Editor’s note: This commentary is by Gerry Silverstein, of South Burlington, who is interested in individual, community and global health.
[R]ecently the global community was horrified to see what happens to men, women and children when they are exposed to a paralyzing nerve gas. Before that horrible event the terrifying consequences of barrel bombs were brought to life with the image of a dazed young boy named Omran Daqneesh sitting in a Syrian ambulance in Aleppo, his face covered with the detritus of a collapsed building from which he was rescued. And before that … sadly, the list goes on and on. The human-caused horrors that so many of the world’s human and non-human inhabitants suffer on a daily basis is appalling testimony to the frightening cruelty and barbarism that the human species is capable of.
Here in South Burlington a different type of issue dominates discussion and has fragmented the community. Although its importance pales in comparison to subjecting human beings to nerve gas and barrel bombs, it nonetheless has elicited very strong emotions in the community. The issue involves changing the South Burlington School identifier name of “Rebel.” The school board, following the recommendation of South Burlington School Superintendent David Young, has made the decision to change the Rebel name even though it appears a majority of students in the high school, and a large number of residents in the community, are either proud of the name or not uncomfortable with its use. How did this divisive issue that has been a major reason for voters rejecting the proposed 2017-18 school budget twice, evolve?
The foundation of the controversy begins about 50 years ago when early editions (1966) of the South Burlington High School yearbook had pictures of individuals posing and holding paraphernalia “adorned” with the Confederate flag. The implications were obvious. An unknown number of students did not appreciate the significance of the inhumanity of the Confederate States of America and their “Rebel” soldiers during the horrific and despicable years in this nation’s history when slavery was a cornerstone of society. Individuals, societies and civilizations all make tragic mistakes. Sadly, it appears to be a fundamental, though unwelcome, part of who we are. But humans do learn from their mistakes and an evil in the past should not necessarily determine future actions.
Fast forward to the present. A few years ago an unknown number of SBHS students conveyed to the school administration that they were uncomfortable with the Rebel identifier name. Some of these students were people of color, and for them the mascot name was a daily reminder of a time early in this nation’s history when people whose skin color was black or brown were treated as a commodity and bought and sold by white slave owners.
The issue of changing the identifier name from Rebel to something else was considered in 2015, but the school board decided to keep the name, although discussion continued.
Since 2015 an unknown number of students continued to convey concern with the Rebel mascot name to the administration. Finally Superintendent David Young created a survey to assess student feelings on the matter. In association with the survey, Mr. Young offered these thoughts: “We have always tried to make our schools inclusive. We have learned — most notably in the past year — that the Rebel identifier is not inclusive of all our students and staff.”
The survey included a single question: “Please describe how comfortable or uncomfortable you are with your school’s continued use of Rebel as a nickname.” Thirty-nine students, or 8.14 percent of the student body who took the survey, responded they were uncomfortable (note: 39 students represent 4.3 percent of the total SBHS student population). Superintendent Young also noted that 71 additional students (about 14.8 percent of survey respondents) answered “they don’t care either way.” In his assessment of the survey, Superintendent Young said: “In summary, 110 students indicated they were uncomfortable or ambivalent about the name. A mascot should not be a point of ambivalence or offense.”
Refusing to allow access to a subset of data in any survey is not only a serious breach of trust, but also grounds for invalidating the survey. Mr. Young chose only to detail that 39 students said they were uncomfortable and 71 said they were ambivalent.
Is there anything wrong with this survey and what do the results tell us or not tell us? Unfortunately, in terms of the recommendations that were made based upon the results of the survey, there was actually no need to do the survey. Huh? The superintendent, speaking on behalf of South Burlington schools, had stated that he wants the Rebel identifier to be inclusive of all students and staff. The word “all” means everyone. If one person is uncomfortable with the Rebel identifier, then, according to Superintendent Young, South Burlington schools are not being inclusive to all students. Since Mr. Young created the survey after an unknown number of students conveyed they remained uncomfortable with the Rebel identifier, the conclusion from the survey was known before it was even delivered to the students — the South Burlington school system was not being inclusive to all students.
Is this analysis too technical? In truth it is not, but other aspects of the survey warrant analysis as well. Superintendent Young does not provide any detail on the 77 percent of students who responded to the survey and did not declare they were uncomfortable or ambivalent. It is likely, but by no means certain, that the 77 percent were comfortable with the Rebel identifier. Moreover, it is possible some or even most of the 77 percent were not only comfortable but took great pride in being a Rebel — not because of its association with the Confederacy, but because the term rebel often refers to someone who fights against injustice and advocates for those who are oppressed.
We will never know just how strongly the 77 percent felt because Mr. Young decided not to share the comments section of the survey: “After careful consideration, I realized sharing the surveys would risk the anonymity of certain individuals based on their words and how they self-identified.” I believe only Superintendent Young, and maybe those who collected and processed the survey results, know what the 77 percent of students who answered the survey and did not convey they were uncomfortable or ambivalent actually said.
Refusing to allow access to a subset of data in any survey is not only a serious breach of trust, but also grounds for invalidating the survey. Mr. Young chose only to detail that 39 students said they were uncomfortable and 71 said they were ambivalent. In quality survey design, implementation and assessment, one does not get to choose which comments to release for consideration and which to sequester.
In an article published in USA Today on Sept 7, 2015, Patrick Burke (SBHS principal) was quoted as saying in an email: “I believe that the vast majority of our current student body has never thought of our nickname as being affiliated with the Confederacy in the least” … “I accept it when they say they are surprised by the controversy.” It seems unlikely that student perspectives have changed significantly in the 19 months since that article appeared.
The South Burlington school system by all accounts provides an exceptionally high quality education for its students, and credit for that accomplishment must clearly be attributed to the dedication and hard work of the school board, Superintendent Young, other members of the administration, and obviously the dedicated and accomplished teachers and support staff.
It is entirely appropriate for the school administration to be responsive to individuals who “petition for a redress of grievances.” That said, the administration and the school board must remember that we live in a democracy in which the views of all individuals should be taken into consideration when making important decisions.
No matter how well intentioned, if the views of the many are ignored or marginalized in society’s attempt to respond to the grievances of the few, I am concerned that such actions will not only polarize our community and our nation more than they already are, but it will also provide an unbalanced and confusing learning paradigm for students in the school system.
When all is said and done, whether the Rebel identifier remains or is replaced is far less important than the process whereby a community debates and discusses an issue of importance, listens respectfully to alternative viewpoints, and then comes to a collective decision.
