The Bison – April 26, 1991

“I feel like part of my heart was ripped out. [Johannes Schuster] had so much to offer the world,” said English teacher Karen Swenson. The last page in the impressive scrapbook of Johannes Schuster’s life was written March 29 in an ironic and yet, true-to-form style. Born Gad Gross in Romania, Schuster was to become one of the Persian Gulf War casualties. Serving as a Newsweek photographer covering the Kurdish rebellion, Schuster was executed near the Kirkuk settlement, by Iraqi soldiers. “It didn’t surprise me at all to learn that he went to the Gulf War, since, as any good journalist, he wanted to be where the action was,” said Social Studies teacher John Ause. Schuster, a recent magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Univer- sity, attended BHS as a foreign exchange student in 1982. Interested in politics, the arts, and academic studies, Schuster excelled in almost everything he did. “He was a student who was gifted in all areas. He was the composite student; he could do everything well,” said Art teacher Clare Post. There are conflicting reports on the execution death, but Frank Smyth and Alain Buu, the two journalists with whom Schuster was traveling, have said that they were about one-half mile outside of the city when the Iraqi army formed a military attack. According to Smyth, everyone hid but Schuster and Bakhtiar, a Kurd, were found first. (Smyth and Buu were captured, and later released.) “It was a case of wrong place, wrong time,” said Ause. “Personally I think the Iraqi wanted to kill the Kurd and Johannes tried to stop it. Or possibly they wanted to take the camera, but I think [Johannes] was trying to save a life.” Those who knew Johannes found him to be intuitive and kind-hearted. “He was so sensitive. He had the intelligence and the sensitivity to balance it off,” said Swenson.

Money talks and next year District #877 will be speaking less, since it’s losing its voice. All BHS departments will be taking a 12 percent cut in the instructional budget. This budget includes money allotted for textbooks, paper, printer ink, pencils, pens, computer paper, etc. “We’re really going to have to watch [our spending] next year,” said Principal Nick Miller. Based on the number of students enrolled on October 1, 1990, the school will receive $162 800 for the 1991-92 school year. Next year, the budget will be decreased by 10 percent. “[If we] be real careful, we can get through [the year],” said Miller. Some ways to reduce spending are by recycling paper, cutting back on the amount of paper the school uses, and buying fewer new textbooks. Another budget facing cuts next year will be the capital outlay budget. This budget includes materials such as furniture and audio/visual equipment. A five percent cutback is predicted for this. “It will affect us, because we will only get the necessities, instead of getting the frivolous stuff,” said freshman Jessica Klatt. The funding decrease does not have many drastic drawbacks, but one industrial arts teacher will be reduced in time by 20 percent. The reason for the cutback is the state legislature’s one billion dollar shortfall. The legislature is also considering not increasing state aid. BHS relies on state funding to break even, considering the price of electricity and textbooks are increasing. “We depend so much on state funding,” said Miller. Salaries of personnel make up the largest line item in district budgets. District #877 is saving money by having teachers supervise hallways and lunchrooms, whereas in Wayzata schools, others are hired to supervise. BHS has a committee made up of department chairpeople, and Principal Nick Miller that make the financial decisions. “Our teachers were unbelievably cooperative in helping with the budget reduction process,” said Miller. Although all the departments will feel the cut, most teachers weren’t upset. “[It’s] not disastrous for us,” said Maija Zaeska, Foreign Language department head.

A Minnesota springtime tradition, they pop up in the oddest places. Driveways, roads, parking lots.

Potholes.

No, not pot hole, a place to buy the latest varieties of marijuana, a pothole, and they are everywhere.

In the greater Twin Cities area, people can call in, and, for a small fee, you can name a pothole and call it your own.

Sort of like Adopt a Highway in drag.

There is also a huge pothole in the student parking lot. We wondered if BHS would get a new outdoor swimming pool.
Wrong.

Living in Minnesota, the drastic range in temperatures causes the roads more wear and tear than in, let us say, Kansas. Which is why, every year the roads are under construction.

Potholes are an American tradition. Every spring, they pop out of the roads like lemmings in peak reproduction season. Potholes are to blame for damaged front end alignment, lost tail pipes, busted shocks, broken steering column, and, if you have hot coffee in your hand, you'll have a scorched leg.

Maybe it's not the pothole to blame, but the idiots who drive over them at 50 mile per hour.

In conclusion, until the residents of this state start car pooling, potholes will prevail.

And next time, slow down.

Money can talk, sing, and dance, but certain forms won't buy anyone a lunch.

Recently, a student was refused a lunch, due to him not having the correct currency form. He had four quarters, but not the dollar bill that the cafeteria insists on.

This seems like an unreasonable rule, but maybe we can work this out. Food is a necessity, and should not be denied due to "silver" versus paper.

Granted, we can't have every Tom, Dick, and Zelda coming through the lunch line with a twenty dollar bill expecting change to get a lunch, or 100 pennies, or 20 nickels, or 10 dimes, or five dimes and ten nickels, or two quarters and five dimes, or... Okay, you get the point.

