SUN Forum Draws Views Of LV Youth

Saturday, Dec. 3, 1966 | 2 a.m.

Doors at the Convention Center opened at 8:30 a.m. for registration the 11th annual SUN Youth Forum yesterday with a total attendance of 650 high school delegates.

Eleven schools were represented in the all day sessions. Las Vegas, Rancho, Basic Boulder, Gorman, Western, Valley, Clark, Moapa, Virgen Valley and Southern Nevada Vocational Technical Center sent the leading students.

Under Juvenile Affairs, they ran the gamut from sex education in the schools to long hair. One of the girls on the panel came up with the idea that “a boy with long hair is searching for security.”

A former long hair advocate said, “Walking down the streets of Las Vegas with long hair is perilous, believe me.”

In the halls a Clark High School teacher remarked he couldn’t see the furor over long hair.

Another topic of interest in Juvenile Affairs was cheating. The panel for this discussion held pro and con views, mainly because of the conflict of pressure to get into college and the student’s own conscience.

“Cheating is necessary because there is so much emphasis on grades,” stated one girl.

“Yes, but you can’t cut the mustard in college,” replied a young boy.

One student brought up the fact that teachers might cheat when they play favorites in the classroom.

As a solution, one boy thought it might be good to set a goal that needs a college education, not just aiming for getting into college.

On education the students took both student and teacher to task.

“I don’t like teachers who act like teenagers,” said one girl. “Counselors should help the kids with personal problems, not teachers.”

In the Social Attitudes the draft and modern dress made the hottest debate. Some felt the crazy ones who dressed “way out” were insecure.

“They should see a psychiatrist,” said one girl emphatically.

Someone felt tomorrow’s leaders were the ones participating in the SUN Youth Forum.

“Yet I don’t see any of you guys looking shaggy.”

One of the fiercest issues at the entire forum was the question of drafting girls. Many girls agreed they would join the service voluntarily, even “if we have to fight in the ditches.” Statements were punctuated with “Wait a Minute” from other students challenging the sources of a statement. The teenagers had come prepared for the moment and produced proof.

One boy, questioned on a statistic during a discussion on drugs, told the panel, “I got it from the American Medical Association Journal.”

Summaries by all the finalist chosen by their fellow students, will be presented at a luncheon, Tuesday noon at Caesars Palace. Many civic leaders will be present as well as other interested citizens of the community. The finalists will appear Dec. 11 at 4:30 p.m. over KLAS-TV, Channel 8.

The finalists were chosen by the students themselves, two finalist to a topic. They were: National Affairs, Jim Hatton, Western, and Bill Duca, Las Vegas; Education, Brian McCormick, Boulder City, and Nancy Stanley, Basic; Labor, Shelly Mullee, Clark, and Steve Goldsberry, Las Vegas; Social Attitudes and Problems, Bruce Cecil, Rancho, and Troy Mason, Southern Nevada Vocational Technical Center; Crime, Andrea Dicks, Rancho, and Peter Bernhardly, Western; International Affairs, Tim Rowland, Boulder City, and Steve Carl, Las Vegas; Juvenile Affairs, John Wright, Gorman and Tom Jarrett, Las Vegas.

During the entertainment performed in the Gold Room, a special attraction was Woody Allen playing the clarinet with Frank Assunto of the Dukes of Dixieland. After several funny stories by the droll comedian, Allen took clarinet in hand and played 15 minutes over the hour allotted.