Harvard News 10/11/83–Editorial – CURRICULUM ANALYSIS: PART 1

By E. Randol Schoenberg, Editor-in-Chief and Bart Aronson, Features Editor

Education at Harvard is like a lone, narrow path winding up a mountain: the path will ultimately reach the summit, but there are no rest stops and no short cuts. This is not to say that the path offers no scenery and requires no skill; rather, that it has been worn, and no new ones have been made. Harvard has made the transition from a good school to a great school; Harvard should now attempt the transition from a great school to an innovative, exemplary institution. Past changes have been lateral instead of vertical; that is electives in both traditional and non-traditional fields have been added, but the core curriculum remains unchanged. The current curriculum is confining: tracking occurs too late or not at all. Few students find the curriculum frustrating because it is too hard; however, many find the curriculum frustrating because it is too easy. This is only one problem. Consequently, changes in the core curriculum should recognize students’ varied capabilities and emphasize flexibility. In the following few issues, the Harvard News will examine the core curriculum and propose changes.

Before any assessment of means is possible, an assessment of goals is necessary. Harvard is and should remain dedicated to college preparation. At the same time, two other propositions deserve our dedication: that of learning as much as possible, given our resources and our time; and that of exploring limits, with regard to a student’s potential. Harvard pursues both; we believe it could so better.

All five departments will be surveyed in the next three issues, and their order is both random and arbitrary. In this issue, we begin with a survey of the science department.

THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

The goal of any science program is to offer the opportunity to study Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and the related sciences. We at Harvard are quite fortunate to have advanced A.P. courses in all three of these major areas. Unfortunately, advanced study in all three of these areas, for the serious science student especially, is not feasible. There are two general reasons which account for this problem. First, Harvard students begin to learn the fundamentals for the major sciences only in ninth grade. Second, the Science Department requires basic courses before A.P. courses can be taken in two of the three major courses. The Science Department’s potential—with its excellent faculty, its extensive resources, and its wealth of courses—is phenomenal; it is unfortunate that students cannot take these courses, take advantage of that potential, and fulfill their goals as science students.

The priority of the Lower School science courses should be to prepare students for study in the three major sciences: Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. The current Lower School courses do not offer such preparation. The seventh grade course could be termed pre-Biology—though it is hard to classify the Egg Drop in any scientific category. The knowledge gained in this course is at least three years away from its application in Biology, and is usually forgotten by then. The eighth grade course introduces the basic concepts of Mass, Volume, Density, and Temperature. These concepts are reintroduced in ninth grade and studied, as they should be, in more depth. Combining the useful aspects of both Lower School science courses into an Introductory Science course and then offering a Matter and Energy course in the eighth grade, is a conceivable and practical alternative. With such changes, the Lower School science courses could better serve as preparatory courses for advanced study in the three major areas of science.

Moving the basic courses back one year would help solve the problem of students not being able to take all the advanced courses, but it would not be enough. Harvard is unique in its requirement of Chemistry before A.P. Chemistry and PSSC Physics before A.P. Physics (Mechanics) and, also, not allowing Biology before A.P. Biology. Many schools allow very capable students to enroll in A.P. science courses without introductory course, and allow two-year options to the rest of the students. Harvard could certainly do this as well. In the ninth and tenth grade, students could have a choice between Biology and Chemistry, on either the normal or advanced level. In eleventh grade, students could be allowed to take Physics PSSC or A.P. Physics (Mechanics), along with a choice of many science electives. Twelfth grade would then be available for other electives or even A.P. Physics (Electricity and Magnetism). This system allows for the most flexibility and opportunity, for all students.

Under such a proposal, Harvard students would learn at least Biology and Chemistry, and could theoretically take A.P. courses in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics (Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism). Such achievements are not impossible; one need only look at Walter Reed Jr. High School for a program at least equally remarkable. At the end of the seventh grade, IHP (Individual Honors Program) students have the opportunity to take A.P. Chemistry or A.P. Biology in Eighth grade—without a Seventh grade science course. The class, which includes students from the regular junior high school, boasts a 90% pass rate. Jeff Kurland (’84), who graduated from the IHP at Walter Reed, estimates 60% of Harvard’s students could quality for, and succeed in, the program. Harvard has the faculty, the resources, and the courses for such an outstanding program. All that needs to be done is to give students the opportunity to take advantage of such a program.

