West Campus SGA Debate Meet the Candidates Talk Nerdy to Me Presidential Candidate Discusses Important Issues Pg
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
NEWS OPINION FEATURES SPORTS MEGACON 1 March 30, 2011 VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 13 VALENCIAVOICE.COM West Campus SGA debate Meet the candidates Talk Nerdy to Me Presidential candidate discusses important issues Pg. 4 Shardeh Berry By James Austin Chief-of-staff and VCC student RDV Sportsplex to host West Campus Vice Presidential candidate [email protected] since Fall 2009, said that he wanted sports, and increasing school spirit • Current Parlimentarian of SGA to bring back intramural sports to by holding pep rallies, campus • Platform: The right to vote is one of our West Campus, would work to create competitions and fundraisers to Richer variety of courses for nations founding principles. It gives a mentorship program avalible for support campus clubs. those who can only us, the citizens, the opportunity to Though she is running access one campus make our society better by electing unopposed, the Vice Presidential leaders who we think best represent candidate Berry released her own our thoughts and beliefs. platform that she will be focusing Wendell Smith Jr It’s time again for Valencia’s on in the coming year, including Presidential candidate Student Government elections and encouraging more students to to help the student body make an actively participate in campus • Current Vice President of SGA Playlist Live educated decision the West Campus events. She also wants to focus on • Platform: SGA debates were held on the SSB making more courses available to Increase student participation patio this past Tuesday. all campus’s. Partner with local sportsplex to Pg. 7 host club sports. There were three candidates The power of the people is a scheduled to participate in the guiding light in the politics of this debates. The two Presidential country. Our right to vote was candidates, Patrick O’Conner established in the Constitution so Patrick O’Conner and Wendell Smith Jr, and the all students, and have a more open that citizens would always be in Presidential candidate unopposed Vice Presidential and available system for getting control of their own destiny and so candidate Shardeh Berry. class and professor information. that the will of the people would • Current Chief-of-Staff of SGA. Platform: O’Conner was the first and only Smith wasn’t at the debate but always be heard. • Make class selection easier by candidate to speak, Smith and Berry has published his platform goals. To make sure your voice is heard making syllabuses available during could not make it for unspecified Including wanting to continue the by Valencia make sure you go to registration. reasons and neither were available ‘Free the Children’ fundraiser to your Atlas account Monday April Create a mentorship program that for comment. supply clean drinking water to 4th and Tuesday April 5th to vote for is open to all students. Spring training O’Conner, the current SGA family’s in Haiti, working with the your Student Government. Pg. 11 NEWS OPINION FEATURES SPORTS MEGACON 2 what the Hillsborough County School District is doing as part of its $100 million Bill & Melinda Gates Now the FCAT matters Foundation grant. No shoe day Locally, it involves hiring six peer evaluators, SGA is hosting an event to celebrate ‘One Day With- New bill makes teachers pay based on test scores who will help evaluate teachers, and that would out Shoes’ on April 5th in HSB 105 and building 3-111. constitute a percentage point toward merit pay. ‘One Day Without Shoes’ is a movement started by By Pallavi Agarwal evaluation methods to the Florida Department of Howerton concurred with Hancock and Tuck that Toms Shoes, a company that donates a pair of shoes Highlands Today, Sebring, Fla. Education. to someone in need for every pair purchessed. teachers were underpaid but was concerned about School board member Ned Hancock said the ‘One Day Without Shoes’ purports to raise aware- paying for a merit pay plan during a money crunch Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a merit school district has started working on the framework ness of the vast amount of people in the world who can’t and devising a system that was fair to everyone. pay system to reward teachers who do a good job. of its evaluation tool. afford to wear shoes. Many people celebrate by going Deputy School Superintendent Rodney Hollinger Now, local school board officials want to know The school's Director of Human Resources Vivian the whole day without wearing shoes of their own; from said it was too early for him to make a comment on how lawmakers want the school districts to fund these Waldron explained the evaluation system they were the moment they wake-up until they go to bed like mil- the law's impact on the school district. lions who cannot