Among the revisions to the Student Handbook are an increased leniency in dress code and an amnesty policy encouraging the reporting of harassment on campus
The Student Handbook received a makeover this summer. The biggest changes include a new amnesty policy, a new dress code, a policy on consent, and a modification of the language that regulates campus sexual intimacy and technology use.
While the dress code was a total inversion of the policy from last year, the consent changes were brand new additions to the handbook.
The dress code modifications had the most immediate impact this year, as suddenly students were able to go to classes in sweatpants and blue jeans, which were expressly prohibited last year. The handbook does not outline specific clothes that are allowed, and it also does not differentiate between the male and female student dress code. It simply communicates that students’ dress should “be consistent with the School’s values” and “respects the atmosphere of learning.” The dress code changes resulted from a process that began last year, when a committee assembled to assess the previous dress code.
At that time, many on campus felt that the dress code was confusing, with arcane rules about shirts with and without tails having to be either tucked or untucked being disregarded. Throughout the winter, faculty seemed unconcerned about rules regulating sweatshirts and other heavy athletic tops. Last spring, after a single, voluntary lunchtime discussion, the faculty approved, by electronic vote, the committee’s recommendations.
To some the process felt too quick, without proper reflection, though Mr. Will Morris, Dean of Residential Life, said, “The purpose of a faculty vote is that the dress code is something that all members of the faculty need to take responsibility for. If there was a list that was produced by the Dean of Students office that said, ‘Here is your list; deal with it,’ there may have been an issue with ownership of it, and so at least now we know that, based on the vote, a majority of faculty is on board with this shift in the dress code.”
The opinions of the students on campus regarding the new dress code are reasonably mixed, but mostly positive. “I think most people are happy with it, but it’s still kind of restrictive. For instance, we can’t show things like bra straps,” Amanda Lin ’18 said.
Lauren Lamb ’17 remarked, “The new dress code is nice, but one thing I still don’t understand is why crop tops are still banned.”
“I was actually a fan of the old dress code. I thought everyone looked a bit more professional then, and I think that the new dress code takes a level of professionalism from our school,” Jack Bergantino ’18 said.
Form deans and Mr. James Stanley, Dean of Students, have had to make various announcements clarifying the rules governing, say, hats in academic buildings and jeans with deliberately ripped knees, both of which are prohibited. The new dress code makes no distinction between weekday and weekend dress, and yet the rules on the weekend seem to be consistently disregarded. Students, for instance, have freely worn ripped jeans in the Dining Hall on Saturday nights. Many students continue to push the boundaries on when and where baseball caps can be worn, and it appears that the faculty remain hesitant to enforce this rule. The handbook also states that athletic gear is all but prohibited in the Dining Hall. That has certainly not been the practice in the opening month of the school year.
The amnesty policy is a new addition to the Student Handbook originating from students’ desires to create a safer space for students. The amnesty policy, in essence, states that students who are the victims of intimidation, sexual harassment, etc. at a time when other school rules were violated should feel free to report the incident without fear of punishment for rules broken, given that a faculty member wouldn’t have otherwise known about the policy.
The Student Council worked closely with Mr. Morris, researching what other boarding schools, secondary schools, and schools of higher education were doing to prevent sexual assault from going unnoticed. The council then offered a proposal. Mr. Morris said, “Mr. Stanley and I decided that the policy was such a good idea that we wanted to actually broaden it to include not just sexual assault but also any sort of behavior that would fall under harassment.”
Students also view this new addition to the handbook positively. Lamb remarked, “I hope the amnesty policy is seriously considered, and that it creates a conversation on campus. I hope that if students feel like they need to use it, then they feel comfortable.”
“I think it’s definitely a good policy. I think it’s a good way to ensure that there is a safe environment in the school and ensure the safety of others,” Bergantino said.
