Blazers or Birkenstocks

By Angelina Taramona

Pink or plaid, flats or heels? What 2023 delegates, officers, lobbyists, press corps, and supreme court members are wearing at this capital conference exhibits the many personalities held within the walls of Cordell Hull. Do the shoes you walk in affect how confident you feel? Powerful or playful? Are blazers in or out? So many interesting choices to make for this year’s Capital Conference!

Some delegates wear blazers, why? Such a structured garment, does it represent the structure they plan to instill at the conference? Are blazers a way to show your power? Does the color represent an authoritarian point of view? Color, color, color. Why is every guy wearing navy blue? Navy blue represents trust, tradition, and stability. On the other hand, navy blue evokes power and authority, which contrasts to baby blue that evokes trust and reliability and tranquility. At YIG, within the first day of being here, I have seen many bold colors during session, muted colors often being for post session activities. So, is color the way for an easy first impression? 

In terms of color, there are two groups I have encountered so far: the neutral and the bold. Neither good or bad, a neutral opinion honestly. But what does color have to say about our students? Are you trying to blend in with the crowd? How far can being bold really go? Or are you sticking to neutral colors as an act of deception? Why is every guy wearing a navy blue blazer? I asked Eli Hodge why a navy blue blazer, “I don’t know, it matched what I was wearing today”. I asked them why every guy at the conference seems to be wearing a navy blue blazer and he said, “It matches with a lot of things; khakis, any tie, it’s easy to match I guess”. So maybe it’s not about color and I’m just reading too much into it.

While at YIG, we are walking everywhere. You want to eat, you have to walk there. Hotel to Cordell Hull, you have to walk. Cordell to the Capital, walk. What we wear on our feet might be one of our most important assets while at this conference. Since there is so much walking, why not just wear sneakers or birkenstocks. Well, the business attire dress code doesn’t really allow for the most comfortable shoes. So, from what I have gathered, a majority of component members opt for a change of shoes. They change at Cordell Hull and as soon as they walk through, or out of those doors, the birkenstocks are on or off. 

Is there a happy medium between birkenstocks and blazers? Maybe, this may be referring to myself, someone could opt for Dr Martens; they’re formal, more comfortable than heels, cute, and go with anything. Another one could be fun blouses, set yourself apart from the crowd. Or maybe a fun tie to make your navy blue blazer different from the rest!

Why Some Are In Support of Same-Sex Classrooms In Public Schools: A Look Into BHB/23-7-17

By Alianna Jones

     The students of today will be the leaders of tomorrow. Self-confidence and leadership skills are essential to ensure that students are well-equipped to pursue their futures once they leave the classroom.

     Blue House Bill 23-7-17, by Richard Tennent, Margret Tennent, and Aisha Siddiquee, proposes a pilot program to test the effectiveness of same-sex classrooms in Tennessee’s public schools. This program would implement optional courses for core subjects — ELA, math, and science — to students in grades 7-12 in twenty schools across the state. This program would also account for the training required for teachers to be better prepared to handle 

     Why might this bill prove beneficial to students? Gender stereotypes can be detrimental to the performance of girls in traditionally male-dominated subjects like math and science; girls may find themselves suffering from low self-esteem and struggling with academic readiness. In contrast with this, several studies have shown that girls who learn in a same-sex environment perform better on standardized tests and typically have more confidence. Male students educated in same-sex classrooms don’t show as strong of results in most areas but have still been shown to perform somewhat better than their co-ed counterparts in areas like ELA. 

     Why might this be a better option than an all-girls or all-boys school? While same-sex schooling already exists, many of these schools are too expensive for many students to attend. Having optional same-sex learning in public schools would allow more students of different demographics access to same-sex classrooms.p

     Why might same-sex classrooms negatively impact students’ growth? The studies on the topic of same-sex classrooms are very divided: some argue better school performance and social skills, while others point out other factors that could be the real 

reason behind the academic superiority and share the possible future struggles of students to adapt to co-ed situations. Keeping students divided based on sex could even further gender stereotyping, leading to students not being well prepared for the outside world.

     At the end of the day, this bill only proposes a pilot program that would take place over the course of five years, so it remains to be seen whether or not same-sex classrooms are the right choice for the public schools of Tennessee.

