Editorial

Green Routines

City government, it appears, had a head start on thinking green even before citizens urged City Council to incorporate at least one goal of "sustainability" into its strategic plan late last winter.

The examples given in the story on pages 4 and 5 range from the small - recycling printer cartridges - to the monumental - recycling the old surface of McCormick Boulevard for use in the new one.

All over town, they have replaced street lamps with more energy-efficient and longer-lasting bulbs. And for several years the City has used a system of integrated pest management to minimize the use of chemicals on grasses, plants and shrubs while making the parks safe from the harmful weeds, insects, etc.

The City also continues to work on bicycle paths and routes and has pledged to purchase bike racks for various City buildings. We think that last promise smacks of the "If you build it, they will come," theory - which, to be fair, has often turned out to be the case. Still, most days the bike rack at the Civic Center sits empty and rusting, while the parking lot is full to overflowing like a shopping mall.

Most people are torn in their daily lives between doing the convenient thing and doing the "sustainable" thing. Most everyone is too busy, so we drive our cars on $3+ per gallon gasoline, purchase fast or partially prepared food in extraordinarily wasteful packaging and throw things out when we are through with them or just cannot stand them any more. It's the life many of us grew up with, and it gives a new layer to the old adage "Haste makes waste."

Time here is the villain, the would-be thief of the future. Thinking green takes a bit more time and thought on the "doing" end of things: separating out recyclables and compostables from the true garbage, using a push mower instead of a gas-powered one, leaving a bit early to get there by bike, mailing in or dropping off used fax and printer cartridges, asking for paper instead of plastic bags at the grocery store or bringing a reusable canvas bag to carry the purchases home.

But time spent in a green routine could produce some great results as well as some subtle ones: not just new or extended life for the planet - which is what sustainability is all about - but a deepened awareness of our place on it.

The ancient Egyptians may have expressed an early understanding of sustainability when they employed the metaphor of the scarab, or dung beetle, rolling its ball of excrement across the ground as a sign of new life, comparing it to the daily rolling of the sun across the sky.  The lowly waste of the earth has a great importance today and tomorrow.

We applaud the City and its employees for the creative leadership they have shown in reducing, reusing and recycling. We trust that many businesses and individuals have implemented green practices as well.

We also salute the individuals and groups who have pushed the concept of sustainability into our consciousnesses.

With the music of Simon and Garfunkle's "Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" humming in the back of our heads ("Do people have a tendency to dump on you? Does your group have more cavities than theirs? … Do figures of authority just shoot you down? Is life within the business world a drag?"), we offer entries in the City's green slogan contest:

Evanston the Verdant
Evanston: A Window to the Future
Blue Water, Green Thinking
The future is in compost.
And, of course,

Be part of Evanston's Green Machine.

Come to Think of It

By Charles Wilkinson

- Am I alone in feeling that the Fourth of July is Labor Day in disguise, marking the end of summer rather than its middle?

- The Cubs are the only farm team in the majors; at least it feels that way when they trade away their talent to the other teams in the Big Show.

- What does "need to know" mean to the media? Not all State secrets are seditious, especially in this day and age.

- The checks and balances of our democratic way of life work well when checks result in balances that survive a national "audit."

- Those who speak out always out- speak those who do not.

- When I recently admitted to being a "free-thinker," it felt right, leaving me with the hope that, in this country, we all are.

- Along the same line, when accused of being a liberal I reply, "I prefer the term ‘enlightened,' thank you."  As far as my mind is concerned, I  try to avoid  union labels.

- Oak Park is about 13 miles (as the crow flies) from Evanston and downright determined not to trade in its small-town character for skyline condos and canyons.

- Why do I still write letters when I e-mail? And why do I think a reply will arrive as quickly as I hit the "send" icon?

- Stadium seating at the movies is as tasty as popcorn.

- Getting old has its perks; they just take their time getting there. Except for AARP membership.

-  Not that long ago, the only time I saw a doctor was when his name was     Marcus Welby.

- Why does every new release of Osama Bin Laden's voice have me remembering "Mission Accomplished"?

- What will it take to make gas prices plummet? Making Iraq the 51st state?

- I wish the media could help me know more clearly what the great majority of Iraqis are gaining because of our troops' sacrifices. Too many back here know the losses, firsthand.

- "When will we ever learn? …When will we ever…learn?"