The Bison is not trying to attack the cooks, we only hope to open the communication gaps bringing the grievances to light, and then reach a compromise. Please consider this one option.

1. Students may use four quarters in place of a paper dollar bill or a ticket when purchasing a lunch.

But...

2. These forms of currency will not be accepted: dimes, nickels, pennies, any bill larger than a one, or a check.

Bon Appetit!

To the Editor:
Recently, a member of the administration came up to me and told (not asked) me to change my shirt. My shirt was "censored".

I saw shirts that actually have the words spelled out completely. But that was only on guys. I think the principals were offended because it was being worn by a girl, and as we all know that's not the way young ladies are supposed to act. I say BULLS#T! (Do you get the point?)

I did a little experiment to find out if it really was the fact that they thought the shirt was offensive or if they thought it was offensive because a girl wore it. Well it turned out that a guy can wear the shirt all day and received not even get a second look. This is a double standard.

I also wonder why they don't make anyone change out of the "Warrant Cherry Pie" shirts. Aren't those offensive? Why don't the people who wear shirts that have an American flag on the front and say "Try and burn this one Asshole" have to change? Is it because it is supposedly patriotic? Those shirts are trying to provoke a fight. If some one who sees it and doesn't like what it says tells that person, then the person who is wearing it usually gets very angry. Or how about the shirts that say "God Rules". Aren't those offensive to atheists? Or people of other religions that don't believe in God? We need some changes.

Kristin Krenzel
Senior

Hey sports fans. Have you ever wondered, I mean really wondered about life, the universe, eelpout, and other such curiosities?

Throughout high school we have been taught to search for a higher level of understanding, to think about why we do the things we do. To discover, to wonder, to boldly go where no alien has ever gone before.

And to bring about ourselves stupendous guilt over every action we do or thought we think.

It's one thing to be a Minnesota Lutheran. Another to be a BHS graduate. And another to be a Bakke.

If Sting is the "king of pain," I must be the queen of guilt.

At least I am the queen of something!

But that's another story.

For the past four years I have been preparing myself for the future. Sure, I know what a cut up pig looks like. But do I really know?

For instance: what if when you were opening your locker you were really closing it? That would explain my missing pencils. I don't know the answer to that so my only choice is to stay in high school forever.

Right here. The home of the Bison. Home of the all-weather guilt-dome.

Now, for the more academic questions of life: What if two plus two really equaled 16? Furthermore, would four still be it's square root?

And why Rosebud?

What was so great about Jane Eyre? Maybe I'm just a cynic but did she take classes on how to become a great person or did she arrive at it through trial and error? Transcendentalism?

I just don't get it.

Let's be real.

Is Eric, is my most famous brother and 1990 BHS graduate, really Herbert Hoover reincarnated?

What would happen if you were driving a Yugo at the speed of light and turned on the headlights?

So, is Elvis really dead? If he is, is that guy in our basement just an impersonator? Has Elvis really left the building?

What is in the Big Mac secret sauce anyway? Do the people behind the counter laugh at you when you buy a Big Mac because they know what's in the sauce? Furthermore, does Ronald McDonald secretly eat at Hardee's like most of the MacDonald's employees?

Now that McDonalds doesn't use styrofoam how do they keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool?

Do half notes feel inferior to hole notes?

Does corn get paranoid when you listen to it grow?

Is there an orphanage for unadopted parts of the highway?

Why do they call it American Experience if you talk about Iraq all the time?

Why was Apple valley put on the face of the earth?

Do Minnesota highways have biological parents?

Why are there no doors on the stalls in the boys john?

Why are bathrooms referred to as johns?

Is a checkerboard red with black squares or black with red squares?

How old does a book have to be to be sold in an adult bookstore?

Do your clothes feel embarrassed when someone else wears them?

Why are they called telephone books if they have no plot?

Does your hairdresser get mad when she sees you in public and your hair looks awful?

Why am I all of a sudden putting my brain into a double-gazatch for a three count? Could it be that I, Heather Bakke, have a date for the Prom? And my father didn't even have to offer an extra-credit dowry as incentive.

I bet Jane Eyre didn't go to Prom.

But that's another story.

No kidding.

Okay, I want some answers.

I have been of the female persuasion for my whole life, but one part of the feminine mystique has evaded me.

Why do women like to shop?
Why?

I don't expect to find the answer to this question in my anthropology class next year, along with questions of why we have hair and what is use of the little thing that hangs in the back of your throat. I can never get an answer.

Maybe I should take a womens studies class after all.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good trip to a mall. Last fall, I went with some friends to Southdale, you know, in EDINA! The only place in the world where cops drive BMW's. I tortured my poor country girl's heart by going into Daytons Oval Room. You know the place. I could just smell the money. I could also smell all that perfume. I drooled all over everything. I nearly dehydrated, but I filled up on Coke Classic before shopping. I tried to be sophisticated, and not look at price tags, but one Giorgio Armani coat cost $800.00! A bit steep for off the rack.

I nearly tripped in my puddle of drool and drowned.

