Arriving back on campus this fall, students found a variety of new restrictions imposed on them by the handbook, including a more severe punishment for breaking visitation and the discouragement of Mylar balloons.
Breaking visitation is now considered a violation of a major school rule. More specifically, this applies to breaking visitation during non-visitation hours such as during the school day or after curfew. “We’ve learned, or we suspect, that sexual activity is more likely to occur when kids don’t think there are faculty members in the dorm,” explained Mr. Gordon Armour, a third form dean. “We’re trying to dissuade contact when students think there’s less of a chance that an adult will come along, which seems to me a logical move. There’s a big difference between a boy being in a girl’s room when they think nobody’s around versus just forgetting to get permission.”
In recent years, more attention has been brought to the issue of sexual misconduct. “The ‘scandal’ at St. Paul’s around three years ago brought sexual misconduct much more into the forefront,” said Mr. Armour. “So, in the beginning of school, we had those conversations about consent. Form deans are talking to the forms very early about statutory rape, etc. That in some ways is the biggest, sort of universal effect of this new policy. Everybody’s going to have these conversations. Everybody’s going to hear this information,” he continued. The visitation rules are all a part of the importance of discouraging sexual misconduct on Choate campus.
The discouragement of use of Mylar balloons and Styrofoam containers is a change that, while seemingly small, reflects a more widespread goal Choate is working toward. Mr. Joseph Scanio explained, “The school has a statement on sustainability and a philosophy of trying to be respectful about the impact we have on the environment. Eliminating certain things that that are not biodegradable and that have demonstrated effects on wildlife, etc., was the point of those changes.” About Styrofoam, he stated that “Styrofoam is a product that lasts a very, very long time, and Choate’s trying to minimize its impacts.”
While accessible to everyone, the handbook’s changes might not be something that everyone is aware of. “People think balloons are a standard part of a party, and things like that. I’ve still seen Mylar balloons, so I think not everyone is aware of the program yet,” said Mr. Scanio. “I’m sure some people in general are resistant to changing what is considered a norm. But hopefully people will understand the point behind it.”
In addition to visitation rule changes and changes working towards bettering the environment, there are a whole slew of other changes, major and minor to the handbook this year. One of these is in regards to permissions for concert-goers. Ms. Nancy Miller, Sixth Form Dean, explained, “It used to be that you could go to Oakdale, to a concert, and you didn’t need permission because it was in the town of Wallingford. That has changed. You need permission to attend concerts at Oakdale.” Additionally, students cannot personally fundraise for their businesses without specific permission from the dean of students. There has also been a small alteration to crisis intervention: Ms. Miller stated that “the crisis intervention wording has been changed to make it easier for students to report kids for crises.” Another smaller change was to the drone policy: “Drones will only be used with the permission and direct supervision of a faculty member because Choate is less than five miles away from Meriden Markham airport,” stated Ms. Miller.
The overall goal of these changes is to constantly create the most positive and safest experiences for students each and every year. Ms. Miller explained, “I guess some of these are just responses to circumstances that have happened in the past, and about which we, the dean of students’ office, have had questions, things that we’ve been concerned about.”