A Leg to Stand On

By Peggy Tarr

Constance was built like a Mack truck. She was average in height and overweight. "Stocky" was the word used to describe Constance, because she had no meat that visibly shook on her bones.

Constance's legs looked like tree trunks - thick tree trunks, not scrawny, spindly trees. "Weapons" is what Constance labeled these appendages "lethal weapons."

Constance appeared to fear nothing and was frequently cautioned by friends about walking lonely streets at night by herself.

"Whatever grabs me will drop me under the first lamppost," Constance responded laughingly. "And what doesn't drop me will be karate-chopped by my legs."

Most people agreed that if anyone dared to bother Constance, they would soon regret it.

But one night, as fate would have it, Constance passed a dark walkway from which a man emerged and shouted, "Stick 'em up!"

Constance, being Constance, turned around and challenged with, "Are you talking to me?"

The robber, obviously a stranger who did not know Constance, said, "Do you see anyone else?"

"You better get out of my face," Constance warned, "before I draw my weapons."

The robber looked at Constance, a little nervous about weapons Constance might have. He decided he could rob her before she had time to bring out any weapon.

As he drew nearer to Constance, she yelled, "On guard!" The robber stopped in his tracks. Constance leaned back and tried to draw up a leg to kick the would-be robber.

The problem, soon to become obvious, was that Constance had not practiced drawing up a leg to kick anybody or anything. Upon leaning back and trying to lift her leg into a position to kick, Constance lost her balance and hit the pavement. Boom!

Constance kept trying to get her legs to perform their protective duty. She looked like a giant turtle in clothes on its back with legs fanning the air.

The would-be robber roared with laughter. "Let me help you up, Ma'am," the robber said, when he was finally able to get some words out. He extended a hand toward Constance.

"You better not come near me," Constance returned. "You're the cause of me being down here. You better hope my legs don't connect with you."

The would-be robber helped Constance up anyway. He couldn't rob her. He walked down the street, whooping it up with loud laughter.

Constance stood there watching him.

She hadn't a leg to stand on.

Letters

Checking Out Reasons for Stress-Related Punctuation
Editor:

My neighbor Mary Beth Schaye saw this in your calendar: June 29. 7:00 p.m., Summer STRESS night for all skill levels at the main Library.

Seeing as June 29 was a Thursday, we think you must mean Summer CHESS night. We were very amused by the error, and found ourselves musing over possible causes:
...Maybe you have a copy editor who needs a vacation (too much on-the-job STRESS?), or
...Perhaps someone at the RoundTable had a bad experience playing chess?
Found themselves in a difficult position?

Had trouble with the rank and file?

Peeved after getting checkmated by a first-grader in the first 10 moves?
Either way, stop by CHESS night some Thursday. We're confident someone can help you with a couple of highly therapeutic chess games.

Our thanks to the RoundTable for continuing to publicize chess around Evanston and for printing a chess problem every issue.

Hospital Inner Workings Bear Investigation
Editor:

Thank You for Mary Gavin's Article, "Evanston Hospital: The Tax and the Facts."

We have too little information about one of Evanston's major employers. Even with this extensive article, the comments of the underground hospital newsletter The Gadfly, and the report for the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, the questions of what is "charity care" and what are "community benefits" remain.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan's proposal mandating that not-for-profit hospitals provide charitable care in an amount equal to 8 percent of their operating cost is a good starting point.

I hope you will have more articles analyzing both of Evanston's hospitals. Many of us felt ill-prepared for the ballot of referendum question last year. Your exploration of these issues will help.
-- Donna Gerson

Honors and AP Classes Have Value for ETHS Students
Editor:

All students attending Evanston Township High School know that honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses earn extra points as it is included in the handbook that they receive each year.

Since honors and AP courses demand more challenging work than a regular course, students should be rewarded with more points.

If a student is earning A's in regular courses, then those courses are too easy for the student. He/she should upgrade the course/s to honors or AP, if applicable, and earn the extra points.

Our daughter took all honors and AP courses at ETHS. Because of the scores that she received on the AP exams that she took during her junior and senior years, she was able to enter her university as a second-semester sophomore.

The only 100-level courses that she had to take were two that were required of everyone inthe engineering college of the university. She took one college math class that she had had at ETHS because no AP exam is given for it. The college professor used the same book that Mr. Benson had used at ETHS. That's the quality of education that a student can choose and achieve at ETHS.

Why should students who complete demanding and challenging work in honors and AP coursesbe graded and rewarded the same as students who do what's required in a regular course?

