Every Monday afternoon, catchy emails (“PHONES?! StuFaTonight” or “YOUR VOICE MATTERS, StuFac starting now!”) would pop into our inboxes like clockwork. On those evenings, passionate community members joined gathered to discuss important school issues, creating spirited—and sometimes heated—group discourse. StuFac established the Faculty Room as “the room where it happens”—“it” being decisions about the naming of the FFC, Taft Day planning, and the phone policy’s implementation. If attendees felt dissatisfied with school decisions, the forum gave administrators a place to provide explanations and gain feedback.
But this year, something changed. Mondays are now marked by a noticeable absence of all-caps emails and a concerningly empty Faculty Room. Where is Stu-Fac? Why do we no longer have a space to voice our thoughts on issues important to school life, especially in such a politically tumultuous time? And worse: why is no one talking about it?
Our community’s generalized apathy—epitomized by the death of StuFac—has started to infiltrate other events. Sports games, Snabe on Sundays—attendees appear to have magically metamorphosed into chirping crickets. StuFac, all-school bonding opportunities—the events themselves have vanished. Which begs the question: why?
If you ask us, the culprit is clear: our diminishing school spirit. But the reason our “pep rallies” have no “pep” isn’t because we don’t support our teams—it’s because we don’t feel we need to express it. Our student body is rapidly dissociating not just from the broader world, but from each other. We’ve started thinking of school as an INDIVIDUAL journey: it’s about the grades you get, the friends you have, the teams you’re on. The “Hotchkiss bubble” is shrinking—and it’s getting too small.
We need to remind ourselves that school is, first and foremost, a community. As important as our own lives are, they wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if it weren’t for the people around us. So a reminder: take a break from worrying about your own problems (even if it is to worry about policies being debated at StuFac)! Go to a club meeting! Hang out in Snabe (bonus points if it’s on a Sunday)! Attend a piano recital (especially since the last one was so quiet)! Cheer on a team in the MAC!
The burden also falls on community leaders to re-emphasize the importance of school-wide conversations. And so in anticipation of next week’s presidential election, we implore the winning pair to keep our advice in mind. Restore weekly StuFac meetings! Bring back Dorm Olympics! Create more opportunities for inter-grade bonding! Our school should be a place where we can truly be “guided each other.”
For any students searching for a place to get more involved, look no further. As Editors-in-Chief of The Record, we are committed to providing a space for students to share their opinions—and their interests. Want to make your voice known? Keep an eye out for our sign-up sheet and write for the next issue.