Harvard News 9/26/1983–Editorial – NOTHING TO WRITE

By E. Randol Schoenberg, Editor-in-Chief

Ten o’clock and my mind is blank. For the first time in six issues I am unable to find a meaningful, thought-provoking topic for an editorial. There is no scarcity of subjects, just a scarcity of ideas . I considered the issue of parking (nothing to say and what there is to say is being said in a news article), computers (same problem as parking), and the Emery Room (no issues, pertains only to 12^th grade). All other topics would be more appropriate in the future. So I am resigned to analyze my own problems of non-creativity with hopes that it may somehow be universally applicable to the average Harvard student.

This is not the first time I have been unable to write a unique composition. I experienced the same problem when asked to write an essay for my Senior Questionnaire, a sample college application designed to prepare Seniors for the ultimate tasks inherent in the application process. I, therefore, have come to the conclusion that our Harvard education may not adequately prepare us for what I term “creative essay writing with a sense of audience.”

When asked to write an “essay,” Harvard students always must answer a specific question or statement. If done correctly, the student must factually represent an opinion on the topic given him. This is balanced by “creative writing” in our English courses. We are encouraged to write emotional poetry or comical histories. Usually we are given the form that this “creative” writing is to be in and, more often than not, we are given a certain subject area. The result is a paper written mainly to show a mastery of the English language rather than creative ideas or insightful thoughts.

With both types of papers we have an extremely limited sense of audience. The writing is directed toward the preferred style of the teacher, a single person who has no choice but to strain through each and every paper he must grade. This practice will have disastrous consequences if applied to college essays (or newspaper editorials).

The closest Harvard comes to teaching “creative essay writing with a sense of audience” is the 11^th grade English writing needed to pass the English Achievement Test. Mrs. McGuire’s “Red-Liners” emphasize a much-needed sense of audience although it is a known fact that her red pen is a far more tolerant critic than a college admissions officer (or a newspaper reader).

Realizing the exclusive concentration on either creative or essay writing with almost no sense of audience, it is not surprising that a Harvard student might have difficulty writing a creative essay on the topic of his choice. The difficulty becomes even greater when a real-world audience is considered. Essay writing and creative writing are essential skills, but their ultimate value is in a combination of the two. Most articles published in magazines or literary journals combine creativity in essay form with an added sense of audience. If a writer cannot meet these standards, he will not succeed.

College admission, the immediate goal of any Harvard student, also places a premium on the ability to write a creative essay and the readers are considered the discerning audience. Every college requires an essay of this type as a part of the admissions packet. Harvard University asks in these words:   “On the following page please write a brief essay of 200-500 words on any topic which is of direct personal importance to you.”

“Our Harvard Education may not adequately prepare us for … ‘creative essay writing with a sense of audience.’”

“Omigod! What should I write?” is the most common response to this typical question. This is not because of an inability to write an essay—we’ve done millions of those—but rather inexperience in creative essay writing. Students are so accustomed to having the topic of their essays handed to them that they freeze when asked to write their own.

Training for these questions would be easy, however. Essays on final exams could be made to involve more creativity. For example, “Pick an event in the development of Western Civilization up to the Reformation and relate briefly the significance of its implications” would test broad knowledge and understanding of Western Civilization along with the writing skills useful if one were to write on such a topic in the real world. The possibilities for questions and essays are endless.

Eleven thirty and my mind is still blank. Again, I have managed to squeeze out of my untrained brain a relatively thought-provoking, meaningful editorial. I hope that there will be easier topics to find in the future but I am thankful for this opportunity to test my ability to write a “creative essay with a sense of audience”—I hope.

