[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 42 (Friday, April 3, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 89--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
 THE NATION MUST PLACE GREATER EMPHASIS ON HELPING YOUNG AMERICANS TO 
                    DEVELOP HABITS OF GOOD CHARACTER

  Mr. FRIST submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources:

                            S. Con. Res. 89

         
       Whereas the future of our Nation and world will be 
     determined by the young people of today;
       Whereas record levels of youth crime, violence, teenage 
     pregnancy, and substance abuse indicate a growing moral 
     crisis in our society;
       Whereas a recent poll of teachers found that 45 percent of 
     all students cheat on tests;
       Whereas character development is the long-term process of 
     helping young people to know, care about, and act upon such 
     basic values as trustworthiness, respect for self and others, 
     responsibility, fairness, compassion, and citizenship;
       Whereas these values are universal, reaching across 
     cultural and religious differences;
       Whereas a recent poll found that 90 percent of Americans 
     support the teaching of core moral and civic values;
       Whereas parents will always be children's primary character 
     educators;
       Whereas good moral character is developed best in the 
     context of the family;
       Whereas parents, community leaders, and school officials 
     are establishing successful partnerships across the Nation to 
     implement character education programs;
       Whereas character education programs also ask parents, 
     faculty, and staff to serve as role models of core values, to 
     provide opportunities for young people to apply these values, 
     and to establish high academic standards that challenge 
     students to set high goals, work to achieve them, and 
     persevere in spite of difficulty;
       Whereas the development of virtue and moral character, 
     those habits of mind, heart, and spirit that help young 
     people to know, desire, and do what is right, has 
     historically been a primary mission of colleges and 
     universities;
       Whereas in recent years the emphasis on developing the 
     moral character of students has steadily declined in our 
     colleges and universities as students are increasingly viewed 
     as consumers in the marketplace rather than citizens 
     participating in a democracy;
       Whereas print resources that recognize colleges and 
     universities according to emphasis of character development 
     as an essential component of higher education are available 
     to students, parents, and high school counselors;
       Whereas many of these resources are available in public 
     libraries and in public and private high schools across the 
     Nation; and
       Whereas the Congress encourages parents, faculty, and staff 
     across the Nation to emphasize character development in the 
     home, in the community, in our schools, and in our colleges 
     and universities: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the Congress supports and encourages 
     character building initiatives in schools across America and 
     urges colleges and universities to affirm that the 
     development of character is one of the primary goals of 
     higher education.

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I believe it is important that we put 
character back into our vocabulary. The American people are crying out 
for virtue and values--character is critical and we must focus our 
efforts in extending this message.
  I have been a faithful co-sponsor of the Character Counts movement, 
which seeks to teach the core elements of good character to our 
nation's young people.
  I am pleased to submit a resolution in the Senate to expand this 
message to our nation's institutions of higher education. Specifically, 
I am submitting a concurrent resolution expressing that it is the sense 
of the Congress that the Nation must place greater emphasis on helping 
young Americans to develop habits of good character that are essential 
to their own well-being and to that of our communities.
  I believe that we should encourage parents, faculty, and staff across 
the Nation to emphasize character development in our homes, in our 
communities, in our schools, and in our colleges and universities. 
Congress should support and encourage character building initiatives in 
schools across American and urge colleges and universities to affirm 
that the development of character is one of the primary goals of higher 
education.
  This concurrent resolution has already been submitted in the House of 
Representatives by a member of the Tennessee congressional delegation, 
Congressman Bob Clement. I am proud to note that it has received 
bipartisan support. It is a privilege for me to submit this concurrent 
resolution in the Senate.

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