Usually when there is a high concentration of "crime" it's usually in areas where there is high unemployment and homelessness. When people have don't have money to feed themselves or family, they sometimes make stupid decisions.

Just a Poor Choice of Words
 

I think you're right, he was telling them to enjoy the whole college experience. In in another place, or at another time, I would not object to what he said at all. In context of all that's happened over the past several weeks, it was shocking, to say the least.

Re: Just a Poor Choice of Words
 

I'll bet it was.

I wonder, though, how many graduation speeches this person has given? Some give a lot, and use basically the same one each time.

Besides sports people don't watch the news.

Just kidding.

For the most part.

Update
 

The following article appeared in today's Chicago Tribune. The task force proposal is controversial--people currently involved with youth in the community believe it is too big to be effective. The hope is that they'll break themselves into smaller groups to tackle specific issues.

I was not surprised to see buried in the story that Keith Babb, the school board member who's son watched the melee, resigned from the Board. I think it's an appropriate action on his part.
>>>>

Hazing task force approved
Glenbrook North district agrees to study teen issues


By Lisa Black
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 10, 2003

School board members who want to prevent a repeat of a May 4 hazing that embarrassed Northbrook approved forming a task force Monday night to study a number of teen-related issues such as bullying, drinking and parental responsibilities.

The group could begin its work as early as June 25 and will be asked to prepare recommendations by Dec. 1 that administrators will use to formulate policies or rules aimed at curbing undesirable behavior.

The action by the Northfield Township High School District 225 board that oversees Glenbrook North High School, whose students were involved in the hazing, came after it refused on May 27 to adopt a plan passed by the Northbrook Village Board.

School board members said Monday that their earlier concerns about the task force's mission and representation had been addressed. They had wanted the panel to include members from Glenbrook South High School in Glenview and Glenview village officials.

The task force also would include Northbrook officials, police, teen counselors and drug specialists, parents and students.

Northbrook Village Manager John Novinson, who is helping organize the task force, attended the school board meeting. He and District 225 Supt. Dave Hales will oversee the task force.

"We won't try to reinvent the wheel. There is no pure, easy answer," Novinson said.

School board member Donna Rose Torf said she thought it was important that the board endorse the task force.

Novinson estimated the cost at $7,500 for a person to moderate the task force, prompting board member Thomas Shaer to propose a resolution requesting that the county reimburse the board out of fines or settlements collected from students in the hazing case. The resolution passed 6-0.In a surprise, board member Keith Babb resigned by letter, stating that his decision was due to family circumstances. He did not vote on hazing matters because his son was at the hazing.

Glenbrook North officials have expelled 31 seniors, suspended three seniors and disciplined 20 juniors for their roles in the off-campus hazing on Cook County Forest Preserve District property. None of the expelled students was allowed to attend Sunday's graduation after being banned from school grounds, but 29 who signed an agreement with the district received diplomas.

The students who signed the waiver agreed to participate in counseling and community service. They also are barred from pursuing legal action against the district or from benefiting commercially from the hazing. Sixteen seniors who face misdemeanor charges in connection with the hazing are scheduled to appear in Cook County Circuit Court in Skokie on Wednesday. Two parents charged with supplying kegs of beer or providing a place for underage drinking also are scheduled in court.

The seniors were caught on videotape punching, kicking and throwing objects at junior girls at Chipilly Woods in Northbrook, sending five teens to the hospital.

Re: Re: Re: Update
 

That's cool. :) I always ask graduating seniors where they're going to school, on the off chance that they might be coming to my alma mater! Of course, I'm not in the Big 10. I hope she has a good time!

Impact on Rushing???
 

The other day my daughter received a mailing from the office of Greek Life where she is going to school. She'd always told me she planned to join a sorority. So I was surprised when she looked at the mailing and said "I don't know if I'm going to do this." When we asked why she said "I'm afraid they'll do mean things like they do at North."

I told her that she should do what she thinks is best for her. I pointed out some of the things she enjoys doing that are available in a sorority and that it was one way to make the big campus smaller. I told her that she should ask about hazing during orientation for rush, if she decided to go through. From what I've learned on this board, I told her that I was pretty confident that what happened at GBN would be frowned upon by the national organizations.

A little later, she'd picked up the brochure again and asked me about philanthropy. So who knows what she'll end up doing. But I wonder if other girls who've seen that tape over and over again are thinking the same thing.

Re: Update
 

What a marvelously bureaucratic thing to do.

Of course they'll reinvent the wheel -- unless they're planning on a really long-term study, and unless they have the funding to do some really in-depth research.

And the groups study goals, as stated, are ALL things that would take years to study by themselves -- let alone together.

Ask the folks at Columbine.

