Provided by Daniel Pai ’19 and Caitlin Reilly ’19

The Hotchkiss School Student-Faculty Government

11 Interlaken Rd., Lakeville, CT 06039

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Administrators and Faculty Members

The Hotchkiss School

11 Interlaken Rd.

Lakeville, CT 06039

Dear Administrators and Faculty,

We appreciate your willingness to incorporate student feedback and opinions into the interroom visiting policy revision process. With knowledge gathered during open discussions and meetings with the class presidents and Stu-Fac Proposal Committee, we have written an impact statement responding to the revised interdorming policy (presented October 1, 2018) for further deliberation.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Student Potential Impact Statement

for Revised Interdorming Policy

Submitted: Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Responsible Students: Caitlin Reilly ‘19, Daniel Pai ‘19, Souleman Toure ‘19, Katya Giffenig ‘19, Kyle Roshankish ‘20, William Muse ‘21, Olivia Mooney ‘21; Proposal Committee: James Albanese ‘19, Zoe Bank ‘19, Casey Wolff ‘19, Alexander McLane ‘20

1. Background

During the summer of 2018, a new interdorming visitation policy was introduced in the Almanac. The student body presidents held meetings with various members of the administration, organized open discussions among students and faculty, and gathered surveys of student opinion. An ad-hoc committee presented a potential proposal for the interdorming policy, and the impact thereof is mentioned below.

1. Potential Impact on the Student Body

Student testimonies demonstrate that the new policy will help promote a “healthy and inclusive learning community.” By having the door closed, students are able to receive emotional support from their peers while maintaining their privacy. Expanded opportunity for visiting peers of the same gender in different dorms bridges gaps between classes and preserves interdormitory friendships. In addition, broader visiting hours relieves students of having to schedule their social lives in a way that is detrimental to their health and well-being. We project that the new policy, if passed, will positively benefit the student body while also adhering to the school’s mission of promoting student health and inclusivity. However, we would also like to raise a few concerns, stated below (please refer to Section III.2 and Section III.3).

III. Suggestions (please read)

1. Favorable Aspects of the Proposed Policy

We have found general satisfaction with

(i) the adjustments to the common room visitation hours, as students feel that it better facilitates interaction with peers throughout the day.

(ii) the new intradorm visitation policies, as it removes unnecessary barriers and offers a more private setting where students feel more comfortable.

2. Suggestions for Revising the Proposed Policy

We propose an amendment that will

(i) allow proctors in lower class dorms to close their doors when receiving visitors during study hours. Having the door propped when proctors have visitors disrupts the open door study environment and hinders the privacy of guests and proctors. We do not want to unfairly penalize upperclass proctors in underclass dorms for undertaking responsibilities as a proctor (they applied under different rules last year).

(ii) allow students of the same gender to have closed door visitation privileges, regardless of the dorm they live in. The students strongly believe that closed doors are crucial to building and maintaining valuable relationships in a boarding school’s residential life environment, where close friends live in different dorms. Noise is also a concern with the current open door requirements.

3. Further Requests in Revising the Proposed Policy

We request continued conversations about reinstating sleepovers. Though a complex issue to solve, sleepovers play an essential role in community-building. In an effort to continue conversation, we propose to hold an official review of the rules at the start of the second semester, upon arrival from winter break.

Regarding Prep students and their irregularities, we propose that interroom visiting privileges be granted only on Wednesday nights (between cross-gender, 9:00-10:00 pm) for the remainder of the first semester. Saturday and Sunday interroom visiting will be removed, therefore decreasing the opportunities for students to break major school rules, without completely penalizing the entire Prep class for the actions of a select few. Lower Mids should not be restricted in this case: the four marking periods of interroom visiting experience and their responsible behavior demonstrate their respect for school policies and by extension, this privilege.