A Service of The Arrow           Sunday October 17, 1999 1:52 PM

As most of Flathead High School's students carelessly enjoyed the benefits of summer, we were interrupted with an announcement of a new Student Center that was soon to be built at our school. For all but a handful of students who attempted to ramrod this institution without the consideration or comment of the very students whom it would effect, this was the first time such an idea had even been presented. As utopian as the creators try to present this misguided project, there are numerous negative issues which must be considered by the students of FHS and the community as a whole before we can let this quarter-million dollar project go forward.

The fundamental confusion of the Student Center can be seen in its vision and reason for creation. The idea was developed out of the wake of Littleton, Colorado to establish a center at the FHS where students could come together. The very thought that a new building can bring together the many facets of student-life to give each other hugs and sing Kumbiya is asinine.

A new guidance center is only as strong as the programs which are developed with it. To this date, no new policies have been established for the Student Center. We must demand what programs will definitely become part of the Student Center before the project can break ground. Additionally, the public must be informed on how it will help students in need. Harry Amend, our new Superintendent, worries students that need assistance still won't be reached. “Will these students go to the Student Center?” Amend asked, “I have serious doubts.”

One of the Student Centers strongest arguments focuses around peer mediation. A program described by peer mediator, Grant Hewitt, as “...under-utilized and under-advertised at FHS. The program has flaws that need to be worked out. It doesn't work in all situations.” This one-dimensional idea that by building a new facility, our problems will alleviate, is dangerous statement by those who favor the Student Center.

Giving the bureaucrats at the heart of the Student Center the benefit of the doubt, Sarah Berg has suggested establishing a mock Student Center somewhere in the high school to test its effectiveness. The problem is that the bureaucrats are scared that their little idea is going to flop or that the center will be used as a skipping facility. Principal Callie Langhor, envisions the Student Center resembling a student union building on college campuses. If you walk into any SUB in the nation you will find students relaxing and sleeping. Is this the picture that was pitched to the kind businesses of the Flathead who are donating to this project?

Don't get me wrong, if we can generate the funds for a Student Center and have a very definite plan then I am completely for it. But we don't have any plans or answers for the questions that have been generated. I fear the negative repercussions of businesses that donate. If we can gather the funds and the Student Center deteriorates to the “Student Skip Center”, then those businesses are going to think twice before giving more money to FHS. And while the building costs may be donated, Mr. Amend admits, “I see a full-time staff member in there.” Our counselors are already utilized until their breaking points and therefore FHS will have to hire another counselor, a cost that the community needs to be aware of and consider.

So where is the project today? Possible donators have been lined up and the Student Center is anxious to move forward as early as the end of October. But we have the good fortune that it has been halted temporarily so that we can think about the issues at hand. In the next two weeks a survey about the Student Center will be administered to see the student body's opinion. This is our only chance to articulate our concerns and give us time to find solutions. Only a strong negative reaction will slow down the Student Centers progression. I urge you to take the survey seriously and make a decision based on the facts from all sides. The ball is our court. Choose wisely.

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