I don't know if the number is still good, but in a class some years ago I learned that the best size for a committee is no more than five people. Sounds like this group will be huge. Which generally means that it will be difficult to gain consensus, and probably will end up turning out a big paper which will be forgotten moments after it is published.

Re: Impact on Rushing???
 

Momoftwo, I'm sure they are. I was hazed in high school and it did make me very leery of joining a sorority, because the ones on my first campus were all locals, with the exception of my group. I ended up not rushing until my sophomore year. At Big 10 schools, I couldn't see sorority hazing being a big problem, and I think Sugar and Spice will back that up. :)

Re: Re: Impact on Rushing???
 

I will back it up as well, even though you already said she is not coming to UIUC. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions, though, Momoftwo, I can tell you a lot about the Big10.

If she's coming to Iowa (which is a good possibility since it's very popular among chicago kids :)) I can tell you she does not need to worry about being hazed in one of our sororities. Our greek affairs office takes that very seriously. Besides - our new members are treated like queens :) we love them!

Let me know if it's Iowa and she has any questions :)

If you think your daughter has any questions about hazing, risk management or other aspects of Greek life, feel free to send her to GreekChat. :) I'm sure we can answer most of them. As for hazing, you're right when you told her that the national organizations try very, very hard to prevent any hazing, and they do manage to catch most of it -- a sorority that did anything to the scale of what happened at GBN this year would have had their charter pulled long ago. All the Big 10 schools have pretty strong Greek systems, and I assume their Greek advisors are all pretty involved in preventing hazing. Of course, it can't be guaranteed that none of the sororities haze, but I have friends in quite a few of the sororities here, and none of us were hazed a bit (we were definitely treated like princesses), so odds are against it.

I know there are sorority girls here at GC from Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, and Indiana, if not some of the other Big 10 schools, so hopefully they can weigh in too.

Preliminary Hearing
 

Not much happened in court today...

Judge orders teens to have no contact with victims
SKOKIE, Ill. (AP) — A Cook County judge on Wednesday ordered the teenagers charged in a videotaped hazing incident to avoid any contact with the victims.

In addition to the 15 teenagers charged with misdemeanor battery, another teenager and two parents accused of providing the alcohol that fueled the incident appeared in Judge Timothy Chambers' courtroom.

Several of the teens asked to leave the state for family gatherings or college visits. Chambers gave them permission to go, as long as they're back in Illinois for the status hearing.

Prosecutors amended the battery charge to include battery in an insulting or provoking manner, which allows prosecution even if the battery didn't result in bodily harm.

The May 25 incident in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook gained nationwide attention from videotapes that show senior girls slugging junior girls and showering them with mud, garbage, paint and feces.

Chambers set a July 15 status hearing in the cases.

Copycat incident?
 

Heard this on the news the other night... :confused:

From KWQC.com

Several Bettendorf high school students are in trouble for so called inappropriate actions

Seventeen Bettendorf high school students are in trouble for so called inappropriate actions, which allegedly involve paddling a number of middle school students off campus. The high school students involved have been giving suspensions, but some parents say the punishment is too much and they are fighting to get the suspensions lifted. One of the students who faces suspension says it started in a parking lot near Bettendorf middle school. Several middle school students were hit with paddles. The school district says incidents also took place at private homes. Some Bettendorf high school students were surprised to hear about that type of initiation at their school. Bettendorf high school handed down two-day suspensions to at least 17 students for the start of next year. Athletes will have to miss one game, and all are required to do community service. Still, some think the incident has been blown out of proportion. Parents of those who face punishment plan to try and legally block the suspension since none of the incidents took place on school grounds. A mother of two boys who received suspensions did not want to go on camera, but she says parents will fight the punishment. She feels the school doesn't have the right to suspend students for something that happened off school grounds and after the school year was over.

*shakes head* those last couple of sentences are what we do not need... parents letting kids shirk from accountibility... :mad: At least most of the parents aren't fighting thsi.

I realize a line must be drawn where there are limits on what is punishable by the schools and what is not (as in after school is over and the kids have left) but this seems appropriate to have the school take some action as it was an attack on the incoming freshman, also the athletes are spokespeople for the school, and reflect upon it, just as action would be taken for underage drinking (even in the summer if you are ticketed/arrested for an atheletic code violation, you must face punishments) and it seems that punishment by the school is fair to me.

Also:

School district investigates harassment

Bettendorf students suspended in harassment case

Zero tolerance in Bettendorf

Since we're kind of on the subject...which schools are in the Big 10? I only know the schools in the SEC and Ivy League. Isn't there also a Big 12? And doesn't it get confusing? :confused:

Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern.

There are 11 teams in the Big 10. There used to be 10 but PSU joined in the early 90's.