Harvard News 9/12/1983–Editorial – COUNCIL NEEDS CONTINUITY

By E. Randol Schoenberg, Editor-in-Chief

Every year, we begin with a challenge: Make this year better than the last. And every year, we succeed only partly in meeting that challenge. This year we will be obsessed with increasing school spirit. In the Student Council, increasing attendance at sporting events and after-school activities will take precedence over increasing the quality of school life. Cafeteria, Election, and Curriculum Committees will fall by the wayside while Homecoming and Rally Committees will be thrown into the limelight. Don’t expect this year’s Student Council to deal with leaf-blowers or water fountains. There will be no changes in election procedures, no menu changes to the cafeteria, no curriculum polls. This is strictly a spirit administration.

In order to succeed in meeting the challenge of a better year, the Student Council and The Student Body rally behind areas that were weakest during the previous school year. Continuity is unfortunately not considered an asset. To take up an issue that the previous administration made an effort to deal with would not be popular, no matter what potential for improvement exists.

In recent meetings, the council has discussed the activities it is going to pursue. There was a feeling of redundancy when election procedures were mentioned. Cafeteria changes were shrugged off as useless. But if we establish a commitment to continued improvements in these areas, Harvard Students would benefit from sustained progress rather than a year of improvement in an area followed by a year of regression.

The problem this year, as it has been every year, will be in the Council’s preoccupation with being different (and therefore better) than last year’s Council. Rarely will a Council follow through with a previous Council’s efforts. And this year will probably be no exception.

What we need is a Council that deals with school spirit and school life. By this I mean a Council that gives as much attention to keeping the Student Lounge clean as it does to a “Fan Bus” for away games. The best Council would be one which does not create its own weaknesses by concentrating on the weaknesses of a previous Council. The Student Council would exceed all our expectations of success and do a service to itself and the school if it became spirit and school oriented instead of prematurely committing itself to only one aspect of school life.

I collapsed onto the seat, breathed a sigh of relief and pride, and said, “We’re off to Vienna.” The train started out of the Bonn station with a slight jerk and a quick acceleration. Soon we were out of the city; the countryside scrolled passed our window. My sister Marlena, my brother Ricky, my grandmother Gamma, and I had the compartment for six all to ourselves. We call my grandmother Gamma because when I was young, I couldn’t pronounce my R’s so grandma came out “Gamma” and the name stuck. Sometimes I wonder how I kept my name.

I was born Eric Randol Schoenberg September 12, 1966. Eric was my maternal grandfather’s name—he died in 1959—and my mom felt awkward calling me by it so she called me Randy, short for Randol. Randol, on the other hand, is an anagram of Arnold, my paternal grandfather’s name—he died in 1951. I could have been named Arnold but my mother thought that Eric Arnold sounded bad—too many vowel sounds. But my chances of getting his name probably would have been better if I was born one day later, on his birthday. So fate made me a Randy who couldn’t pronounce his R’s.

The naming of my family is probably one of the most interesting things my parents have done for us. After me came my sister Marlena Lorand Schoenberg. Marlena comes from an opera composed by maternal grandfather, Eric Zeisl, Called “Leonce and Lena.” Lorand is another anagram of Arnold. My brother’s name is Frederic Roland Schoenberg. Frederic contains Eric in it but we call him Ricky. I can’t explain his nickname except that it comes from the “ric” in Frederic. Roland is also an anagram of Arnold. My little sister’s name is Melanie Raldon Schoenberg. Melanie was the name of a great-aunt of mine on my mother’s sister’s side who had died just one year before Melanie was born. My parents were running out of anagrams and Randon was the most reasonable choice beating out my uncle’s suggestion of Dranol or Nardol. The anagram idea is not that original, though. My father’s name is Ronald.

So, here we were, three anagrams and a Gamma, on our way to Vienna, the birthplace of all four of my grandparents. My parents stayed home with Melanie, who was four years old, so that my mother could work on her dissertation and my father could save up some vacation days for a longer trip. So I was in charge—in charge of the luggage, the tickets, the maps, the schedules, the passports, and anything else my grandmother couldn’t take care of because of her bad leg and her habit of misplacing things. She was charged, however, with the impossible task of keeping the three of us from fighting each other. In our family, we have a “pecking order”: I fight with Marlena, Marlena fights with Ricky, and Ricky fights with Melanie. Melanie picks on the cats who take their beating better than any of us.

