Peace groups seek equal school time

Concerned that students are being “seduced into the military,” peace activists are looking for equal time in schools.

The military gives “a very seductive kind of message … and it’s not entirely true. We want to bring the other side of the message so young people can make reasoned decisions,” said Margaret de Rivera of Orland, a member of Maine American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker-based group that focuses on peace and social justice.

Military recruiters entice students with promises of travel, education and job opportunities that often don’t pan out, according to peace activists. They corral students in school corridors instead of guidance offices and dazzle them with attractions such as helicopters.

“They do very dramatic things that capture the attention of young kids and make it seem like it’s a romantic and easy and glamorous activity,” said de Rivera. She is one of the organizers of a workshop today about how activists can “adopt schools” and educate students about their alternatives.

But Capt. Greg Turner, Army recruiting company commander for Bangor, said recruiters “make it a policy … not to sell with a heavy hand. We let the Army sell itself.”

Young people who join the Army get a contract explaining what their job and educational benefits will be, he said. “Everything is right there in black and white. If a contract is broken by the Army, the student has the opportunity to get out,” he said.

Peace activists say they need to be more visible than ever because of the new federal education reform law called the No Child Left Behind Act. It says schools could risk losing federal funds unless they give military recruiters the same type of personal information they give to colleges – students’ names, addresses and phone numbers. (Parents can ask that their children’s names be removed from the list.)

That’s why the Maine American Friends Service Committee will sponsor a workshop on “Adopting Schools and Organizing Tools for Alternatives to Military Service” from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today at the office of Mediation and Facilitation Resources, 11 King St., Augusta.

At the event, which also is sponsored by the groups Maine Draft and Military Counselors and Veterans for Peace, participants will learn how to work with schools and parents to ensure that students understand the risks and realities of military life, and that they have other career options.

Those who “adopt a school” could request that veterans and conscientious objectors speak to students and that information about options for Selective Service registration and how to become a conscientious objector be placed alongside military recruiting pamphlets, said Kevin Ramirez of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors in Philadelphia. He will speak at today’s event.

Under federal “equal-access laws” that stipulate students receive information on both sides of a controversial issue, peace activists are able to set up informational displays similar to those of the military and even get student directories, said Ramirez.

“We don’t typically do that because parents are annoyed by phone calls at home and … unsolicited literature,” he said.

But activists could make sure students know that an aptitude test given by military recruiters at schools is voluntary, he said.

Students should know “the downsides of signing up,” said Larry Dansinger of Monroe, an organizer of today’s event. Once they join the military, young people should understand that they can’t just quit as they would a job, he said.

The military looks particularly appealing to young people who don’t have money for college or haven’t earned top grades, according to Dansinger. “They see the military as their best option, but it may be their worst option,” he said.

“Military values are contrary to the values of high schools,” said Tom Sturtevant of Winthrop, a member of Maine Draft and Military Counselors. “High schools should be places of safety where students learn to get along with one another without resorting to violence. For every recruiter’s pitch, there should be a pitch from a peace person.”

But Superintendent Leonard Ney of SAD 64 (Corinth area) said peace activists aren’t the same as college and military recruiters.

“They’re [peace activists] not offering something. They’re looking for a forum to state their political philosophy,” he said.

Like colleges, whose offers of financial aid may partially evaporate, military recruiters “put forth their best scenario,” he said. “Things don’t always work out the way they initially appear.”

The Army has a “great working relationship” with most schools, said Turner, whose recruiters visit some schools once a month and others once a year. “We like to set up a table in an area where kids can come up to us,” he said. “We don’t strong-arm them.”

The No Child Left Behind Act “has helped immensely,” said Turner, who operates in 89 high schools from Gardiner to Madawaska. While a handful still refuse to release names, “we just work with schools the best we can,” he said.

Area parents have chosen to withhold student information from the military, according to guidance counselors. Karen Lechner, guidance director at Orono High School, said out of 380 students, the parents of 20 said they didn’t want their children’s names given either to college or military recruiters, while the parents of 28 others said it was OK to give names to colleges, but not the military.