One history course our daughter took as an honors course was with non-honors students as well. A few students asked her why she had to answer the extra questions on the first test.

She said that she was taking the class as honors. Because of that exchange, some of the regular students changed the class to honors level.

They realized that they could accomplish the extra requirements and earn honors credit. By the way, they were minority students.

My daughter's education at ETHS was more difficult than my college work. Times have changed for the better.
-Rachel Fowler

NIMBY with Solar Panels?
Editor:

You would think that good old liberal Evanston would want solar panels placed anywhere they could.

However when it comes to it being close to them then it is "NIMBY" - "not in my back yard" - just like the liberal Vermont owner who wanted to prevent solar panels on houses and the über-liberal Kennedys, who fought windmills far off their beach property.

Likewise the R1 [for zoning for single-family housing] around Kendall College and City Hall cries out the message, "We got ours, now we want to keep everyone else out," when you would think the north shore liberals would be crying for high-density, low-income housing to be built there.

I guess once more NIMBY - put energy projects and low-income housing around somebody else's property.
-- John Fuqua

How Should Hospital Directors Be Selected?
Editor:

Many thanks for your series of articles focusing on Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. Hopefully it has awakened the residents of our community to the fact that there are other institutions besides Northwestern University that receive significant local tax exemptions and begs the important questions of whether the Evanston community receives back adequate value for these exemptions.

While the issue is a complex one with two sides to the story, there is emerging abundant evidence that non-profit hospitals are behaving more and more like their corporate cousins in the for-profit environment, with more focus on the bottom line versus their mission of providing benefits to the community.

The real question for Evanston residents should be whether there is adequate representation and input from the Evanston community in the decision-making process of who runs and manages these institutions, and whether both of the hospitals within its borders seek adequate input as to how their rather generous resources are used.

I am struck by the fact that only two of more than 40 members of the ENH board call Evanston home. While place of residence should not be the sole criterion, how does one explain this seeming under representation of the Evanston community?

We who live here would feel better served if our opinions could be expressed at this level through local contacts. Who selects the board of ENH and on what basis are they selected?

I notice that the board seems to consist of many corporate leaders and business people who may bring valued input from their experience in the business world, but many of these individuals have no or little experience in the running of a health care conglomerate.

Would not the input of experts in the field of public health or health care management bring some diversity to the board so different perspectives on the priorities of the hospital could be expressed?

Would not some input be valuable to the Evanston community when the hospital decides to give up its level-1 trauma status or move services such as adolescent psychiatry and chemical dependence programs north to Highland Park Hospital?

Would the board have looked kindly at hospital administration as it raised its prices for health-care services to levels surpassing all its competitors, thus increasing the health-care expenses for many and quite possibly leading some to lose their insurance?

Unfortunately, the ENH board, like most corporate boards, is not necessarily constructed to provide true oversight, but seem more a reflection of administration itself with most having the same corporate/business background.

Since corporate CEOs understand their incredible value to the institution they run, they will be willing to increase the compensation of the administration they oversee, since this serves their purpose well when it comes time to reassess their compensation. They can then point to all the hefty raises their peers were granted as proof of their under-compensation.

This undoubtedly accounts for the spiraling levels of executive compensation that have now invaded the non-profit health-care sector as well.

It seems that it is high time that Evanston demanded more of a say in the dealings of these institutions that populate our city.

Only then can we be assured that these institutions will not take advantage of their tax exemptions without delivering something in return.
-- Keith Sarpolis, M.D.

Bees Will Help Evanston
Editor:

I was visiting Evanston for the Fourth of July and read the beautiful Guest Essay by Thomas Schroeder, retired groundskeeper for Northwestern University, and a keeper of bees. Coincidentally, a bee story appeared in the Herald-Palladium of Benton Harbor-St. Joseph, Mich., the area where I now live.

Phil Hempel of Buchanan, Mich., raises honey bees. He described the life of the bees and the need for amateur or hobby bee keepers. He says, "Bees are the biggest pollinators we have."

The number of professional beekeepers in the United States fell from 13,000 in the 1990s to 1,200 today. Hobbyists and back- yard beekeepers are keeping bees alive.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has six to 10 bee colonies on the roof of City Hall. People who raise bees will notice an increase in the local flora as bees pollinate the flowers. Sadly, honey is now being imported from China.