I don’t know why I can’t get along with Marlena. It is probably because we are so close in age, only 18 months apart. We were the best of friends until Ricky was born. Then we started competing with each other. First, we fought for Ricky’s attention. Then it spread to games, sports, and school. People have been telling me for as long as I can remember that when we get older we’ll love each other and be glad to have each other. But it doesn’t seem likely. We both know each other’s sore spots and it takes a good deal of restraint sometimes not to tease or make fun. More often than not, one of us will lose our self-control and the melee begins. It’s only a matter of time before it comes to blows and someone gets hurt—usually her—and someone gets in trouble—usually me. So during our trip, I tried not to look at her or talk to her unless I was perfectly sure that I could control myself.

That day, on the train, I felt in control. I had gotten everybody to the station on time and had loaded all the luggage onto the train. I had found our compartment and had led them to it. I had taken responsibility for the success of our trip and I succeeded. I was proud of myself—perhaps too proud. The biggest problem I have with people is my oft-swelling head. Sometimes I just feel I should be getting more credit than I do.

When I was in sixth grade, I was one of two people from our class who were chosen to compete in a city-wide Math Contest. Because I was sick the day before the contest, the teacher chose an alternate. I came to school that day to find the boy who was the alternate bragging to everybody and telling the other everybody how wonderful he must be to be picked. And all the other kids in the class were listening to him about it while the other contestant and I sat alone.  Nobody congratulated us or said anything to us. They just kept flattering the alternate kid. I was mad, not because he was getting attention, but because he was getting attention that I deserved.

That sort of thing seems to happen to me all the time now. But I’ve learned to handle it in two ways: First, I realize that it’s also happening to other people: second, I’ve resigned myself to doing things for my own satisfaction, not for praise. Sometimes, I get the praise, other times I don’t. But I can always have the satisfaction of knowing that I did something well.

I’ve always been very self-motivated. My parents have never had to push me to get good grades and they don’t make too much of a fuss when I get a low grade. They know that I’m always trying to do my best. I’m also very self-disciplined. Except for fighting with my sister, I have a very good moral sense of what is right and wrong. And I have enough self-control to maintain that morality. Sometimes, being a teenager, it’s hard not to succumb to peer pressure. But I justify my morality to myself by establishing two things: I have convinced myself not to do anything I might be sorry for later; I have a moral pride that I’ve built up though years of self-restraint. If I remember those two principles I’ll never succumb to peer pressure.

Looking out of the train car window, I couldn’t help thinking how much it reminded me of the Sierras, especially Yosemite Valley. Our family used to go to Yosemite every Memorial Day weekend but we had not gone for about three years. Yosemite is probably the most beautiful place in the world. The awesome waterfalls and majestic peaks that surround the valley are all so easily accessible. Our family hikes a lot. Even my grandmother, with her bad leg, still hikes whenever she gets the chance. I’ll never forget our first hike up to the top of Yosemite Falls. We went with a group led by a Ranger up the 3 and 1/2 mile trail. I went at the front of the group and got to the top about half an hour before the last people, my mom, Ricky, and Gamma reached the top. It was an historic event. Gamma was 70 years old and Ricky was only 4. It was the largest difference in age of any two people ever to hike up to the top together according to the Ranger. At the top I remember going out to the fence at the edge of the falls and looking down 1000 feet to the bottom. It was scary and thrilling at the same time. I’ve been up to the top twice since then but the first time is the one that I remember best.

Gamma said, “When we get to Vienna, I’ll show you St. Peter’s Cathedral, Schonbrunn (The King’s Summer Palace), the Prater—they have the ferris wheel there—and we can ride the ‘elektriche’. You know, the subway.”

“Gamma, were you born in Vienna?” Ricky asked.

“I answered for her, “All of our grandparents were born there.” Then Gamma told us one of her stories that fascinate me.