The thing that got me was some of the stuff was so ugly! I could probably find better quality in my mom's box of cast off poodle skirts from 1958. Not to mention the section devoted to fur coats alone. Too bad I wasn't old enough to buy spray paint.

I realized I had to get out, because the frosty Edinait[e] sales ladies breezed up to me and peered down their needle noses, asking if I needed something. Yeah, I needed something: a shot of reality. Also a couple of thousand to afford to give my poor old sick aunt that operation. They probably wondered how a lowly bumpkin from Buffalo entered the Oval Room, much less Edina. The dobermans posted at the city's borders must have been on break at Mi. Donut.

Oh, pardon moi, (That's French. I am so sophisticated.) Edina police dogs probably eat at Bakers Square.

Then Christmas came and, of course, I had to go shopping. I now believe that the credit card is the instrument of the devil. Well, the correct way to say that is the love of a credit card is the root of all evil. People are always getting quotes wrong. I floated around, whipping out the plastic wherever I went, a perfume counter, jewelry, those little vials of Didi 7, I had a ball.

Only when I added up the 30-40 receipts of my solar calculator, I realized I had spent too much money. And some of it I spent on people I didn't even like. Oh, I am a generous fool. At least I spent most of the money on myself. Christmas is the time for giving, to oneself!

Getting back to why we women bear the burden of PMS (plastic money syndrome) I've come to an answer. It has to do with Prom.

I had to put PMS in one of my columns (all three of you) something to joke about.

Prom.

Last year, I chose not to go. I missed that dance to shop. I unfortunately missed that stupid ritual every teenager goes into cardiac arrest over. I'm not being bitter, either. I am glad I didn't go, because if I would have attended, my date would be splattered in vomit because I caught the flu the night before. Normally it's the guy who pukes on his date, after he samples wine cooler, rum and Cokes, a screwdriver, a shot glass full of Everclear his cousin bought in North Dakota, a little tequila, and accidentally swallows the worm...

"Hey, I am going to try this Cool Ranch Dorito dipped in caviar and pate!"

"I wouldn't eat that for anything."

Did you know that caviar is fish eggs, and pate is chopped up goose livers?"

"Uh."

Ralph.

And it wasn't the dress that was wasted, it was all of those hours of shopping!

Along with attending prom, one must shop around, compare the outrageous prices of cheaply made dresses and shoes dyed to match your eye color.

How come they don't make prom dresses in olive and puce plaid?

Now that I think about it, I am shocked at myself for spending so much money. Dress, shoes, purse, gloves, (but these last three were on sale for pretty cheap) flowers. I still have to pay my class dues, buy a ticket, put gas in the car, dinner, hair, dry cleaning. Lots of hidden expenses.

Why do I do this to myself?

By the way, do you know how hard it is to find a plaid prom dress? I tried everywhere. It wasn't until I was running an errand for my dad, looking for spark plugs for the lawn mower, that I found it--at Big Bear! Right here in Buffalo! Right between the fishing tackle and the Wells Lamont chore gloves!

Why do women like to shop? Maybe it's that hundreds of years of oppression and bad treatment of men. Maybe it's the acid. Maybe it's air pollution. Or maybe we do it to drive the men crazy.

Trust me.

Hello, my name is Amy J. Oberdeck, and I'm a recovering Bisonaholic.

Yes, as of today, I can declare "It is finished" for my duties are done.

And this last issue is the end of a chapter in my life.

Four years have I toiled to inform the student body, to bring student concerns to a head, and to produce one of the state's best school newspapers. Four years, nine hundred bottles of rubber cement, twelve thousand Oreos, three million reporter's notepads, eight billion tears, seventeen trillion "skipped heartbeats," and twenty-five zillion pieces of meaningless paper.

(Sigh) Yet, somehow I think I'll miss it, even the scraps of paper.

But there is one bright point in this farewell. I now actually get to clean out my purses!!

(Okay, those closest to me are now fainting all around you, but it's true.) You see, I'm one of those women who feel naked without a purse on my shoulder and I enjoy stashing miscellaneous items in that purse until the zipper (or snap) is just about bursting.

(Give me credit, I know my limits.)

But anyway, digging through one of my purses recently I found several "unique" items, no doubt where I got them from.

I found one brand new X-Acto knife, three razor blades -- no, I'm not suicidal -- one half-empty white-out bottle, one gluestick, two reporters stenopads, three computer disks, a turquoise pen, and literally 50 business cards from Buffalo advertisers.

I know, you are wondering where I have the space for all of that. I was mystified too until I realized that The Bison has a way of growing on one.

Who knows, perhaps I'll dig through my purse at college and discover another X-Acto knife.

Oh, no! one sure sign of a relapse. Think about it.