Honey bees won't hurt you if you go near them in a relaxed manner. They are busy. But if you are hostile they will try to protect the queen and their hive. So quietly watch the bees at work, and thank the young man who wants to raise honey bees.
-Charlotte Omohundro

Some Achievements Are Not Measured by Grades
Editor:

I am writing in response to Deborah Wolen's letter on AP grading published in your last issue. Like Ms. Wolen, I find troubling the emphasis on honors classes as the sole measure of achievement. Like Ms. Wolen's, my high school GPA would not have been in the top 50 percent if I were at ETHS today. Honors and AP classes were not offered in many high schools in 1973.

That being said, there are many lessons of responsibility, character and work ethic that curriculum mastery at any level does not measure. Those lessons are ultimately the ones that drive success or failure in the real world.

Class rank and other measures of achievement are the product of the educational system, not of real life. As much as educators may cringe to hear this, what a person's GPA was simply doesn't matter to most employers.

The ability to think critically, behave with integrity, work collaboratively with others, communicate effectively, be reliable, and recognize that following the procedure dosen't always fix the problem is what earns you a paycheck in the real world. Moreover, not every occupation requires a degree from a top school.

As a community member and parent of two children who are "on the bubble" with respect to earning the privilege of taking honors classes at ETHS, I hear what is said in Ms. Wolen's letter and certainly sympathize. But I do not agree with lowering the reward for honors or AP class grades. I have to ask, "How should young people with higher skill levels be rewarded for their efforts if not by a different scale?" Does eliminating the honors track provide a disincentive for those students who are capable of that level of course-work to put in the same sort of effort as non-honors students?

I do not believe that it is any more fair to not adequately challenge those students who are capable of honors-level and AP-work classes than it is to marginalize the efforts of those students who are not in honors classes because their assessments did not produce the right numbers.

It is an insult to those students who put in 4-6 hours of homework effort per night because they have earned the privilege to be in honors courses to not recognize and reward that effort in some manner.

In a perfect world, the size of the graduating class and percentage of students on an honors track in that graduating class would also be weighed in when colleges or universities look at our child's application. Perhaps those distinctions would help to level the playing field for all of our young people.

In a perfect world more encouragement and attention would be given to non-honors students at ETHS so that they would have the opportunity to succeed in whatever profession they have a passion for, whether that be medical school, bookkeeping, film editing, culinary arts, or cutting hair.

Perhaps the real issue for the community to address is "How do we together guide and encourage all of our children to become contributors to their community regardless of their GPA or learning style rather than quibble over the relative merits of honors versus non-honors courses?"

Incidentally, the weighting of course grades is found in the course planning handbook. I do not know if parents are encouraged to look at course planning and test scores beyond their child's freshman year. Perhaps they should be for the sake of all of our children.
-Pat Pint

ETHS Student Says AP Grades Are Perfectly Fair
Editor:

I am writing in response to a letter published in Volume IX Number 13 of the Evanston RoundTable regarding AP grades in high schools.

As a current Evanston Township High School student who has taken several advanced placement classes, I feel that I have a much more informed view as to the content of these classes, as well as the grading scale that goes along with it.

Advanced placement classes are offered to students who wish to be challenged, and this is precisely what they do. Any given AP class gives an average of an hour of homework per night, and if a student is taking several AP classes, this homework time quickly adds up. Although regular and honors courses also assign homework, AP classes are notorious for massive amounts.

Homework alone does not merit an added 1.0 to the GPA (giving a student with an A a 5.0, rather than a 4.0 if he or she was taking a regular-level course). Students are held to a much stricter grading scale; essays, homework, and tests are graded at college level, and late or incomplete work is often not accepted. Not only does this prepare students for college, but it makes it much more difficult to earn good grades.

In addition, all AP students are expected to take on the responsibility of learning material that is not taught in class. Due to the strenuous curriculum, students either have to meet with teachers outside of normal class time or simply teach themselves material required for exams.

Unless a student is willing to take the responsibility of learning into their own hands, it is impossible to succeed in AP classes. This is one large factor that puts advanced placement classes above regular and honors ones. Students in AP classes must have a drive to learn and succeed that is honestly not required to do well in lower-level classes.

Finally, all studentsenrolled inAP classes are required to to take an AP exam in May. Each of these tests are three hours long and cover material from the entire year. AP tests are extremely difficult, and students can take up to five or six in the two-week period in which they are offered. These testsresult in unbelievable amounts of stress, for, even though they are not included in the class grade, they determine whether college credit is awarded for the class.