“In Vienna, it rains quite a bit. And when it rains, people run into the little cafes that line the street to keep from getting wet. Well it rained like this once and that is how my grandparents met. They all sat down at the same table in the café. They started talking and my father’s father mentioned that he had a son. And, of course, my mother’s parents told them about their daughter. And that is how my parents were matched. That was in the old days when the parents arranged the weddings.”

I knew this story already but it still interested me. In fourth grade, my class was assigned to make a family tree. I asked my mom to help me with it by giving me some information. On her side of the family, she gave me a little but told me to ask Gamma for more. And then she helped me translate form a German biography on my grandfather Arnold Schonberg for information on my dad’s side of the family. So I talked to Gamma. What I learned I will never forget. She told me the names of my ancestors all the way back to my great-great-great-great-grandmother Barbara Katcher after whom my mother was named. She told me the story bout her grandparents and so many more. I will retell a few of them here because they made such an impression on me.

My great-great-great-grandfather was Ernst Katcher. The story of his death is interesting because of its historic importance. He raised cattle for a living. One day he went into the city to sell some of his cattle. He received a large amount of money from a butcher and went back home on a train. At the time, trains were rarely used—people feared dying at speeds above 40 mph. So Ernst had a compartment all to himself. When the train stopped, he was found dead, his throat slit with a butcher’s knife. The knife was traced to the apprentice of the butcher Ernst had sold his cattle to. The apprentice was caught and, despite protestations from Ernst’s family, executed. The murderer was Sigmund Freud’s uncle. Freud later wrote a book on the relationship between genius and criminality.

Another great-great-great-grandfather of mine, Lazar Schwartz, wanted to go to America where he could make his fortune and then send for his family. But before getting to the boat he was robbed. All his money was stolen so he returned home. He became sick and died before he could try again.

Finally, a great-great-great-grandfather, Immaneul Zeisl, walked from his home in Prague to Vienna when he was eleven years old. In Vienna he grew up and had six children.

All of these stories seemed to have such a grand importance to me. For the first time, when I was nine years old, I felt the effect the lives of my ancestors have had on me. And none were as important as the life of my grandfather, Arnold Schoenberg.

It is difficult to describe the effect that being Arnold Schoenberg’s grandson has had on me. There are the obvious things like my house in Brentwood that he bought when he arrived in Los Angeles, in 1934, and having enough money from royalties to afford going to Harvard. But there is so much that is not readily apparent. I take violin lessons and sometimes I feel guilty for not practicing. I see his name in books and wonder whether I am going to be famous or have a life as meaningful as his. I have to be modest when people ask, “Are you related to Arnold Schoenberg?” Sometimes that is the hardest. One day last year, I was waiting in a lift line at Mammoth Mountain. When I got to the end of the line, the person who punches the tickets looked at my pass, which had my name on it, and said, “Do you know there was a famous composer named Schoenberg?” I answered quickly, “Yes, that’s my grandfather.” Immediately I felt sorry for saying that. He asked me if I played an instrument, told me that he directed Mammoth High School’s orchestra, and that they needed violins. I had to hold up the line to answer his questions. I was very embarrassed. Now, I was getting attention I didn’t deserve.

Gamma said something that shocked me back into reality. She said, “I’ll never forgive them for not letting me live here.” Then I realized what really motivates me to succeed, what motivated all of my ancestors. I am Jewish, and as a Jew, will always live with the fear of persecution. To overcome this I drive myself in my work and hope to someday establish myself in a world that seems stacked against me. How can I forget that by a stroke of luck my grandparents were not four of the six million Jews executed by the Nazis, that many of my relatives were killed, and that the ones who escaped had to start from scratch without any help. Everything I have today I owe to my grandparents. I owe it to their hard work and determination that I am here now. And so, I will never forget the past, even if it is not my past. I owe it all to all of them to lead the best life I possibly can.