Hey sports fans. Have you ever wondered, I mean really wondered about life, the universe, eelpout, and other such curiosities? Throughout high school we have been taught to search for a higher level of understanding, to think about why we do the things we do. To discover, to wonder, to boldly go where no alien has ever gone before. And to bring about ourselves stupendous guilt over every action we do or thought we think. It’s one thing to be a Minnesota Lutheran. Another to be a BHS graduate. And another to be a Bakke. If Sting is the “king of pain,” I must be the queen of guilt. At least I am the queen of something! But that’s another story. For the past four years I have been preparing myself for the future. Sure, I know what a cut up pig looks like. But do I really know? For instance: what if when you were opening your locker you were really closing it? That would explain my missing pencils. I don’t know the answer to that so my only choice is to stay in high school forever. Right here. The home of the Bison. Home of the all-weather guilt-dome. Now, for the more academic questions of life: What if two plus two really equaled 16? Furthermore, would four still be it’s square root? And why Rosebud? What was so great about Jane Eyre? Maybe I’m just a cynic but did she take classes on how to become a great person or did she arrive at it through trial and error? Transcendentalism? I just don’t get it. Let’s be real. Is Eric, my most famous brother and 1990 BHS graduate, really Herbert Hoover reincarnated? What would happen if you were driving a Yugo at the speed of light and turned on the headlights? So, is Elvis really dead? If he is, is that guy in our basement just an impersonator? Has Elvis really left the building? What is in the Big Mac secret sauce anyway? Do the people behind the counter laugh at you when you buy a Big Mac because they know what’s in the sauce? Furthermore, does Ronald McDonald secretly eat at Hardee’s like most of the MacDonald’s employees? Now that McDonalds doesn’t use styrofoam how do they keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool? Do half notes feel inferior to hole notes? Does corn get paranoid when you listen to it grow? Is there an orphanage for unadopted parts of the highway? Why do they call it American Experience if you talk about Iraq all the time? Why was Apple valley put on the face of the earth? Do Minnesota highways have biological parents? Why are there no doors on the stalls in the boys john? Why are bathrooms referred to as johns? Is a checkerboard red with black squares or black with red squares? How old does a book have to be to be sold in an adult bookstore? Do your clothes feel embarrassed when someone else wears them? Why are they called telephone books if they have no plot? Does your hairdresser get mad when she sees you in public and your hair looks awful? Why am I all of a sudden putting my brain into a double-gazatch for a three count? Could it be that I, Heather Bakke, have a date for the Prom? And my father didn’t even have to offer an extra-credit dowry as incentive. I bet Jane Eyre didn’t go to Prom. But that’s another story. No kidding.

Okay, I want some answers. I have been of the female persuasion for my whole life, but one part of the feminine mystique has evaded me. Why do women like to shop? Why? I don’t expect to find the answer to this question in my anthropology class next year, along with questions of why we have hair and what is use of the little thing that hangs in the back of your throat. I can never get an answer. Maybe I should take a womens studies class after all. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good trip to a mall. Last fall, I went with some friends to Southdale, you know, in EDINA! The only place in the world where cops drive BMW’s. I tortured my poor country girl’s heart by going into Daytons Oval Room. You know the place. I could just smell the money. I could also smell all that perfume. I drooled all over everything. I nearly dehydrated, but I filled up on Coke Classic before shopping. I tried to be sophisticated, and not look at price tags, but one Giorgio Armani coat cost $800.00! A bit steep for off the rack. I nearly tripped in my puddle of drool and drowned. The thing that got me was some of the stuff was so ugly! I could probably find better quality in my mom’s box of cast off poodle skirts from 1958. Not to mention the section devoted to fur coats alone. Too bad I wasn’t old enough to buy spray paint. I realized I had to get out, because the frosty Edinaite sales ladies breezed up to me and peered down their needle noses, asking if I needed something. Yeah, I needed something: a shot of reality. Also a couple of thousand to afford to give my poor old sick aunt that operation. They probably wondered how a lowly bumpkin from Buffalo entered the Oval Room, much less Edina. The dobermans posted at the city’s borders must have been on break at Mi. Donut. Oh, pardon moi, (That’s French. I am so sophisticated.) Edina police dogs probably eat at Bakers Square. Then Christmas came and, of course, I had to go shopping. I now believe that the credit card is the instrument of the devil. Well, the correct way to say that is the love of a credit card is the root of all evil. People are always getting quotes wrong. I floated around, whipping out the plastic wherever I went, a perfume counter, jewelry, those little vials of Didi 7, I had a ball. Only when I added up the 30-40 receipts of my solar calculator, I realized I had spent too much money. And some of it I spent on people I didn’t even like. Oh, I am a generous fool! At least I spent most of the money on myself. Christmas is the time for giving, to oneself! Getting back to why we women bear the burden of PMS (plastic money syndrome) I’ve come to an answer. It has to do with Prom. I had to put PMS in one of my columns (all three of you) something to joke about. Prom. Last year, I chose not to go. I missed that dance to shop. I unfortunately missed that stupid ritual every teenager goes into cardiac arrest over. I’m not being bitter, either. I am glad I didn’t go, because if I would have attended, my date would be splattered in vomit because I caught the flu the night before. Normally it’s the guy who pukes on his date, after he samples wine cooler, rum and Cokes, a screwdriver, a shot glass full of Everclear his cousin bought in North Dakota, a little tequila, and accidentally swallows the worm... ‘Hey, I am going to try this Cool Ranch Dorito dipped in caviar and pate!’ ‘I wouldn’t eat that for anything. Did you know that caviar is fish eggs, and pate is chopped up goose livers?’ ‘Uh.’ Ralph. And it wasn’t the dress that was wasted, it was all of those hours of shopping! Along with attending prom, one must shop around, compare the outrageous prices of cheaply made dresses and shoes dyed to match your eye color. How come they don’t make prom dresses in olive and puce plaid? Now that I think about it, I am shocked at myself for spending so much money. Dress, shoes, purse, gloves, (but these last three were on sale for pretty cheap) flowers. I still have to pay my class dues, buy a ticket, put gas in the car, dinner, hair, dry cleaning. Lots of hidden expenses. Why do I do this to myself? By the way, do you know how hard it is to find a plaid prom dress? I tried everywhere. It wasn’t until I was running an errand for my dad, looking for spark plugs for the lawn mower, that I found it-- at Big Bear! Right here in Buffalo! Right between the fishing tackle and the Wells Lamont chore gloves! Why do women like to shop? Maybe it’s that hundreds of years of oppression and bad treatment of men. Maybe it’s the acid. Maybe it’s air pollution. Or maybe we do it to drive the men crazy. Trust me.

