CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1047 4's anchor and urban affairs specialist. Most A TRIBUTE TO CITY YEAR SAN and said it really helped them. They thought recently, she joined Congresswoman Barbara ANTONIO they had passed it.’’ Lee's citizen delegation to report a week-long Fighting Back, a substance abuse, crime and violence prevention and community de- series on the people, culture and politics of HON. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ velopment program, has 60 full-time volun- Cuba and on Cuba's relationship with the OF TEXAS teers. They are recruiting more than 100 high United States. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES school students for a new part-time service Belva has received six local Emmys, the Thursday, May 20, 1999 program in San Antonio. 1996 Governor's Award of the Northern Cali- Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today City Year and Southside High School re- cently started a part-time volunteer pro- fornia Chapter of the National Academy of Tel- to ask unanimous consent to submit into the gram for students called City Heroes. evision Arts and Sciences, a Certificate of Ex- RECORD an article that appeared in the San Most of the full-time volunteers started cellence from the California Associated Press Antonio Express News recently. their year of service in August and will fin- Television and Radio Association, and the The article highlights City Year San Antonio, ish in June. Golden Gadfly Award of the Media Alliance. a unique public and private partnership pro- Volunteers operate primarily on the city’s She has honorary doctorates from Golden gram for the national service movement. City West, East and South sides but can partici- Gate University and John F. Kennedy Univer- Year San Antonio has contributed more than pate in programs anywhere in the city, said sities. The Media Academy of Oakland offers 30,000 hours of service to the San Antonio Scott Hirsch of the Texas Commission on community in its 3 years of service. City Year Volunteerism and Community Service. Vol- an annual journalism scholarship in Ms. unteers themselves come from all areas of Davis's name. San Antonio has established a mentor and town and sometimes—like Miller—from out When Rollin Post announced his retirement, tutor program for children from elementary of town. Belva said: ``I've been learning from Rollin school through high school, including pro- Hirsch said the commission is working on Post for three decades, and we have become grams on the environment, domestic violence guidelines to evaluate how effective volun- prevention, HIV/Aids awareness, and tech- teers throughout Texas have been in the past the real political odd couple. He has taught me five years since the AmeriCorps program was how to make the most complicated political nology education. I am proud of the work and the service that founded. Overall, the various volunteer pro- issues interesting to a sometimes disinterested City Year provides to the San Antonio commu- grams are going strong. electorate.'' nity. I look forward to the continued success Hirsch added that associations with other programs can cause confusion. ‘‘Sometimes, Rollin Post has covered politics in the San and future progress of City Year San Antonio. Francisco Bay Area for more than 40 years. when you’re at a cocktail party and you AMERICORPS WORKERS HELPING OTHERS mention you work for AmeriCorps, people With keen understanding of public affairs, CITYWIDE think it no longer exists,’’ Hirsch said. Rollin has covered 14 national political con- (By Joseph Barrios) Some of the benefits to the program are in- ventions. In addition to state and local political .. . Nathan Miller grew up in a quiet Kan- tangible, said Bill Blair, director at the issues, Rollin reported from Cuba in 1978 on sas City, Kan., neighborhood but wanted to George Gervin Youth Center. trade, tourism, and hijacking. In 1986, Rollin travel and learn about different places. Regularly, when volunteers are painting a was on special assignment in the Philippines He graduated from high school and then house or cleaning up an abandoned lot, during the transition to democracy. applied to serve with City Year, one of the neighbors will stop by and offer their help. AmeriCorps volunteer programs operating in ‘‘I say, ‘Sure, come on and join us.’ You ``Rollin is an old-fashioned reporter who San Antonio. can’t beat that sort of thing,’’ Blair said. gives you the facts and is genuinely interested The 19-year-old Miller now works 12-hour Neighbors can also submit ideas for service in the process, the politics, the issues and days, sometimes tutoring West Side children projects to any of the programs like City ideas. He is exceptionally fair-minded and as part of Project Learn to Read and some- Year or Fighting Back. doesn't have a cynical bone in his body,'' times working with San Antonio Alternative AmeriCorps volunteer benefits can include Housing on minor construction for elderly wrote John Jacobs, political editor of health insurance, a weekly stipend, uniforms neighbors. and a post-service education award of $4,725 McClatchy Newspapers. With a passion for His favorite responsibility is helping teach that can pay for school or student loans. The politics, along with a touch of idealism, Rollin a nighttime English class for adults seeking program requires a minimum of 1,700 hours a brought clarity and understanding to the polit- citizenship. year from volunteers. ical process. ‘‘I feel like I help them get along better in This fall, Miller will begin college in their lives,’’ Miller said, ‘‘I have a chance to Early in his career, Rollin worked for KPIX± Vermont. He said his favorite times as a vol- meet people in drastically different life situ- unteer come when someone thanks him for TV, where he concentrated on politics and ations from mine.’’ work that an AmeriCorps volunteer did. general assignments. He was also head writer Miller is one of more than 140 full-time volunteers in the San Antonio area serving ‘‘I have people come up to me all the time. and producer for ``The Paul Coates Report,'' a They see your shirt and want to thank you,’’ nationally syndicated television interview with various AmeriCorps programs. Al- though the volunteers are affiliated with dif- Miller said. ‘‘They can be thanking you for show. Rollin joined KQED in 1973 to work on ferent funding agencies, their goals are the something that happened three years or three programs: ``A Closer Look,'' ``News- same. three days ago.’’ room,'' and ``California Tonight.'' In September They want to tackle some of San Antonio’s 1979, Rollin joined KRON±TV, where he blight and improve people’s lives. f served as NewsCenter4's political editor for 18 AmeriCorps is the national service program WORKING ON A SOLUTION years. While co-anchoring on KRON's ``Cali- started by Congress and President Clinton in 1993. Programs can be funded with federal fornia This Week.'' Rollin and Belva brought dollars or matched by a local ‘‘parent’’ orga- passion and insight to the issues of the day. nization. HON. BOB SCHAFFER Because of their pioneering spirit and leader- The George Gervin Youth Center has 20 OF COLORADO ship, Rollin and Belva became mentors to the full-time AmeriCorps volunteers and Habitat IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES next generation of journalists. Rollin speaks of for Humanity has a dozen full-time volun- Thursday, May 20, 1999 Belva with great affection: ``She's a Type A; teers working in San Antonio. Miller works for the 10-year-old City Year I'm the type who likes to take naps.'' Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, in the matter program, which has 70 AmeriCorps volun- of the Columbine Massacre, I hereby submit Currently, Rollin hosts ``Our World This teers and works out of an office downtown. An average day for h im varies somewhat to the RECORD a statement issued by the Col- Week,'' an international news show produced orado State Board of Education. by BayTV in cooperation with the World Affairs from Rudy Beltran, 23, a full-time volunteer with the Just Serve AmeriCorps program run These remarks, I commend to my col- Council of Northern California. by San Antonio Fighting Back of the United leagues upon consideration of various pro- Among his many awards, Rollin received Way. posals pending this Congress. Clearly, the the prestigious Broadcast Preceptor Award Beltran, based at the Barbara Jordan cen- thoughts offered by the Colorado State Board from the 32nd annual San Francisco State ter of the city’s East Side, is a full-time stu- of Education, signed a thoughtful approach to dent at the University of Texas at San Anto- University Broadcast Industry Conference. He nio. He also teaches an evening, English-as- any legislative initiatives we might consider has also been honored by the Coro Founda- a-Second-Language class at Highlands High here and establish a reasonable framework tion for his influential leadership in the public School and tutors high school students in from which to view our responsibilities. arena. English. The statement of the Board is as follows: Recently, Beltran helped several students In celebrating the lives and careers of Belva prepare for the Texas Assessment of Aca- WHAT IS TO BE DONE: SEARCHING FOR Davis and Rollins Post, we are paying tribute demic Skills Test. MEANING IN OUR TRAGEDY to two remarkable people whom we are also ‘‘I definitely get a lot out of it,’’ Beltran In the aftermath of the most terrible day fortunate to know as friends. said. ‘‘A couple of students came up to me in Colorado education, when the pain and E1048 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 20, 1999 grief of those who have suffered loss is be- We also recognize the routine cruelty and If a utility poured sewage into our streets, yond what words can express, all of us are torment that can occur among adolescents an outraged public would not tolerate it. asking the questions: ‘‘Why? How did this in an unchecked peer culture. This is all the Should those responsible for the stream of happen? What can we do to keep it from hap- more reason for a strong and vigilant adult moral sewage entering our homes and com- pening again?’’ The State Board of Edu- authority to prevent victimization of the munities be any less accountable? cation, adhering to its Constitutional re- vulnerable. If we deem it proper to boycott, withhold sponsibility, joins the Columbine community We know this won’t be easy, and that it public investments, and otherwise impose an and the rest of the State in seeking the les- must begin with a decisive rollback of those economic penalty on companies for their sons that may be drawn from the awful trag- harmful precedents that have so undermined labor practices, environmental policies, or edy of April 20, 1999. the confident and successful exercise of le- countries in which they operate, how could As we seek the why behind this infamous gitimate adult authority upon which every we fail to move at least as aggressively event, we must find answers beyond the easy good school depends. against those who create, promote, and dis- and obvious. How weapons become used for We must stop disrespecting those who urge tribute media and other products for which outlaw purposes is assuredly a relevant discipline and values. We must recognize there is no imaginable justification. issue, yet our society’s real problem is how that their cry is the legitimate voice of the In closing we should be reminded that human behavior sinks to utter and depraved American people. We must listen to re- throughout our history our people have dem- indifference to the sanctity of life. As our spected voices—liberal and conservative— onstrated a remarkable capacity for moral country promotes academic literacy, we like Albert Shanker and William Bennett— courage and self-renewal in times of great must promote moral literacy as well, and it when they tell us flat out that our ‘‘easy’’ danger and challenge. is not children, but adults in authority who schools will never get better or safer without Perhaps across the ages we can hear the are ultimately responsible for that. a massive renewal of their values, discipline, timeless words of Abraham Lincoln, and, ap- Our tragedy is but the latest—albeit the and work ethic. plying them to our own circumstance renew most terrifying and costly—of a steadily es- Finally, we must remember, respect, and his pledges, ‘‘that we here highly resolve calating series of schoolhouse horrors that unashamedly take pride in the fact that our that these dead shall not have died in vain; have swept across the nation. The senseless schools, like our country, found their origin that this nation, under God, shall have a new brutality of these calamities clearly reveals and draw their strength from the faith-based birth of freedom’’. that a dangerous subculture of amoral vio- morality that is at the heart of our national With history as our judge, let us go for- lence has taken hold among many of our character. ward together with a strong and active faith. youth. Today our schools have become so fearful Authorized at a Special Meeting of the We cannot pretend that we have not known of affirming one religion or one value over State Board of Education, April 21, 1999 and about this subculture or about those ele- another that they have banished them all. In issued by our hand in the city of Denver, Col- ments of the mass media, from films to video doing so they have abdicated their historic orado, at the regular meeting May 13, 1999. games, from which it derives sustenance. role in the moral formation of youth and Clair Orr, Chairman, 4th Congressional Further, we must honestly admit that essen- thereby alienated themselves from our peo- District; Pat M. Chlouber, Vice Chair- tially we have done nothing to prevent these ple’s deep spiritual sensibilities. To leave man, 3rd Congressional District; Ben cultural cancers from spreading through our this disconnection between society and its Alexander, Member-At-Large, John schools and society. schools and unaddressed is an open invita- Burnett, 5th Congressional District; How often have adults questioning highly tion to further divisiveness and decline. For Randy DeHouff, 6th Congressional Dis- dubious youth speech, dress, entertainment, the sake of our children, who are so depend- trict; Patti Johnson, 2nd Congressional or behavior been decried as old-fashioned, or ent upon a consistent and unified message District; Gully Stanford, 1st Congres- worse, attacked as enemies of individual