Learn more:

https://gap.hks.harvard.edu/academic-performance-and-single-sex-schooling-evidence-natural-experiment-switzerland

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/singleeduc.pdf

23 Tips of Advice for the First Year Delegates of 2023

1. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions” -Bianca Tailor
2. “Try not to get overwhelmed- it’s all a learning experience!” -Bryn Lawson
3. “The more you speak, the more confident you will be” -Eli Hodge
4. “Speak in committee so you can grow as a delegate!” -Nick Yeager
5. “Relax and watch others to become comfortable speaking your voice” – Cambria Ginther
6. “Make connections in your committees and groups, because it is always good to have allies” -Aashi Vora
7. “Bring deodorant and walking shoes. Eat well. Try to get enough sleep. Have fun!” -gov cab
8. “Prior planning prevents poor performance” – Rudy Sleigh
9. “Don’t stress. Everyone has been in your shoes before!” -Ashlynn York
10. “Get to know people, because you will probably make lifelong friends” -Allison Asencio 
11. “Make the best of every situation at YIG” -Gabrielle Lytle
12. “Don’t take things personally in sessions” – Cameron Franklin
13. “Make friends and you’ll be good”-Ceci Griffin
14. “Bring a tote bag/backpack and walking shoes!” -Charlotte Flowers
15. “Ask lots of questions! It’s fun and a great way to learn new things while working on public speaking skills” – Carly Galbreth
16. “Bring snacks for the hotel room (and share them)” – Preston Selby
17. “LOOK UP WHEN you PRESENT” -Ashlyn Dewey
18. “Get yiggy with it”- Lola Brown
19. “Sleep.” -Zack Duncan
20. “Bring a kettle for tea and oatmeal” – Lydia Miller

21. “Chess.” – Jack Gibby 
22. “If you are worried about messing up, remember that a week from now people will only remember how cool it is that you missed two days of school” -Grady Knox
23. “Don’t be afraid to speak. It can be scary to talk in front of so many people because you’re afraid you may mess up, but the more you practice the better you’ll get.” – Reese Wineland

The Bill Steeped in Controversy: Should Mutual Combat be Legalized?

WSB/23-4-9

Written by : Lily Smith & Felicia Lamptey

Delegates Viriginia Knox and Adriana Guevart at Cordell Hull 

This bill begins with a rather necessary classification of mutual combat, defining it as, “when two individuals participate in a willing fight under mutually defined terms without hurting bystanders or damaging property.” The delegates are proposing that mutual combat be a legalized “opt-in” that is stated in your driver’s license, similar to registering yourself as an organ donor. This will allow those registered to have automatically informed consent when participating in combat. They also provide limitations it will put on sentences if a participant dies engaged in mutual combat, stating the defendant will only be allowed to be charged with voluntary manslaughter with an interval of 3 to 15 years allowed to be sentenced. The jury is also only able to fine them no more than $10,000 for the transgression. They clarify that if an individual does not opt-in then any combat that is engaged by or against them will be charged as assault if they do not provide some other explicit informed consent and weapons are strictly prohibited. There is also required to be an officer of the law as a witness otherwise they must, again, provide some other proof  of consent between both parties. Even with the level of detail this bill delved into, when interviewing the delegates they stated the session seemed rather confused by their proposal. The following transcribes the interview between our press and the delegates. 

Is it controversial to legalize mutual combat within the streets even if it’s illegal? Will this really affect our citizens? According to delegates, Virginia Knox, Adriana Guevart, “People do think that this is legalizing street fighting and that’s not what we’re saying here. That’s not really the point of our bill, that’s not our agenda. Our bill is about mutual combat and how if two people inform, provided informed consent that they can fight legally.” (Adriana Guevert). We then inquired about the specific technical questions that stumped the speakers. Knox and Guervart responded, “They were asking statistics about mutual combat, but since it is illegal in the state of Tennessee at this time, those statistics do not exist. Yes, because the whole point of our bill is to make mutual combat a thing. So we actually don’t have statistics on it yet because it’s not really like a thing.” 

Felicia Lamptey also asked about their sudden interest in this topic. Knox and Guevart replied, “We talked to some of the upperclassmen at our school, Ethan Kennan, our attorney general, and Drew Hogan, a lobbyist, they had a big interest in this so we decided to chat with them about it.” This then inspired them to create and present this specific bill

Stolen from the Desk of Will Severn: The Post-it Heist

By Lilly Ann Brown

Governor Will Severn has been planning and scheming for this year’s conference for months. Honestly, knowing Will, he was likely planning his State-of-the-State before he was even elected. However, despite his charismatic attitude, Will has kept his plans close to his chest, and doesn’t seem eager to reveal too much about his means or his motives. As a reminder, Will’s platform had 3 main focuses: education, climate, and infrastructure. Specifically, he aimed to redesign and improve failed educational systems, pursue innovative solutions against climate change, and support infrastructure projects that allow resources to reach those in need. I wanted to make sure he was adhering to his word, and candidly, I wanted to know exactly what he’s always vigorously discussing with his allies. 

