Tuesday, February 3, 1998
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
THUMBS
R-rated restrictions
Thumbs down to the Douglas County School Board in Colorado,
which has adopted a policy prohibiting teachers to show R-rated and
NC-17 films in all the classrooms throughout the district. Teachers
will no longer be allowed to show students "Schindler’s List,"
which has often been used as a tool to educate students about the
Holocaust and Nazi Germany.
In addition, the new policy requires that teachers get the
principal’s approval prior to showing PG or PG-13 movies that may
contain controversial elements.
Teachers who used movies such as "Schindler’s List" and
"Platoon," to teach a lesson about the Vietnam war, are upset about
the policy. They said that assigning students with books is not the
only way to teach – watching certain films can sometimes be just as
educational as traditional assignments. Previously, teachers were
allowed to show R-rated movies with parental consent. The new
policy still allows teachers to assign films as homework with
parental consent – the movies can even be rated NC-17.
Frustrated with Dykstra
Thumbs down to the terrible conditions Dykstra Hall residents
are being subjected to. Residents recently attended a meeting and
got an opportunity to air their complaints and frustrations about
their living conditions. Due to construction, which began last
fall, they’ve had to do without their own dining hall, normal
walkways, and at times, even hot water. In addition, they have no
computer lab, music rooms, mailboxes or large study lounges – and
they still pay the same amount of money as do students in other
halls who get the services. They demanded some form of compensation
for the major inconveniences, but whether they will receive
anything in return is unknown.
These students deserve better living conditions, or at least
some compensation for having to put up with the construction and
inconveniences.
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down represents a majority opinion of the Daily
Bruin Editorial Board. Please send comments or suggestions to
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