Harvard News 5/10/83–Editorial – HARVARD NEEDS SPIRIT GROUPS

By E. Randol Schoenberg, Editor-in-Chief

When Harvard was a boarding school, the school was divided into four groups which competed against each other in school related activities. Today, Harvard students, especially Student Council members, complain about school spirit, separation of Lower and Upper Schools, and lack of intramural activities. To solve these problems, I propose the reestablishment of Spirit Groups at Harvard, beginning next September. The Groups would be divided by last names: A-H, I-Q, R-Z. The whole school would be involved as everyone would be a member. The function and purpose of the Spirit Groups would include:

1. Groups would promote participation in school-related functions.
2. The three groups would compete with each other to increase involvement.
3. Groups would organize dances and other activities.
4. Groups would be responsible for increasing participation in: Food Drives, Paper Drives, Bike-a-Thons, Jog-a-Thons, Walk-a-Thons and Blood Drives.
5. Most important, the groups would be responsible for maintaining high attendance at athletic games.
6. Intramural competitions between the groups would be held.

The Spirit Groups would act like political parties in that they would help organize and motivate a large group of students in competition with other groups. As incentive, participation would be tallied up by Mr. Berrisford and/or the Student Council. At the end of the year, the group that contributed the most to school spirit would be immortalized on a plaque (with the name of every member) to be hung in Seaver, Rugby, or an appropriate place in perpetuity.

To promote the enthusiasm and loyalty, the following gimmicks could be used:

1. ID cards for the group
2. Buttons
3. Mascots
4. Shirts
5. Hats

The groups would probably be color-coded as they were before, in Red, Green, Yellow and Blue.

The benefits of the Spirit Groups would be numerous. School spirit would be raised. Large crowds would attend games, dances, and performances. Competition would promote greater participation in school activities. Groups would serve a social function by increasing relations between Upper and Lower Schools. All school intramural sports would finally be possible.

Just as any new idea, the Spirit Groups may not catch on at first but with time, these groups can again become an institution at Harvard. Active participation would not be mandatory. But, because activities would be fun and enjoyable, involving no work, I think we could count on large involvement, especially if the groups are run well.

Like the Indian Guides, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, FAC, RAC and FALS, belonging to a group would be satisfying and would provide a chance for Harvard students to have fun while supporting their school. Groups like this were very popular in earlier Harvard Days and with your support they may very well be popular in Harvard’s future.

Harvard News 4/25/83–Editorial – NEW DMV RESTRICTIONS DISCRIMINATE

By E. Randol Schoenberg, Editor-in-Chief

In Sacramento, the California State Legislature is attempting to pass restrictive legislation on 16 and 17 year old drivers. Their plans include a midnight-to-5 A.M. curfew, mandatory seat belt use, and a “provisional license.” The provisional license would allow the DMV to suspend a person’s license for six months, or put the driver on probation for violation of the curfew and belt laws. The provisional licenses will be more difficult to get than the licenses given out today. They will require more on-the-road training, an addition of ten questions to the thirty-six question driver’s tests, and closer inspection during the driving tests.

To justify the crackdown on young drivers, the DMV reported that, “while 16-and 17-year-olds make up only 2.5% of the drivers in California, this age group is responsible for 14.3% of the traffic accidents.” However, they forget to realize that 16- and 17-year olds are by definition first and second year drivers. It is obviously more likely for beginning drivers of any age to get into an accident. The DMV and the Legislature mistakenly perceive the driver’s age, rather than his experience as the cause for the high accident rate.

This sort of restriction, one that singles out a specific group for its part of a problem while ignoring other groups, is discriminatory. Using statistics, the Legislature could continue to restrict specific groups from privileges that others are allowed, thereby violating the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

Belt laws and harder driving tests are not bad ideas. But they should apply to all drivers instead of just one small group. The curfew has been found constitutional, but the logic behind it is faulty. The purpose of the curfew is to keep 16- and 17-year olds off the streets to avoid accidents that often occur at that time. The DMV cites a study on four states with a curfew. The study noted a “substantial” reduction in accidents at that time. There is no doubt that this is true. But the cause of the reduction in accidents was obviously due to the decrease in drivers on the road at that time. If the goal is to reduce the number of car accidents, the Legislature should prohibit all driving. Then there would be “substantial” reduction in car accidents.

