[BREAKING] Grissom Academy to relocate, rebuild

Grissom Academy to relocate, rebuild
Paul Duffy, Citadel Free Press

Kithoi, Earth Orbit

During a press conference regarding the reconstruction of pre-War extra-Solar facilities, a Systems Alliance spokesman announced that the rebuilding of Grissom Academy in a new location will commence next year.

Grissom Academy was the forefront of education for young biotics, artists, engineers and the gifted, providing the Systems Alliance with the best and brightest minds of humanity's youth. Attacked by Cerberus during the Reaper Invasion, the station was destroyed when Reaper forces assaulted the Vetus system.

Systems Alliance spokesman Jack Vaughn, "With Grissom Academy rebuilt, the education of our future generations can once again resume a sense of normality. While the original station may be lost, the station's gifts to those that have gone through it haven't been lost, and hopefully with this rebuilt facility, gifted children can once again experience the finest education in the Systems Alliance."

Response from those present at the press conference was positive, with the announcement being met with a small standing ovation. Elsewhere, however, there has been a tepid response, such as from former student and SATAE critic Nathaniel Ayers.

"Grissom Academy as I knew it is gone. This new station, wherever they may choose to put it, is going to be a heavily restricted brain-camp for the next batch of System Alliance specialists, if the SATAE has any pull or sway on the subject. How are we going to be sure that the students in this new academy won't be shipped off to military training if they pass the criteria? Would you really put it past them?"


Further information about the Grissom Academy relaunch can be found on the academy's new website. A large marketing blitz has been scheduled to begin early next year, presenting information regarding the previous incarnation of the academy's impact and the site of the future location.

Yeah, I'm with the critics on this one. Why does something like this need to be a boarding school in space, far away from parents? Can't you just put a newtwork of good biotic schools accross your regional hubs?

That is a remarkably poor choice of words considering the subject.

I have to agree with the critic here. I do not believe that the systems alliance is an inherently malevolent force, but it doesn't take much to persuade someone in charge that adding these kids to a military roster is a good idea and then things can get ugly fast. However I do think that the option for centralized specialized schooling is a good idea. It could serve to increase funding into biotic or gifted education that would otherwise be spread to thin. But a deep space boarding school is the thing conspiracy theories are made of.

Actually, what kind of job does a biotic find except the military and athleticism that allow them to use their abilities?

Huh, kinda weird seeing this. There's not going to be a spike in biotics or any of that for a solid decade plus, kinda the definition of "not our problem right now". Honestly? Thought we were doing just fine hosting them on Luna for the time being, it's central, secure, hardcore SA you know? And its not like more space would be hard to make.

...Guy's from Grisson right? He knows that's why a lot of biotics were there in the first place?

Not exactly sure why he's surprised. Military and shiny shit like the old station go hand in hand. SA's the only one with the budget to fund it at that kind of loss and it's better to get dinged on creds here and there so that the kids and patents and research doesn't trickle out.

...You're a bit late on that man.

Because it's not just for biotics? It's for gifted teenagers of all sorts. It's pretty much the same as any school for the gifted with boarding, it's just run by the Alliance. Besides, it was established at a time where humans were hopeless in relation to biotics and the only previous institution was

well

bat.

At the moment biotic education is very informal, being run by a few biotics teaching kids, often being ex-military as is. A mate of mine is running one.


Damn it, I'll have to improve my evil moustache twirling.


Okay, let's not lie. Grissom Academy had military scholarships in place. A lot of the people who went there do end up working for the government, whether in the military or with agencies or whatever. But that was a choice, an option. No one in the Alliance is going to force children into the military (at least now the whole extinction event isn't a threat anymore).

Seriously, do you people think w're fucking idiots? If you're hesitant to believe that the Alliance does in fact have moral compunctions, let me spell this out for you.

PR shitstorm.

Now, all this school is is a centralized, specialised schools for teens with incredible gifts, many of which simply cannot be provided for in the mainstream school system. It's not boot, it's not a conspiracy, it's not some secret facility turning little kids into supersoldiers.

And since when has it been in deep space? Elysium wasn't deep space and I can assure you the rebuilt station won't be either.

Because that's just stupid.