Hello, my name is Amy J. Oberdeck, and I’m a recovering Bisonaholic. Yes, as of today, I can declare “It is finished” for my duties are done. And this last issue is the end of a chapter in my life. Four years have I toiled to inform the student body, to bring student concerns to a head, and to produce one of the state’s best school newspapers. Four years, nine hundred bottles of rubber cement, twelve thousand Oreos, three million reporter’s notepads, eight billion tears, seventeen trillion “skipped heartbeats,” and twenty-five zillion pieces of meaningless paper. (Sigh) Yet, somehow I think I’ll miss it, even the scraps of paper. But there is one bright point in this farewell. I now actually get to clean out my purses!! (Okay, those closest to me are now fainting all around you, but it’s true.) You see, I’m one of those women who feel naked without a purse on my shoulder and I enjoy stashing miscellaneous items in that purse until the zipper (or snap) is just about bursting. (Give me credit, I know my limits.) But anyway, digging through one of my purses recently I found several “unique” items, no doubt where I got them from. I found one brand new X-Acto knife, three razor blades -- no, I’m not suicidal --, one half-empty white-out bottle, one gluestick, two reporters stenopads, three computer disks, a turquoise pen, and literally 50 business cards from Buffalo advertisers. I know, you are wondering where I have the space for all of that. I was mystified too until I realized that The Bison has a way of growing on one. Who knows, perhaps I’ll dig through my purse at college and discover another X-Acto knife. Oh, no! one sure sign of a relapse. Think about it.

Affecting the rest of their lives, decisions must be made daily by teenagers. Today a increasingly common dilemma faces pregnant teens, deciding on the life of their child.

Many people think pregnant teens have to grow up right away if they get pregnant. People also think they don’t get any free time.

“Yes, you will have to grow up but you can still have fun,” said sophomore Adriene Carlson.

When teens get pregnant other kids wonder what their parents would say. This kind of news could really shock them.

“My mom wasn’t mad. I think it brought us closer. My dad was very angry with me and he gave me the cold shoulder,” said Carlson.

Fifty percent of the fathers of these teen babies leave the situation. Many blame the girl for “the problem,” and some even get physically violent towards their partner.

But an equal number of males face the responsibility.

“I’d wait until we were alone and tell him when the time is right,” said junior Lisa Berger.

There are many options if a woman gets pregnant. Counselors, family, and health professionals can offer suggestions to fit a particular case. Abortion, adoption, and keeping the child are just a few examples.

“I would keep my baby,” said senior Kristi Persian.

Family and friends of pregnant teens are also affected by a new baby.

“I think some of my friends would support me but again some of them would be disappointed,” said Persian.

Today’s teens are planning in case they would find their child in a pregnancy situation.

“I wouldn’t throw her out or push her away. I would try to help as much as possible,” said junior Bekki Nyberg.

Problems arise every day for parents and kids.

One million American teenage girls become pregnant each year. Of those, 450,000 pregnancies are terminated by abortion.

In a recent survey, teen pregnancy was one of the top three topics cited, concerning teenagers. This serious topic has abortion as one alternative to an unwanted pregnancy.

Many teenagers are not ready for the commitment of a child. Freshman Kari Jorgenson said that if she were to be in a situation that she was pregnant, she’d have the child but then put it up for adoption.

“Sex in high school is becoming more and more prevalent among the younger students,” said one junior.

In 1973, abortion was legalized in the United States. Since then states legislatures have redefined the main law to better suit their own states.

Not only are there different laws in different states but, there are also many different methods used to abort the fetus, whether or not it is an intentional act of the mother or not.

With the new law, opponents formed activist groups and have held demonstrations and “walks on Washington”.

An abortion is a safer process then the actual childbirth. But of all the abortions preformed in the United States, 21% are done through illegal means. Sometimes a non-certified doctor preforms the abortion, or in some states the forging of a parent’s signature allows a minor to have an abortion.