Sadly, at least for Governor Severn, I am fast, have the instincts of a spy, and knew where his and Chief of Staff Mya Foley’s desks were. I dashed in, ignored the insane amount of personalized manilla folders, and snatched up a few post-its covered in his signature scrawl. Then, obviously, I ran away.

Thanks to my spy-kids inspired heist, here’s what we now know about Governor Severn

.

First, it seems to me that he has quite the interesting stream of consciousness. In just two small post-its he’s seemingly listed a set of topics that are definitely present in this year’s bill book- and beyond that, in our state. 

Notably, Severn seems to want to give old people guns, make school rehab a thing, and a lot of other things that I cannot read at all. Maybe that’s why he writes like that- to confuse spies like me.

The Bill Book: First Impressions

The bill book can be intimidating, and while you do need to read up on some bills in detail, it can be hard to stay in the know beyond that. To aid you in your studying of this year’s material, here’s a helpful collection of bills our press corp found interesting, important, or down-right devious.

WSB/23-4-11 

Summary by Angelina Taramona

This act seeks to legalize the OTC of birth control pills by first categorizing oral contraceptives into three categories; the Combination pill, Progestin-only-pill and the Continuous/Extended Birth Control Pill. These pills will allow both prescription and over the counter oral contraceptives to be sold and purchased in any retail locations. The OTC availability will decrease the chance of unplanned pregnancy, and following the overturning of Roe v Wade in June of 2022, this would allow for an alternative for people with the capacity to carry children. However, without consultation from a medical professional, one could put themselves at risk for taking hormone adjusting prescription drugs. The bill does advise to seek consultation and awareness that the retail location has the legal right, within limitations, to refusal of service.

RHB/23-5-4

Summary by Trish Zheng

The purpose of this act is to improve pharmaceutical transparency. This bill attempts to limit increasing prices and limit concealing information. Third-party management, also known as PBMs, must release information regarding user programs, corporate companies, and any legal complaints. In addition, manufacturers are required to communicate their price increases and explain the reason behind them. If the state believes the increase is unreasonable, then prices will return to the original pricing. Companies that refuse to follow this amendment will be prevented from operating until they adhere to it. Funding will not be necessary for this bill. These representatives from Wilson Central seek to amend act 56-7-31 to enhance information disclosure within pharmaceutical companies.

WSB/23-3-9

Summary by Lily Smith

This act wishes to implement a 4 day school week instead of the standard 5 for all public schools kindergarten through 12th grade. This will change the hours of school from 7 to 7 and a half, with individual school districts determining start and end times. The act also requires the attendance of students for at least 148 days per term. This change would not only cost nothing- since all funds needed are already in district and state budgets- but it also saves money! This could allow school districts to save a whopping 100 thousand dollars per year. The new schedule would begin in the 2024-25 school year.

RHB/23-7-4

The Red House Bill 23-7-4, An Act to Require Elderly Drivers to Pass a Road Test Upon License Renewal, by Isabella Lopez and Anna Bui is an act that desires to require the elderly to take a road safety test to prove their driving competency. This act is done to not only protect the elderly drivers, but the other drivers on the road as well. The elderly have more struggles as compared to younger individuals, having a harder time moving and seeing. Additionally, the elderly cannot withstand a motor crash as well as younger people, meaning the elderly have an increased risk for injury or even death. If this act is enacted, starting on the first of January, 2024, all individuals that are over 65 will need to renew their license and take a road safety test every 5 years. No cost will be needed to put this bill into place and protect lives in Tennessee.

23-7-11

Summary by Felicia Lamptey

This bill is essentially about raising the current maximum charge for animal abuse from a Class E Felony to a Class C Felony. The felonies include Class A – E, E being the lowest of 1-6 years in prison or up to a 3,000 fine and the highest, A, Which is 15-60 years in prison or up to a 50,000 fine. This bill requires no cost at all! and plans to protect animals from the current heart-wrenching abuse they face.

BHB/23-5-11

Summary by Alianna Jones

Tennessee has more than 4,000 families fostering children; however, guides for families can often be vague or hard to navigate, which causes instability and lack of placement within the foster system. Danelli Lara-Garcia, Kaitlyn Greenlee, and Kamryn Green have created BHB/23-5-11 to enact a Foster Children’s Bill of Rights as a guide for the Department of Health and Human Services on the rights of children in the foster system. The Bill of Rights declares the rights of each child, including an anti-discrimination policy and the child’s rights to information, as well as the right to knowledge of what the Department of Children’s Services provides to families for foster children.  