afford shoes of their own. pay raises, without allocating any money for them. creating was part of the requirements of the federal He said state education legislative experts As well as showing documentary on Toms Shoes, A day after the merit pay bill became law -- one Race To The Top grant and mirrors what the new law will have to first study the law and pass on their SGA will be giving away Toms flags to promote aware- year after former Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a similar mandates, mainly that half of a teacher's evaluation interpretation to school districts. ness. They will also be collecting donations of old bill last year -- many questions remain. be linked to student growth and achievement. He hopes to have a better idea by early May. shoes to be sent to Souls4souls, a chairty focused on School board member Andy Tuck said he intends Hancock added while he thought the new law "It (the bill) hasn't been explained to us," he said. getting shoes to those in need. to go to Tallahassee next week to ask that same would be beneficial in the long run, there were some "It was just signed yesterday." question, namely how much teachers could make in parts he did not like. —MCT Campus merit raises and where the money was to come from. He was concerned school districts would have Starting next school year, the new law also re- a hard time instituting a merit pay system during quires school districts to institute a teacher evalua- challenging economic times. tion system tied heavily to how their students per- "The most immediate impact (of the new law), form on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment it has yet to be seen," he said. Although "I'm all for Good business Test and other exams over a three-year period. good teachers to make more in line with what the School districts have until June 1 to submit their rest of their profession is making." Hancock also wondered how teachers who is a Skill. taught non-FCAT subjects like P.E., music and fine arts would be evaluated. According to the Florida Education Association, school districts had to institute end-of-the-year exams for non-FCAT courses by 2014. Master it. While the evaluation system has to be put into place by next school year, schools have three years to institute the merit pay plan. “I initially chose Columbia College for The new law also grandfathers in existing the flexibility, as I knew I would be deploying with my National Guard unit teachers unless they move to another school a few years ago, and I could complete district or opt to participate in the merit plan. courses online while deployed.” School board member Donna Howerton said she was happy the local teachers union, teachers Josh Boesen ‘09 Toll free: (877) 999-9876 Master of Business Administration Kurt Strazdins and administrators have been working together www.ccis.edu/masterit Teachers pay will now depend on how students preform to design the evaluation system that matches 2600 Technology Dr. • Orlando, FL NEWSNEWS OPINION 3 FEATURES FEATURESSPORTS SPORTSMEGACON ROLLINS WAS NOT Trust tested in new survey ONLY AN Media trustworthiness scores all-time low OPTION, By Collin Dever Valencia was picked to host the talks because of IT WAS [email protected] the kind of conversation it supports. The survey also ranked Academic/experts as THE BEST The President and CEO of Edleman U.S., Mat- the highest trusted source for information and a CHOICE. thew J. Harrington, spoke to a small audience of regular employee as the least trusted source. honors students on Wednesday about the compa- “Our culture places a very high premium on Not just because ny’s annual Trust Barometer. The report globally expertise,” said Shugart. “Educational institutions Rollins offers an surveys levels of trust of government, business, are still generally regarded as places where self in- and media organizations. terest is not so strongly encouraged.” affordable The highest scoring country overall was Brazil, Overall the summary emphasizes the impor- education, but proving to be the most trusting of the 23 countries tance of trust because of the motility it provides because the that were surveyed, scoring 25 points above the an organization. Public impression will sway but challenge is immediate, Learn about financial aid, scholarships, transferring global average. trustworthy groups will have the flexibility to the inspiration to do “What you saw here was the emerging markets, bounce back. Trust provides a foundation that credits and more at our B.A. information session: well is plentiful, and the the BRICs, their buoyancy in terms of their eco- shelters organizations during rough times. Thursday, April 7, 6:00 p.m. nomic advancements and societal advancements “We’re tracking the changing nature of trust tools to succeed are and therefore trusted within all institutions,” said in our institutional segments,” said Harrington.