Posted on 08/16/2003 12:59:57 PM PDT by freepatriot32
When Nan Tulchinsky was a freshman in high school, she was the victim of harassment by upperclassmen at her Jackson, Mich., high school.
She doesn't remember what she was told to do, but she remembers that she said "no" and walked away.
"It happened in 1956 and I still remember it," Tulchinsky said.
So as director of athletics for the South Bend Community School Corp., she's pretty sensitive to any harassment or hazing by upperclassmen.
"We don't tolerate that at all," she said. "Respect for each other is the most important thing we teach."
Tulchinsky frets about "what it can do to the kids' psyche when they are that young."
Area high schools don't want their students practicing the kind of initiation that Penn High School sophomore cheerleaders were subjected to earlier this week.
Witnesses said they had to dress in old clothes, put oil in their hair, wear exaggerated makeup, bark like dogs whenever the word "senior" was spoken and then bow to the seniors. The girls were also told to introduce themselves and sing or say something embarrassing.
When administrators found out, they forbade a repeat. Although some parents didn't object, Teresa Carroll, director of communications for the district, called it "an incident that could be defined as hazing."
Judy Tovey, director of media services for South Bend schools, said there's not a written policy against hazing, but it's not allowed.
"When we work on our policy book, it (a written prohibition of hazing) may come before the policy committee," she said.
Mishawaka High School's code of conduct specifically prohibits hazing.
Kirby Whitacre, director of athletics for the school, requested the section on hazing when the code was rewritten last year.
Before coming to Mishawaka, he was athletic director at Zionsville High School under Principal Jim Eggers, who Whitacre described as an expert on hazing.
"In our culture and society, right now it's a time when the old hazing rituals have run their course," he said. "It's just not appropriate right now."
Whitacre said hazing is not only inappropriate, it's often illegal.
"We monitored court cases across the country," he said. "If you think you've been hazed, you usually have."
Buchanan High School also has a specific policy against hazing. Principal William McBeth said that after "the situation in Illinois," administrators decided they wanted the student handbook to be very clear.
In May, a videotape of Glenbrook North High junior girls being pummeled and showered with feces, paint and garbage made the news and led to criminal charges.
Seniors had invited juniors to a touch football game for initiation into their senior year.
"I met with the coaches and told them what would not be tolerated," McBeth said.
He said there were some problems with hazing by a letterman's club in Buchanan back in the 1970s, but the club was disbanded and there haven't been any problems since.
Pat Weil, principal of Elkhart Memorial High School, said he reminded head coaches and sponsors that hazing isn't allowed after hearing about the Penn incident.
He said he wasn't aware of hazing at Penn when he served as interim principal and associate principal there.
Marian High School Principal Joe Brettnacher says hazing is forbidden by a sentence in the student's code of conduct that says, "Our student athletes are expected to exert a positive influence on their fellow students at all times during school and at athletic or school-sponsored events both home and away."
Brettnacher feels he has been lucky not to have discovered any action that could be interpreted as hazing in a while.
"You constantly have to be on your guard," he said. Seniors at Marian are told that's not the sort of thing that's allowed. And freshmen and new students are assigned an upperclassman who becomes their ambassador to show them around and be their mentor.
"It happened in 1956 and I still remember it," Tulchinsky said
Ummm if she admits she didnt remember what she was told to do then she doesnt rember it to this day. If your going to lie try to at least be good at it and not contradict yourself in the very next sentence.Just remember this air head is setting policy for your children get them out of school and homeschool them before its to late
Tulchinsky frets about "what it can do to the kids' psyche when they are that young."
"That terrence and philip movie damaged my fragile little mind" no word yet on whether or not tulchinsky will declare war on canada to protect the phyches of the 16 17 and 18 year old fragile children
Witnesses said they had to dress in old clothes, put oil in their hair, wear exaggerated makeup, bark like dogs whenever the word "senior" was spoken and then bow to the seniors.
OH the horror not old clothes and makeup AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Let all right now get on our knees and pray to god that monty pythons spanish inquisitors dont come along and break out the comfy pillows or we will all be doomed.I am begining to doubt that we will survive as a nation past this next generation i mean think about it the world war 2 generation saved the world with a gun and a grenade and their children couldnt even save a peninsila in south east asia now thier children cant even handle wearing old cloths and make up and barking without being permantly damaged. What will these peoples children grow up to be like ?
Let's get real, I'd certainly not argue that hazing is a great idea, but the example sighted about the girls wearing old clothes, exaggerated make-up, barking like dogs and doing embarrassing things just doesn't sound that damaging.
We really are a nation of wusses.
And that was fine with him.
At 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Leftwich signed a five-year contract worth an estimated $30 million, including an $11.4 million signing bonus, then slept for a few hours, took a physical exam and reported for his first day of work after ending his 19-day holdout. He was the final first-round pick to sign.
After the Jaguars' morning practice, he was taped to the goal post, where teammates covered him in the white powder used to line fields, then the sticky orange medicinal cream used by the training staff.
It wasn't exactly the handshakes-and-backslaps welcome he was expecting, but he was thrilled to join the team he is expected to lead into the future.
"It was kind of a 'happy-to-see-you, welcome-to-the-NFL greeting,'" he said. "I would have been more worried if everyone ignored me. It was great to be in camp, so I didn't care what they did as long as I survived it."
Leftwich, the No. 7 pick in the draft, immediately began working alongside incumbent Mark Brunell and backup David Garrard. Because he participated in two minicamps this summer with the Jags, Leftwich already was somewhat familiar with the offense. Leftwich could see game action as early as Friday's home exhibition against the Miami Dolphins. (he had a fabulous game last night)
"Obviously, we're happy to have him signed, sealed and delivered," Jacksonville Coach Jack Del Rio said. "Now that he's here, we'll decide what the best plan for him is. I saw him throw some nice balls."
Tim Povtak can be reached at tpovtak@orlandosentinel.com.
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