Biotic abilities are primarily used for military applications, yes, but a biotic isn't just that. They can do whatever they want because they're just people.

The reason a lot of human biotics end up in the military is a combination of government encouragement, yes, but also because the Marine Corps is one place they'll never face discrimination.

Construction and reconstruction ('specially these days).

Artwork.

Teaching.

There's tonnes more, of course, but those are the only ones I've met biotic furheads actually doing (before they started Eclipse, at least). And, y'know, any biotic can do a job that doesn't use their powers - it takes years of specialised training to develop them, so it shouldn't be a surprise that most non-asari don't invest in them.

(Tides, even most asari don't hit their full potential.)

That doesn't answer my question. Why not the school put in the New York or Cario metroplex or whatever, so majority of the kids can jump in shuttles and visit their families on the weekend? Especially since Earth got hit with so much eezo?

Unless there's a seriously good reason why not, kids should be kept close to their families.

Because it's an Alliance facility and we don't have permanent jurisdiction over Earth? Every one of our bases on the planet was negotiated for. If we start building our institutions on Earth, it'll be a political bloodbath.

Besides, not every kid going there is from Earth. Lots of colonists/spacers/kids of military personnel who were exposed to eezo.

They'll get to see their families and going there requires parental permission anyway soo...what's the big deal? No one's stealing the children away.

You couldn't cut a deal with one nation state (and don't they run education the rest of the time)? You couldn't build it on like, Elysium or whatever colony is sending the most kids?

I'm not trying to diss on your school too much, it might be a great school.

I come at this way because Drell Biotics almost NEVER get to stay with their families. If the parents want their kids to get the best education they can't keep them because that's how the institutions are set up. All the experts and specialists are co-incidentally far away from drell communities, so no duh they end up compacted (but it's a 'voluntary choice'). The Primacy would never build a biotic-specialist day school in Lahar dome.

Having biotic education be segregated and distant from communities has contributed to a pattern of alienation from home and family in at least one species. It gives the military too much control and impedes responsible oversight. Maybe don't do it that way.

Yes, Terran nations run their own education systems, but it widely varies in quality and style.

Uh, well Grissom was originally in Elysium's orbit and I'm sure they'd rebuild it there if it wasn't cut off from the rest of the Alliance. No one's saying to put it some remote location, it'll be over a planet such as Terra Nova or some other populated colony where the students can easily catch shuttles to and from and go for day trips on the surface.

It's not a prison.

Grissom Academy isn't just a military training camp, it's also to train other biotic and otherwise gifted kids. There were math and mechanics prodigies there even DURING the war, I've heard.

I don't know what teh infrastructure on human-only worlds and colonies is in terms of real large-scale alternatives?
Wasn't one of the problems before the war the acceptance of biotics in human society as such? I vaguely remember a hostage crisis a few years back, that's when I heard first about it. So removing a lot of biotics from everyday society towards a secluded isolated place to train raises suspicion, that's no surprise.

It's interesting that Corona's the one mentioning this but biotics are versatile in every day life and from what little I know about human affairs, it seems, the military value got focused on a bit too much. The Alliance should be careful not to have every kid returning from the Academy being looked at by the general public as if it's carrying concealed weapons.

If it's not traded as big government secret or some mythical place where magic happens, it may turn its reputation though. I am confident you humans find a way to get this done right.

Well, I work at a museum as my civilian job, it's been mentioned before on this forum.

...How are your biotics relevant to your job, exactly?

Well, I work in the Restoration Department; fixing up old tanks and vehicles for display. My biotics help when I need to move some of the more heavier components like the engine, transmission, etc.

i always find schools for human biotics a rather perplexing and scary thought. We know humans aren't born genetically biotic like a sari. who is continuing the process of dumping eezo over backwater colonies to make new batches of biotics??? won't someone please think of the children?!?!

...uhhh most SA biotics alive today are from the streak of atmospheric shipbreaks awhile back, the rest are local industrial accidents (like in mining worlds) or exposure from ship malfunction or craft damage.

call me a conspiracy theorist but how many of these "local industrial accidents" are really accidents? Or "ship malfunctions" are really malfunctions?

...Aaaaalmost all of them?