Opinion Papers

Assuming you've been around for 8th-grade social studies last month, you ought to know the story of Kennewick Man. In the summer of 1996, a buried human that is believed to be about 9,000 years old was discovered near Columbia Park in Kennewick, Washington. The issue arrives here: scientists want to study the body, to try to find more information about early humans, while the Native Americans would like to bury the body underground as part of their culture. The scientists believe that they have the right to study Kennewick Man's body because ancient human skeletal remains are very scientifically valuable and should be open for study to learn more about people of their kind. Morally, It's more important to learn new information that will benefit most of mankind over the wishes of a small group. From ancient human skeletons, these scientists are able to derive vital information about what ancient humans lived like from their diseases and injuries to the meals they ate and a day in their lives. This vast new amount of information can help scientists and archaeologists make new discoveries and theories. 

Now that you've heard that, you may have your opinion formulated by now, but before you do anything, I would encourage you to hear the other side as well. The native tribes in southern Washington where this body was found, wanted the bones to be returned and buried in the ground in order to respect the dead. This statement, on its own, is very respectable and is completely understandable. It was the assumption of the native tribes that these bones were of their long dead ancestors (this belief was reinforced when Kennewick Man was proven to not be of European ancestry), and the natives held beliefs that they should be buried as part of their religion. This is a fair argument, and questions why the beliefs of scientists and people that didn't share in their culture, should come above the beliefs of the natives. Even if you don't care about the (very important) moral argument of this issue, then you also have the law to take into account. The NAGPRA and ARPA acts requiring that these bones be returned to the tribes in the region, and mandating that the removal was illegal due to the remains being over 100 years old, respectively.

In this case the scientists ended up winning, at least for a while. The scientific institute successfully argued in court that, the age and unknown ancestry allowed scientists to research the body as long as they knew it wasn't of indigenous decent. In 2015, DNA testing proved that the remains were indeed those of native ancestry, and the body of Kennewick Man would be reburied in Washington in February of 2017. While this argument may be over, it still is important to think about, these events happen all the time and can have large ramifications for the standards in all fields. When we held this debate in class, there were just two sides presented (the same goes for this article), but there is always the position of compromise. We can stand and debate for hours to sway people to our side, but when policy is actually made, you can't just declare that you get everything you want (at least, that's how it usually goes). Perhaps a more important process then debate, is that of negotiation, when you get to work and sort out differences with the desire to get things done, you get a functioning system.

Compromise today is something that we desperately need from Washington (the capital, not the state this time) as well as our own state and local legislatures. Compromised can be achieved for the benefit of all, whether it be over bones or funds, it is important to promote compromise in all our communities and be a model of what our government should be. I hope that this article provided you with something new to think about, and maybe a desire to talk with people you disagree with (even if they seem insufferable).

Written by Fritz Smith and Patrick Huang; Edited by Sam Eide and Parker Wren

At the beginning of the school year, students traded in their old Chromebooks with newer ones. Some are excited about them, but are they really that good? One improvement the new Chromebook has had over its older counterpart is that it has a better stylus. It is longer, less likely to break, and place at a more convenient spot. The newer model also has a slide-able cover for the front camera, which many are confused about what it is used for, perhaps Zoom, perhaps Video conferencing with your Grandma, who knows. Some have claimed that the newer Chromebook is more durable when compared to the older one, but this fact might still be inaccurate. 

Now that all the improvements have been discussed, there are also significant drawbacks. There is one major issue with the latest model: it keeps signing out! At random intervals of time when one opens their Chromebook, the screen might be black, meaning it shut off. A reason this is a major issue is that many students might have unsaved work. Once the Chromebook turns off, the unsaved work gets deleted (probably forever). Furthermore, signing back into your Chromebook while you are supposed to be taking notes could lose you some time and useful information. Additionally, some believe the touch pad is worse than the older model, especially when clicking and dragging. All of these factors can easily cause increased frustration for students, ultimately leading to anger. This may result in students damaging their Chromebooks, which would require repairs, make them pay for the repairs, and leaving them without a Chromebook in the meantime, causing them to get very behind on schoolwork.

Written by Patrick Huang; Edited by Fritz Smith and Sam Eide

Throughout the school year every student will undoubtedly hear and learn about the new history month that has arrived. This also always seems to bring the question of whether these history months are productive and whether there should be months for other groups.

A supporter of a "Men's History Month" said that he felt this way because he "Hate(s) women" and thinks that because women have Women's History Month, men should get a month too. Regardless of this individual's supposed hatred of women (a statement which he later rescinded), he does raise a good question, "Why should women get a history month and not men?" 

The usual answer to this question by those who support Women's but not Men's history month is because women have been historically disenfranchised in many walks of life and are therefore overlooked in education and history. Women's history month allows this systemic and historical absence to be further rectified and prevent us from returning to those times.

Nonetheless, people will argue that this is fighting sexism with sexism and increases the strife that people experience due to these problems. However, at large the curriculum for history is focused on men and similar topics and is in its own way Men's history month/year. 

Ultimately if all of these specific months were better combined into the regular school curriculum it could allow for the information to be retained longer as well as simplify the calendar and it lessons. In the end it's up to you to decide what you think is best for your education but make sure to keep an open mind about these topics and never be afraid to engage in debate with those who disagree with you.

Written and Edited by Fritz Smith