The main cause of the accidents involving 16- and 17-year olds and the main cause for this new legislation, however, is young motorists driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It may be true that high school students are more reckless and more likely to drive under the influence, but whether it is true or not, the number of accidents caused by alcohol and drugs are appallingly high for 16- and 17-year olds. In 1981, 2056 drivers under eighteen were involved in alcohol-related fatal and injury crashes. If the statistics continue to find more young drivers involved in accidents, driving privileges will be taken away. Every student’s chance to enjoy the freedom of being able to drive is jeopardized by each person who endangers themselves and others by driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It is up to us to prove that we are responsible enough to drive and drive safely.

Harvard News 4/11/83–Editorial – “NEWS” AND “SNOOZE”: BOTH CAN WORK By E. Randol Schoenberg, Editor-in-Chief

With the appearance of an underground newspaper, the Harvard Snooze, a question has arisen in my mind concerning the purpose of our newspaper. Should our main function be to inform, entertain, or just to pat students on the back? Should we print only public-interest articles, including gossip and satirical slander, or should we print only straight, hard facts, news that everybody already knows? Could we print a mixture of the two and some thought-provoking editorials and cartoons? Should we avoid controversial issues or seek them out? These are all questions to be answered if this newspaper is to be considered a success.

In Los Angeles, there are two types of papers, the L.A. Times, which contains straight news, sports, features (Calendar), editorials, and cartoons; and the National Enquirer, filled with non-serious news, gossip, fads, and light features (boy with two heads, man with a hundred snakes, etc.). Some people feel the need to read both papers to be informed, others only need to read one or the other. But there has never been a successful mixture of the two types. To work, they must be separate.

That is why we printed all of our joke articles in one issue. If we had mixed them with serious news every issue, it would destroy the credibility of our paper. Who would know what to believe?

However, I do not deny that we need to expand our focus. Up until the Harvard Snooze, we had no idea what Harvard students wanted in the paper. Unfortunately, we still have only a vague idea. The Harvard Snooze did not show us what our paper should be like. Our newspaper’s main function is to report news, and I think we have an obligation to print news. But if Harvard students want a National Enquirer-type newspaper, they should have that, too.

I applaud the writers of the Harvard Snooze. They gave us something that Harvard needs: humor. And I hope they continue printing it. We will try our best to liven up our paper too, with cartoons, an “athlete of the issue,” and anything else we can think of, including perhaps some more controversial editorials. But we will always print the news, features, and sports that make a good, informative paper.

Harvard needs a Harvard News and a Harvard Snooze. They should both be interesting and entertaining, but with a somewhat different emphasis. I think we would all benefit from a regular printing of the Harvard Snooze. Furthermore, we at the Harvard News would frown upon any administration attempt to censor the Harvard Snooze. It is an expression of student opinion which is as valuable as anything else in our Harvard community.

Harvard News 2/1/83–Editorial – WHY NOT THE LOWER SCHOOL? — By E. Randol Schoenberg, Managing Editor

I must say that I enjoyed hearing the eighth graders recite their winning poems at last week’s All-School Assembly, and I was genuinely intrigued by the accomplishments that the Lower School has made. But I was also shocked and alarmed at how separated I have become from the Lower School just three years after leaving it. After all, it is a part of Harvard School and I do pass through Rugby occasionally on my way up to Harvard Hall. I am familiar with almost all that goes on in the Upper School by reading the Harvard News, but rarely does any news about the Lower School appear in our paper. It is not that their news isn’t worthy of printing, and it isn’t non-existent (as evidenced by Mr. Amato’s speech). It just isn’t printed.

