Vol.3.Issue.11.April.2008 - Edgren High School EagleNet

volume 3 issue 11 april issue
page 7
Base Authorities Incompetence Leads Misawans To Question Their Authority
Assembly Raises Frustration Within Edgren High School
By Stephanie Wehrung
“What was the point of that?” was
the only question heard through the
hallways on Monday, March 31, 2008 after
the MCAP assembly held in the high
school gym. Frustration filled classrooms
as discussions were held between students
and teachers, leading everyone
to wonder how seriously they should
take base authority.
Capt. Day from the 35 Security Forces
Squadron and two representatives from
the 35 Judges Advocate Office came
over to conduct a “briefing” covering
the MCAP program here in Misawa.
This program is designed to deal with
misconduct on base and those facing
punishment. The basics were covered,
such as why we as students should care
about our conduct, punishments, and
ways to stay out of trouble.
“Good morning,” says one of the two
representatives from the legal office. After
not getting a response, she points the
microphone to the audience expecting
an enthusiastic answer. Students wondered
if she really expected a response
displaying our gratitude for her imposing
presence on our much needed seminar
period.
She began talking about base conduct,
and discussed all the consequences
of our actions. She listed of a
written/personal apology, community
service, restriction from AAFES and Services
facilities, written essay, handing
out flyers in the BX and finally debarment
from Misawa Air Base. She emphasized
that debarment can only be decided
by Colonel O’Shaugnessey, the installation
commander.
She proceeded to ask if everyone
knew who Colonel O’Shaugnessey was.
This is like asking “Does Dolly Parton sleep
on her back?” In a demeaning way, the
second representative from the legal office
proceeded to explain to us who the
base commander is and what his job
was. “They’ll never understand this,” was
her snide comment, all the while pronouncing
the base commander’s name
wrong.
Her demeaning attitude was clearly
the wrong way to approach high school
students who are about to be adults.
Talking to seniors like children is the
wrong way to go about addressing their
conduct because in the end the seniors
did not take the assembly or her presence
seriously.
At the end of the assembly, the three
representatives had a question and answer
session, where there were more
questions than answers. When asked the
basics, neither of the three could deliver
the answers.
The first order of business was the base curfew.
With her bragging about how four years
of college prepared her so much for her field
of study, the representative who demeaned
every student in the room had no answer.
She told us to check the Misawa Conduct
rules to find this information, without giving us
a source of where to find it. She also stated
that this information is covered at the New
Comers Briefing that everyone in Misawa attends
upon their arrival at Misawa. This was
definitely not true. After talking with people
who had recently gone through the briefing
(a week before the briefing held at Edgren)
themselves just a week ago, they stated that
this rule was never covered, nor where they
aware of it.
I gave my own scenario of being in trouble
for base curfew. I was at the Mokuteki, and
was leaving at midnight, when a cop rudely
told me that I was out past curfew and would
have to be taken in to the police station so
my parents could come pick me up. There,
after a rude and disrespectful process, I was
informed that by the police in the office that
base curfew was eleven at night on weekdays
and one in the morning for high school
seniors and anyone over 18.
After being picked up from the police station,
my mom and dad realized that they had
never heard of any curfew rule. I presented
this to the representatives only to be told that
“my lack of knowledge wasn’t a defense.” I
had the urge to throw this back into her face
and tell her that she did not know the rule herself
and was throwing up a defense to back
up her own lack of knowledge.
After the Capt. Day pulled out his cell phone
and called the LE Desk, he informed us that
the base curfew was midnight on the weekends
for high school seniors. This was frustrating
because people are getting in trouble for
base curfew, and it is not their fault. They simply
just have the wrong information, but this
cannot be used in their defense.
Other topics covered during the assembly
were shoplifting, drugs, and how to stay
out of trouble. They discussed how much the
cameras in the BX can monitor. In the same
way however, many students felt stereotyped
as a “bad kid” in Misawa. “Drugs, where you
getting them?” said Capt. Day with a slight
chuckle. His nonchalant attitude was disappointing
as he put a spotlight on instances
that happened last year with students getting
in trouble for related issues. Their punishment
was understandable, but the presentation just
seemed to be a way to bring all the hardships
students faced last year as they were handcuffed
in their classrooms in front of teachers,
friends and fellow students. They also covered,
briefly, how to stay out of trouble. This
consisted of one slide referring to the
EDITORIAL
Misawa Code of Conduct. We were told
that we could simply read the rules included
and know how to behave on Misawa
AB. However, no location to this Code of
Conduct was given to students.
As a disclaimer, this article is not meant to
give the cops on this base a bad reputation.
I, myself, know some cops who are very
personable to students, and know what the
rules without having to call the LE Desk to
ask what they are. This article is published in
hopes that change will come around, and
base leadership will soon be taken seriously.
It is unacceptable to not know solid rules
when delivering an “important” briefing.
STUDENT RESPONSES:
“I thought it was kind of stupid, but
people needed to know that there
are consequences for their actions,
and that not only can they get in
trouble, but so can their sponsor.”
-Zach Spaduzzi, Junior
“It was disappointing.”
-Rebecca Girlbert, Senior
“It seemed like the whole point of
the presentation was to intimidate
Edgren students. Ironically, they also
used a Big Brother allusion while at
the same time they said that they
were going to ‘let us do whatever
we were doing’ aka bad things.
Shouldn’t they stop it and nip it in
the bud rather than let them go on
with it? Also, the fact that the cop
at the presentation had to call the
LE Desk showed their lack of preparedness.
I felt like it was a waste
of time because all they did was try
to threaten us.”
-Emely Vallee, Senior
“Although I appreciate them coming
out of their busy work schedules to give
us some insight on the consequences
we could encounter if we get into legal
trouble, their ways of approaching
us personally did not appeal to me.
I felt as if I was spoken down upon by
certain speakers and some of their usage
of “ranting” wasn’t effective in my
point of view. It ultimately turned me off.
I felt as if I was being generalized with
all the “bad kids” of Misawa because I
was a “teenager”, but not all teenagers
are like that. A good chunk of us know
how to use common sense to keep out
of trouble. In the end, I got the overall
message that they were conveying to
us, but I think they could have done it in
a more effective manner.” -Anonymous