In 89% of the cases that go before a judge, they usually grant [unclear]

Staff Writer

Almost half of the babies born to white women in the United States are unplanned or “out of wedlock” pregnancies.

“People say, ‘it won’t happen to me’, and don’t take precautions,” said junior Colleen Murphy.

Birth control, according to Webster, is anything that prevents conception or limits reproduction.

The most common reliable forms of birth control are: pills, condoms, and diaphragms. More uncommon are injectable contraceptives (still in the experimental stages), the withdrawal method (withdrawing the penis before ejaculation), and the rhythm method (the couple avoids intercourse during the most fertile times of a woman’s cycle).

The rhythm method is the only form of birth control approved by the Roman Catholic Church. Whereas in the Lutheran Church condoms and pills are not looked down upon as forms of birth control.

“I would use birth control if necessary, because you can’t trust guys to remember anything,” junior Michelle Harms said.

The birth control question at BHS is a common one. Although birth control is part of the health curriculum, as it is in most schools, it is not readily available to students in the school building. At many schools a condom dispenser is available for use, just as a pop machine would be.

Opinions differ on the idea. While some feel it would be a disgrace, others say that it could be very helpful.

“A condom dispenser at school would be great. It would be the best way to promote safe sex at school,” said one anonymous student.

Birth control seems to be becoming more available to all ages. One can go to a gas station and buy a condom in a vending machine for 50 cents. Or one can go to a doctor and get birth control pills.

“Birth control needs to be more available to teens, so fewer girls get pregnant, and fewer guys are fathers at 16. If birth control were more available, more teens would practice safe sex,” said junior Kim LaFave.

It seems that there are many differing opinions on availability and the reasons that birth control is or is not used. But it also seems that it is popular opinion to use it. This may mean that teens are becoming more aware and responsible.

“I don’t think [birth control] needs to be more available. It’s just that teens have to be more responsible,” Harms said.

the minor the right to have an abortion. The other 11% end up having the child, the judge has some how helped them to decide abortion is the wrong thing for them.

“If I were to become pregnant I would consider an abortion,” said one freshman.

Former President Ronald Reagan once said that “abortion not only concerns the unborn child, but it concerns everyone of us.”

Abortion has become a heated topic in recent elections. The government’s role in determining abortion rights has continued to be a controversial point.

“I believe that the right to an abortion is up to the couple involved, and that it is all right to have an abortion if that’s what you feel is right for you at that point in your life,” said one senior.

Many women believe that Congress, and the judicial branch of government, should not be able to decide if an abortion is right for them or not.

A sophomore added that pregnancy and abortion should be a unit that elementary children should be taught.

Staff Writer

Date rape is a very serious problem. Last year there were over 50,000 cases of date rape and probably twice as many that went unreported because victims felt ashamed of what happened.

“I feel it is hard to imagine me being a victim of date-rape,” said junior Kristina Sexton.

The most common victims are young women aged 15 to 24. Often the offender is under the age of 18; therefore they cannot be tried as an adult and get off with a small penalty or warning. Knowing that they can get off easy makes it even worse, because they know they can get away with it and are not worried about a stiff punishment.

“It doesn’t seem like something that could happen in our town or school,” added junior Melanie Schultz.

Date rape can happen anywhere, and as statistics show, it does. A person should educate themselves about this problem no matter where they live.

Most of the time the victim feels as if it was his or her fault they were raped and often go through life blaming him/herself.

The most common excuse by the offender is that they lead me on and did not try to stop me.

“As soon as the victim says NO, then that’s where the crime starts, no matter if the offender was lead on or not,” said junior Sean Cheslock.

Potential victims can protect themselves by expressing themselves more forcibly so that their words convey the true strengths of the opposition. As the saying goes, “safety often comes in numbers.” Double-dating and going out with groups are also safeguards against sexual assault. Another obvious solution is to avoid drugs and alcohol on a date. The use of these substances can impair one’s judgement.

Of course, some date rapes cannot be avoided, but taking some of these precautions the risk can be reduced.

“I really think that young men and women should be more educated so that they understand date rape is not only morally wrong, but a very serious crime,” said senior Kevin Schiltz.

You’re an upperclassman at BHS, and you and your friends have nothing to do after the Buffalo Theater lets out at 9:45 on Friday night. After brainstorming ideas, you come up with something fun, that even seniors can do and not be considered immature. In order to fulfill your idea, you hop on down to the local Holiday store. Why Holiday? Because that’s the only place in Buffalo that sells spray paint at 10:30 p.m. But you encounter one glitch in your perfect plan; you still have three months until your 18th birthday and in the state of Minnesota, you have to be 18 or older to buy the one-gallon jugs of Elmer’s Glue and spray paint, they don’t want you sniffing either of them! So you pull out your fake I.D. (don’t leave home without it), which cost you $30 last summer, and decide this would be a good time to use it, but you’re called on it, have it confiscated, and spend fifteen minutes begging the clerk to sell the paint to you. After purchasing your rainbow of colors, you head on down Highway 25, your destination: BHS! You pull into the Visitor’s Parking Lot, shining the headlights of your souped-up powder blue Malibu Classic station wagon on upon the request of the night. Before climbing out the car window, due to the fact that slamming may awaken Mr. Melby, you realize that what you’re about to do is NOT illegal. Now you focus your sights on your victim: The Rock. The Rock, a 9 ton symbol (including all of the layers of paint, tar, sand, birdseed, and feathers) for Bison-Loving people everywhere, sits as an example of school spirit and individuality. Making it’s first appearance at BHS in 1984, the Rock can be considered the unofficial history “book” of the school. If each layer were to be chipped away, you would find the aspirations of the future. So, if you ever find yourself in the Visitor’s Parking Lot, consider yourself caught between a Rock and a Hard Place. P.S. DO NOT attempt to lift the Rock, unless you have a dislocated disk wish!