Midnight Crisis

By: Kenleigh Pennington and Marguerite Mary

       After last night’s festivities, the Security Council and Secretariat were called forth for the midnight crisis to continue their hard work in protecting the peace and justice of the United Nations. The representatives were informed that in the midst of the conflict between Russia, Ukraine, and surrounding countries, a Ukrainian ship was deliberately sunk in the Black Sea, as well as an attack on a Russian pipeline. India claimed that Russian ships and French drones were found within logical perimeters of the attacks, which resulted in a lengthy debate. The added evidence, both confidential and of common knowledge, set these representatives on edge as they worked towards a solution in providing reparations and added funds to the affected countries. Before they could do so, they were responsible for identifying the parties at fault within this crisis, meaning those that caused damage to the property of separate countries. In the end, it was found that, by working together, the UAE and India were found guilty of attacking the Ukrainian ship and causing damage to the Russian pipeline. India was motivated to attack because they strived for a riff between Russia and China to gain a greater hand in their grain trade, and the partnership with UAE became plausible because they wished to get oil from the connecting natural gas pipeline. In an effort to remain off the radar, India continuously put out fake information regarding the conflict to mislead Security Council members, completely discrediting them. In the end, the Security Council found it only right that India not only pays for the ship but also provides extra funds for the country of Ukraine. Several of the uninvolved parties have requested apologies for the false allegations and information thrown towards them during the investigation process, such as those of France and the UK.  Currently, the council is in the diligent process of creating a resolution to specify the number of funds and reimbursement necessary so that justice will prevail. 

Declaration of Refugee Rights

By: Sherlin Madrano

Today a team was tasked to sponsor Egypt a resolution to adopt a universal declaration of refugee rights. This team decided to use the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Their bill was to encourage the government to offer better stability for all the fleeing countries that have experienced war famine, and climate change around/in the land of Egypt. This bill wasn’t asking for any profit, the only thing they were asking for was for the United Nations “to encourage the individual nations of the world to independently adopt measures providing safety, security, and freedom of refugees in their country.” This bill was declared a fail with a 31-36 defeat this morning.

Providing and Influencing Clean Water for The Majority

By: Kenleigh Pennington and Marguerite Mary

Currently, in Haiti, waterborne illnesses are the leading cause of death among citizens, and over 70% of Haitians do not have clean drinking water. Delegates representing the nation of Haiti have introduced a resolution on how they plan to make said clean drinking water more accessible for all of their citizens. They plan to implement and provide upkeep for three water treatment plants in reaction to the startling statistics of their people and the damage due to a major earthquake in 2010 that, because of their level of development and economy, they have not been able to restore. 

Not only would the passage of this bill greatly influence the quality of life for a majority of their people, but also improve Haiti’s economy as a whole and increase trade relations. This would create a significant impact on the country as it is currently recognized as the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and these water treatment plants will provide jobs and improve public health. If passed in the General Assembly, the completion of the construction of water plants will occur in just two years. By the implementation of this resolution, other underdeveloped countries may be encouraged to pursue similar proposals to the UN in hopes of building a more sustainable future and improving the quality of life for humanity across nations.

Portugal’s Transatlantic Tunnel Resolution Answered

By: Elyssa Fraser and Mattison Sanderson

On Friday, delegates of Portugal, Ethan Bengelsdorf, Henry Hammond, Prescott Neal, and Locknath Thirudeevula, presented a bill to the UN asking for $12 trillion. This money would be directed towards a costly engineering feat: a transatlantic shuttle. In an interview, one delegate answers questions about his team’s idea. 

The delegate clarifies, “Our main goal is to lower pollution rates in the Atlantic Ocean because we know that the aviation industry contributes an insane amount of carbon emissions. Cargo shipping over the Atlantic also contributes a lot of carbon emissions, so using freight trains to transport cargo and passengers would pretty much diminish this carbon emission rate because its green energy”

Portugal delegates say, “We are very aware of the immense scale of this project, but like the US Interstate System, Hoover Dam, all these projects that throughout history, people have seen as these crazy insane projects and yet in hindsight we all know that these projects have withstood the test of time and been so beneficial to society as a whole and we think that now is the time to get started on this global project that will allow for global cooperation fostered by the UN.”

A fascinating feature of the tunnel is that it would be vacuum sealed. When asked how this would be accomplished, Portugal says, “So vacuum sealing each section would first underway during the construction process, then when they are connected they would still be vacuum sealed.”

Portugal’s Resolution was ultimately rejected, however, the delegates continue to affirm that the bill’s passage would mean the betterment of the world: “So Portugal being part of the EU— being one of the leading countries— we want to take the head of the project. It’s not really Portugal taking control of this, we just want to find a way to benefit the entire world — to come together with every country in the world and allow them the opportunity to contribute to environmental solutions and to form geological connections between the entire world and every country.”