The State of Discourse on Student Council
To the Editor:
I feel compelled to write to The Exonian because the conversation about the proposed visitations policy has been, in my view, set in the wrong context. This “context” that I refer to, I’ve noticed, has seeped into our discussions of Student Council altogether and the most recent presidential elections—and I think that it’s important that we step back and consider what StuCo really does, and represents, for our school.
Many of us are taking the new policy as fact, and taking it as such, we find countless flaws and unanticipated issues within it. I acknowledge that the new visitations policy that Student Council proposed then approved is decidedly imperfect. Without revision, the policy shouldn’t—and, in fact, couldn’t—be implemented in our school; as it stands now, the proposed system is incomplete. Aside from privacy concerns, there are fundamental issues regarding the logistics of checking in, enforcement and discipline that must be accounted for, and that simply hasn’t been formally addressed yet.
Clearly, the proposed policy is not ready to be realized, and a good portion of the student body stands behind that thought, as seen in pieces in The Exonian and straw polls taken online. I too share the concerns brought up about privacy and practicality of the proposal.
However, I would argue that the draft proposal that Student Council passed should be taken exactly as such: a draft. Where we are now in the process of Vs reform—as a council and as a school—the fact that the policy is incomplete ultimately is not a huge problem.
As I see it, the core of the proposal lies in the fact that we, as a Student Council, have taken the first step. We as students have recognized that our current system of managing visitors within dorms is not ideal; it has led to uncomfortable and unsafe situations and it perpetuates problematic norms. Policy Committee is now spearheading an effort to explore and formalize concrete ways in which it could be better, and a working draft of a policy has been researched, written, proposed and passed. But after much publicity and controversy, many of us have spurned the policy outright—and more alarmingly—dismissed the thought of reform altogether.
Rather than rejecting the possibility of change, we should approach this current proposal with a grain of salt, as a stepping stone toward the greater hope of reform and the improvement of student life. We should take the parts of the current and new policies that we don’t like a step further, and begin serious discussion about what we as a school would like in a different visitations policy.
I urge students to reframe the tone of their conversations on the policy from that of dismissal and disassembly to reassessment, and reform. Students: What do you want to see in a new visitations policy? Faculty and dorm heads, too: What do you think would work best given student concerns? To create meaningful change, the council will need as much constructive input from faculty and administration as we will from our peers.
I, for one, am impressed by the initiative of this year’s Executive Board and Policy Committee heads in approaching an issue so relevant to us all. I’m proud to be a part of a Student Council and school that so genuinely cares about our community. Again, there is no doubt that the proposed policy is imperfect. Ultimately, however, the important part is that the student body has voiced their concerns of an aspect of Exeter they wish improve, and our Student Council has taken it upon themselves to explore the possibilities of change through substantive policy.
As I said before, StuCo has taken the first step. They have put considerable time and effort into reimagining visitations at Exeter, and though their outline requires much more work, the ball is in our court. The responsibility now falls upon us all to consider how we choose to go about working with this proposal—whether we view it with contempt, and cynicism—or take it for progress, and potential.
–Brandon Liu ’17