The girls’ golf team and their coaches are looking forward to a very competitive season. In doing so, they have set goals for both individual team members and the team as a whole. “Our main goal is to finish no lower than third in the Conference and around fifth in the region,” said Coach Riti Sanderson. She would also like to see at least one member participate and do well in the state tournament. Little is known about the competition in the North Suburban Conference, but Moundsview and Irondale are expected to be the tougher teams. Including Buffalo, there are only five teams in the conference and none of them include Junior Varsity squads. One of the most significant problems they face is that the team has no seniors and the lack of experience of the members they do have. However, five of the team members lettered in golf last year. To overcome this obstacle and others, the team must practice frequently. The team members are expected to have 100% attendance and weekend practice is highly recommended. They concentrate mainly on their short game, which consists of chipping and putting. “We hope to get in a lot of individual practice and attention by working with two or three girls at a time. This way, more gets accomplished,” said Sanderson. The team also works on improving their mental attitudes, which is the basis of a successful game. They try not to get down on the fact that they are younger than most of their competition.

Senior Garrett Veal is heading to Mankato State on football and track scholarships. Track is Veal’s high point. He competes in three different events; the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4 X 100 meter relay. “I like all of my sprinting events, but the 100 meter is my favorite, because it is the fastest one, and my best one,” said Veal. Veal feels that the competition is what has kept him interested in running. “I guess it’s just in my blood. I love and thrive on the competition,” said Veal. His coach feels that Veal is one of the best runners in the state. “He is a tremendous athlete. To win the state 100 meter and take second in the 200 meter is an outstanding accomplishment,” said Coach Ed Saxton. Veal won the 100 meter as a junior and wants to repeat it. “Everyone expects him to repeat, that is a lot of pressure on a kid,” said Saxton. The team will be working mainly on their pitching skills and team unity. “This year there will be more intensity and an increased competition level,” said senior Bob Hutchinson. “Bison fortunes will hinge on teamwork, consistent intensity, and a resolution to consider the team first and think ‘me’ a very distant second,” said Coach LeRoy Erickson. Their next game is tonight against Spring Lake Park away, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

The girls' golf team and their coaches are looking forward to a very competitive season. In doing so, they have set goals for both individual team members and the team as a whole.

“Our main goal is to finish no lower than third in the Conference and around fifth in the region,” said Coach Riti Sanderson. She would also like to see at least one member participate and do well in the state tournament.

Little is known about the competition in the North Suburban Conference, but Moundsview and Irondale are expected to be the tougher teams. Including Buffalo, there are only five teams in the conference and none of them include Junior Varsity squads.

One of the most significant problems they face is that the team has no seniors and the lack of experience of the members they do have. However, five of the team members lettered in golf last year.

To overcome this obstacle and others, the team must practice frequently. The team members are expected to have 100% attendance and weekend practice is highly recommended. They concentrate mainly on their short game, which consists of chipping and putting. “We hope to get in a lot of individual practice and attention by working with two or three girls at a time. This way, more gets accomplished,” said Sanderson.

The team also works on improving their mental attitudes, which is the basis of a successful game. They try not to get down on the fact that they are younger than most of their competition.

Senior Garrett Veal is heading to Mankato State on football and track scholarships.

Track is Veal’s high point. He competes in three different events; the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4 X 100 meter relay.

“I like all of my sprinting events, but the 100 meter is my favorite, because it is the fastest one, and my best one,” said Veal.

Veal feels that the competition is what has kept him interested in running.

“I guess it’s just in my blood. I love and thrive on the competition,” said Veal.

His coach feels that Veal is one of the best runners in the state.

“He is a tremendous athlete. To win the state 100 meter and take second in the 200 meter is an outstanding accomplishment,” said Coach Ed Saxton.

Veal won the 100 meter as a junior and wants to repeat it.

“Everyone expects him to repeat, that is a lot of pressure on a kid,” said Saxton.

The Bison varsity baseball team is coming off of a nine-seven season. However, this season, they will be up against tougher competition in the North Suburban conference.

The team will be working mainly on their pitching skills and team unity.

“This year] there will be more intensity and an increased competition level,” said senior Bob Hutchinson.

“Bison fortunes will hinge on teamwork, consistent intensity, and a resolution to consider the team first and think ‘me’ a very distant second, “ said Coach LeRoy Erickson.