The reason for this, I imagine, is that the Lower School has the Foyer Flyer. Maybe I haven’t seen a Foyer Flyer since I graduated eighth grade. I suppose it is stowed away deep in the Lower School Office, where no Upper Schooler is likely to go. Are they hiding it from us, or do they assume that no one in the Upper School cares about seventh and eighth grade activities? I care as much about the Lower School Math Team (I’ve heard rumors about its existence) as I do about the Upper School Team, and the same goes for basketball and poetry contests. As a matter of fact, I probably would rather read about the activities of the Lower School, about which I am less likely to hear, than of the Upper School, about which I hear a lot. When I was in the Lower School, I looked forward to reading the Coldwater Pipeline (although it only came out a few times a year) more than the Foyer Flyer (although it was less productive then than it is now), because the Pipeline had news I didn’t know. It was real news!

The problem with printing Lower School news, and I assume this is why we don’t, is that we need Lower Schoolers to write the articles. Obviously there are some capable journalists, but they all write for the Foyer Flyer. There has been a long-standing tradition of having an exclusively Upper School newspaper. The Student Handbook even says that the newspaper is restricted to ninth through twelfth graders. But there is no reason for such a rule. The students who write for the Foyer Flyer show an interest in journalism that should continue when they leave eighth grade. Essentially they have to start over at the bottom.

What I propose is the incorporation of the Lower School’s Foyer Flyer with the Harvard News. The Lower School would benefit by our organization and regularity, while the Upper School would become more informed about Lower School activities and achievements. The Harvard News would be improved by the addition of new writers who could continue and improve their journalism with experience. Seventh graders brought through this system would be better able to manage the paper when they become editors, so the quality of the paper would increase. It would bridge an unneeded gap between the Upper and Lower Schools. And finally, more people would read the paper because it would appeal to more people. I truly believe that this unification would be beneficial to everybody and I look forward to the day when a picture of a seventh grader is on the front page of the Harvard News. After all, the paper is not called the “Harvard Upper School News!”

Harvard News 4/29/82–Editorial – CHANGE NEEDED IN PREFECT ELECTIONS — By E. Randol Schoenberg, Managing Editor

I had a chance to read over Gary Tamkin’s article before it was printed, and I thought I might comment on one problem that I see in the present system. I might add that Gary’s article was written before the prefect nominee speeches, whereas this article was written after them. After hearing the speeches by the candidates, and then hearing about the reaction of the administration, I am increasingly aware of a split between the student body and the faculty-administration. It does not surprise me that the administration may consider returning to the old way of prefect nominations, where each member of the faculty submits the names of fourteen eleventh grade students, and the winning students are then reviewed and selected by the Headmaster. The ramifications of any action like this would most likely be disastrous. It would decrease student faith in the administration and substantially reduce the power of the student body as a whole. However, if we continue with our present system, the results would be even worse. The ridicule of faculty members and school politics will only increase in future speeches, eventually forcing the administration to take some action.

I can see a clear solution to this problem, however. A compromise must be made by both sides. I suggest that we eliminate the direct voting for First Prefect by circling a name on the ballot, a procedure much like the amendment proposed by the Election Procedures Committee. But after the seven students have been chosen, the faculty and administration will decide who will be the First Prefect. This would solve the problem of the prefect speeches by making faculty appeal almost as important as student appeal. Respect for the faculty and administration will be the result, yet the student body will retain most of their power over student leadership. But perhaps most importantly of all, it will prevent future prefect nominees from going one step too far and forcing the administration to remove all of our privileges regarding student government.

From the New Harvard Magazine (Fall 1980)

A FABLE

By Randy Schoenberg

The donkey and the elephant started down the road to ask the inhabitants of the land whom they would rather have as their leader; each first queried the worker bees saying, “Vote for me.” But the bees could not hammer out their differences and so replied, “How are we to decide between such drones as you?” The donkey and the elephant each queried the magpies, “Will you vote for me?” But the reply the magpies broadcast could not be heard above the static that the question created. Then the donkey and the elephant queried the bulls, asking “Will you vote for me?” But the bulls answered, “Are we to waste our time deciding between you two greenhorns when we could be doing something capital, like exchanging blows?” So the donkey and the elephant went on and finally queried the lion’s cubs, “Will you please vote for me?” The backscratching lion’s cubs, though small, roared, “We choose the elephant in the hope that he will remember that it was upon our backs that he was launched up to his exalted position.”