sentenced to jail because she refused to disclose to a federal prosecutor the name of the person who "leaked" the name of a CIA agent who was tangentially involved in refuting President Bush's argument that there were Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in Iraq. As it turned out, Ms. Miller never revealed the CIA agent's name in print nor did she write an article about the issue.

Last week, the person who revealed the CIA agent's name to Ms. Miller said that he would come forward on his own. That meant that Ms. Miller was no longer "holding a secret" and she could be released from prison.

By the way, the "leaker" of the information to Judith Miller was "Scooter" Libby, chief of staff to Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Our question (at long last) is: Do you think that journalists should be required to release their confidential sources in a criminal investigation?
Survey on Journalists Being Allowed to Protect Their Confidential Sources

Previous Survey Results!

Last newsletter's question was:

Survey on Dress Codes for Teachers

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the following last Sunday:

"Flip-flop sandals. Holey or tight jeans. Body piercings. Sloppy T-shirts. Plunging necklines and impossibly short skirts.

It's not just student dress that's caught the attention of school leaders and parents. What some teachers wear to class these days is also inspiring debate.

"It comes up all the time," said Annice Brave, a Bethalto School Board member and Alton teacher. "People will approach me about a teacher they think is dressed inappropriately. It's usually that they think they are too casual or too provocative."

Do you think that schools should have dress codes for teachers?

Responses:

1. Yes 6 (67%)

2. No 2 (22%)

3. Not Sure 1 (11%)

COMMENTS ON THE ISSUE

Comments on Dress Codes for Teachers

Katelyn Jones; Lindbergh High School., 2007

Who wants to see a teacher's body to the extent that it's nauseating! There are students whose bodies are gross and the things they wear shouldn't be allowed. I strongly believe that teachers need to set an example for students and consequently, NO, they should NOT be allowed to wear items that make them ill to the eye.

Crystal Williams; Dominican University, 2008; Maplewood-Richmond Heights H.S., 2004

Boys will be boys. We need not tempt them with female teachers' necklines and hemlines. They have a hard enough time controlling their hormones around female peers. Besides, if learning is of utmost importance then what Miss Smith wore in class today that everyone could see through shouldn't be the focus. Miss Smith should be wearing non-revealing, conservative, and stylish (if she so chooses) clothing. A few rules from the school board concerning teacher dress code is a push in the right direction.

Lisa Henderson; Fox High School, 2008

Clearly none of us want our children to attend a school full of female teachers wearing shirts with plunging necklines and skirts roughly 8 inches long. Or a bunch of male teachers wearing tight leather pants and muscle shirts. I think we all agree on this. But we should be careful not to go overboard. Most kids wouldn't appreciate a school full of "suits."

Anthony Keel; S.L.U.H., 2006

Obviously I would say yes to this question. I didn't know that teachers even dressed like that. They should be punished. No wonder there are sex scandals. Teachers need to have a dress code like the school they are in at the least. What should happen is that the teachers should dress better than the students; after all, they are supposed to be adults, instructors, and role models.

Additional Links

Photo Gallery
Streaming Video [Real Media]
Civitas Calendar
Civitas Intranets Site
Civitas Home Page
Maps & Directions
Previous Newsletters
Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2004-2005
Checklist for Writing a Model U.N. Resolution
General Assembly Countries
Security Counci Countries