For all the work required to succeed in AP classes, the 1.0 which is added to the GPA is well deserved and completely fair. Students in advanced placement classes are held to a higher standard and, quite frankly, are smarter than those in regular-level classes. Due to the amount of work done by these students, the extra GPA boost is necessary.

Also, advanced placement classes really differentiate the best and brightest in the class. If all students took the same regular level classes, not only would kids not be given the opportunity to reach their academic potential, but there would be at least one hundred (this is not an exaggeration) who get straight As.

Personally, having that many valedictorians seems a little ridiculous.Having more challenging classes weeds out the most intelligent kids in the class, giving them a much-deserved higher GPA and better class rank.
-Nick Rolfes

This Changing City Needs Affordable Housing
Editor:

Shortly after the defeat of the Darrow Corners project, I left for a two-week vacation, thinking about the letters to the editor I would read when I got home. The silence was deafening.

Thirty-four years ago, when we moved to Evanston, our decision was based upon what Evanston represented; the height of the buildings didn't matter. The retail stores were nice, but with four children and a full-time job, shopping was not a big deal. What was important was that Evanston really seemed to care that it was a diverse community, that it was a smaller- size, more manageable Chicago with all the racial, ethnic, economic and social diversity.

Schools were grappling with educational issues, integration was a valued reality, social gatherings could always go off on "Why can't Evanston....?"

I taught in a different North Shore suburb and my eighth-graders and their parents could never understand why I didn't live in their community where everything was orderly.

So we have the world and Evanston today. I don't want the Evanston of 34 years ago. Anyone who lived here then knows it was not Utopia by any means. I don't expect time to stand still or for Evanston not to change what it looks like, who moves here, how tall the buildings are, whether we have a multi-screen movie complex rather than a few theaters.

I love the vibrancy and excitement of living here today. I appreciate that schools are still hot-beds of frustration and opposing views. I wish the rhetoric were less ugly but if parents did not care about their children and success, we would be poor indeed.

My problem is that the Evanston of today can argue endlessly about what a building looks like, whose view is affected, whether "old" Evanston was better and what "R1" means, whether we need another restaurant, how many high-rises are too much, whether "mutt" is an insulting description.

But how can we stand by and ignore the defeat of Darrow Corners? The project would have cost the City $0: $6.6 million in tax-equity dollars that would have come to the City never will.

Twenty-seven families and/or individuals will live in poorer circumstances, if they can even find them. If we are proud of the new building and vibrancy of the community, whom do we include in that description? Is it only those who can afford high rents and good locations?

What about the police officer, the teacher's aide, the librarian, the City worker? What about those who need affordable housing?

Affordable housing is desperately needed. Many renters are those who lived in this community historically. I can't believe everyone who lives is Evanston bought a house when they got out of school and first lived on his or her own.

Our City Council is not uncaring. Our population is not heartless.

Life is full of concerns but it is time to stop a bit and think about what we really want for Evanston.

Can we really, in good conscience, say we value diversity and ignore the needs of all parts of our population? Isn't there something we need to worry about other than our view?

Evanston is too importantly a place to have changed so fundamentally that we are a different town. I cannot believe there is anyone who really wants that.

If Darrow Corners is dead (and it certainly has been buried), what is the answer?
-Gerry Macsai

Access to Affordable Housing Is Vital to Seniors
Editor:

Access to affordable housing is one of the most critical elements to Illinois seniors' maintaining their independence. Often the most affordable housing option is for a senior to remain in his or her own home. For many seniors this means the retro-fitting of their home to address their changing needs.

This spring the Comprehensive Housing Planning Act was introduced by Illinois State Senator Iris Martinez (20th District) and State Representative Julie Hamos (18th District) to make permanent Illinois' State Comprehensive Housing Plan, which was created in 2003 by Governor Rod Blagojevich's executive order.

The Act will create and preserve affordable housing, including the retro-fitting of homes for seniors and persons with disabilities, by coordinating the efforts of state agencies providing housing programs.

AARP supported this legislation and worked with Senator Martinez to ensure that advocates for seniors, persons with disabilities, and low-income persons would be included in the development of affordable-housing plans.

This legislation becoming law will help ensure the continued independence of countless Illinois seniors.

AARP commends the Governor and the General Assembly for their commitment to addressing the critical housing needs of all low-income residents.
-- Ralph Yaniz, Regional Director
AARP Midwest Region