Their next game is tonight against Spring Lake Park away, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

The Tatanka staff finished it’s last deadline recently, and the yearbooks are scheduled to be printed soon. Distribution for the 1990-1991 yearbook is scheduled for the end of May or beginning of June. There are several changes to this year’s book compared to past years. The book will be 6 pages longer, totaling 192 pages. The sports sections will feature only varsity teams and all other teams will be located in another section of the book, to save space and allow for more action shots. They have also added new graphics and spot coloring. Colorizing of the yearbook can add much to the appearance, as well as the price. “The price isn’t that bad because there is some coloring. It’s worth your money,” said freshman Heather Vitale. The total price of the production of the yearbook is approximately $3000. “Taking into consideration the production costs, the price of the yearbook is reasonably cheaper for the students than most schools’,” said senior Julie Tombers, Co-Editor-in-Chief. Throughout the year, staff members have encountered various road blocks in production. “One of the biggest problems we had was trying to get the right pictures, and enough pictures, in an organized fashion,” said staff writer Carmen Blair. In addition, the staff faced several dilemmas with last minute rushes, and concerns. “Another problem we had was a rush to get the last deadline finished,” said staff writer Brett Nyholm. The last deadline also created additional obstacles in which the staff conquered. “One of the challenges this year was keeping up with high standards,” said Blair. “It was a challenge to finish the last deadline with the adviser [Vicki Cary] being gone.” The Tatanka staff attended a Taylor’s Publishing workshop on April 23 to discuss layouts, and talk about different sections. The Tatanka also will be attending a June workshop where they will discuss new ideas for next year’s yearbook.

Consisting of art, band, and choirstudents, Gallery 1991 gives students the opportunity to display their artistic abilities. “[Gallery is] the school’s best artwork combined into one,” said junior Todd Reise. Gallery will be held Friday, May 17 in the BHS mall and art rooms. “It’s a good opportunity to see what’s going on in the other departments,” said senior Stacy Marty. The art department will convey a professional atmosphere through the arrangement of paintings and monumental sculptures at 7:00 p.m., in the art rooms. “People think that [art students] don’t do much,” said senior Dan Miller. “Seeing [the finished product] changes their minds.” The evening will continue with musical entertainment from the Stage Band and Concert Band, at 8:00 p.m. The Stage Band will be performing a few numbers, which have not been determined. Concert Band will continue with several selections, including “Carnival of Venice,” featuring flute soloist, senior Kristi Kuhns. Following Concert Band, the Concert Choir will perform a variety of pieces, including a medley of songs from Les Miserables. In addition BHS Singers will perform selections including Ray’s Rock House. Together, Concert Band and Concert Choir may perform a final musical selection. “This allows people the chance to see our band and choir groups work together,” said sophomore Tim Willie. “It will sound really good and it gets the two groups together.”

Open Campus, an option for BHS students to leave the school grounds for lunch, may be an alternative in the future, if approved by the school board. Many students would welcome the option of Open Campus, citing opportunities for greater responsibility and maturity on the part of the student. “I think we should have Open Campus because it would make us feel like adults and put seniors and freshman on a same level basis,” said freshman Lisa Marvin. Others refer to the freedom to choose their lunch as an additional benefit. “Open Campus would be great. It would give us more freedom,” said junior Mike Esty. There are advantages and disadvantages to Open Campus. The advantages indicated are that it would give the students more freedom, allow different meal choices, and provide a short break from normal school surroundings. Tardy students arriving back to class is one disadvantage mentioned. Another problem for the school board would be that the school lunch programs would sell fewer lunches, making it more difficult to estimate the number served per day. “The idea of 500 students running all over the community probably scares our town to death, but they don’t realize how good our students really are,” said American Experience teacher Neil Fletcher.

Commercials, posters, and hand puppets are among the many categories of competition which BHS German students will be competing in, at this year’s Deutsches Fest. The annual competition will be held at St. John’s University on Wednesday, May 1. Deutsches Fest is one of the highlights of the school year for many German students. “You look forward to it from the beginning of the year. That night, when it’s done, you wish you could do it again in two days,” said senior Shawn Hjelmeland. For the third year, Maija Zaeska will be taking students to participate in the contest, which displays the abilities Minnesota students. “The past two years, I’ve competed in the costumes division. I sewed replicas of traditional German folk wear. This year, I intend to perform in a commercial with three others,” said senior Amy J. Oberdeck. The contest is arranged into 18 different categories. Each category covers a different aspect of the German culture. From creative t-shirts, to architectural models, to solo songs, there are many ways for students to participate. “It’s kind of cool to see all the different items on display,” said senior Jim Bokusky. Each category has four levels (German 1 - 4) and the judging is done by German teachers who do not have students participating. Winning students are awarded trophies and medals. “It’s basically a friendly competition,” said Zaeska. Although the competition has nearly two thousand participants, there is a casual atmosphere at St. John’s. “It is a good time. You can pick and choose what you want to go for,” said Bokusky. The Minnesota chapter of American Association of German Teachers (AAGT) started Deutsches Fest about ten years ago.