ex- from the adult world, we must solve these di- sional District; William J. Moloney, pression? How often have parents or teachers lemmas. Other civilized nations have re- Commissioner of Education. reporting alarming predictors of violent be- solved divisions that are far more volatile. f havior been told nothing can be done until Surely, America can do as well. someone actually commits a crime? So we do II. IN OUR HOMES nothing, and then look upon the ruin of so HONORING H. STEPHEN LIEB many young lives while hearing those sad- We routinely preach about cooperation be- dest of words: Too Late. tween home and school, yet too often our ac- HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL As a Board we believe, with Edmund tions tell a different story. Too often, we un- OF NEW YORK Burke, that all that is required for the tri- dermine rather than support the values and umph of evil is that good men do nothing. authority of parents. Too often, we find IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES them handy scapegoats for our own failures. We further believe that society must act now Thursday, May 20, 1999 before it is too late for more innocent chil- When countless surveys show our parents dren. We also recognize that failing to act to be deeply concerned about the state of Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to shall make us all accomplices in such future public education, something is seriously give tribute and thanks to Stephen Lieb who is tragedies as may engulf our schools. wrong and we ignore this at our peril. retiring as Director of the Northeast Bronx Accordingly, we make the following rec- This alienation has as much to do with pa- Education Park. For many years he taught our ommendations for renewing that unity and rental concerns about safety and values as it does with persistent learning deficiencies. If children, before rising to administrative posts strength of purpose that has historically in the school district. bonded our schools, our homes, and our soci- we are to ask parents to use their authority ety. to support those educating their children, He was born and raised in New York City, then educators must use their authority to educated in its public schools and has a B.S. I. IN OUR SCHOOLS support the work and values of parents. from Hunter College, his M.S. from Fordham While our schools are at once the mold and Some schools are already doing this, but University and additional graduate work at the mirror of the democratic society they sadly in too many instances, these historic serve, they are not democracies themselves. Pace University and the University of Wash- bonds of trust and mutual support have ington. Schools are founded and controlled by adults frayed badly or broken altogether. for the benefit of children. We deeply believe that without a unified His initial assignment was teaching science The adults accountable for running schools adult world, our children will continue to at J.H.S. 163. In 1970 he transferred to I.S. must have the courage, ability, and author- suffer the consequences of our doubts and di- 180 as Science Chairman and he was named ity to establish and maintain a safe and or- visions. Planetarium Director when that facility was derly environment maximally consonant completed. with the purposes of schooling, i.e. the full- III. IN OUR SOCIETY est possible achievement for every single The connection between murder in our Among his accomplishments was the full air child. schools and elements of the mass culture is conditioning of the five schools in the Park, We recognize that in every time, and every now beyond dispute. Only those who profit and the installation of the data communica- society, there is tension between liberty and from this filth, and their dwindling bands of tions system. He has worked for 30 years with license, and frankly, we believe that the pen- apologists deny the evidence of violence, ha- the Greater New York Council, Boy Scouts of dulum has swung too far in the direction of tred, and sadism routinely found in films, America and takes 30 fatherless boys to camp the latter. video games, and the like. every year. He also founded a scholarship Be that as it may, our school children We believe it is no longer acceptable for an should not be routinely victimized by the entertainment industry that spends billions program. In his retirement as Director of the quarrels of the wider society. They deserve to influence the behavior of children to deny Education Park, he leaves a hole that will be the shielding mantle of adult authority that their efforts have consequences or that difficult to fill. I congratulate him for all of his while they form and strengthen themselves they have no accountability for sowing the good work and wish him the very best in re- for their own entry into adulthood. seeds of tragedy. tirement.