Phillips Academy - Pot Pourri Yearbook (Andover, MA)

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v Student Council FRONT ROW: Fields, Gaines, Moher, B. Bishop, K. Sutherland, Ryan, Lagemann. BACK ROW: W. Pugh, Hudner, O. Anderson, D. Lazo, F. Thompson. That the Student Council is more than ever a significant force in Andover gov- ernment was demonstrated by this year's council. Through action and spirited de- fence of its principles, this yeargs body, under presidents Moher, B. Bishop, and Gaines, has a record of constructive con- tribution. Perhaps the most important event in the Council's year was the udebaten in the Commons between faculty men Poynter, Darling, and Potter and members lVloher, Bishop, and McCracken. This Hdebatef' in reality a sympathetic discussion of the Student Council's problems as a faculty- student go-between, attracted a large au- dience. Several changes in the structure of the body were suggested, changes which are of import to the policy of next yearls Council. Principal among these were proposed aids to council-faculty re- lations-a faculty advisor, andlfor periodic meetings with a faculty committee, the council spokesmen asked to be the in- terpreters to the students of faculty rules, and to be given more duties in the field of proctoring. Practically, the year has been busy for the council. Five very successful tea dances were sponsored during the year and the profits used towards the two proms. Proctoring by council members was continued with success. Four council members headed committees of pr-octors in the Lower Middle dining hall. At the movies members, with the help of the P. A. Police and Open Door, kept order as effectually as possible. ln probably its most demonstrative capacity the Student Council conducted Saturday morning assemblies throughout the year, on many occasions accomplishing its aim of transmitting faculty requests to the students. The council supervised class elections, and during the Spring term formulated a more workable election sys- tem under its constitution. C. C. lVlCC. 251

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24-:I In addition to its more notable achievements, the Class of 1945 seems to have served as the testing ground for more administration experimenta- tion than any other. Most of this innovation has been occa- sioned by war necessity, but in all cases it has been plain that the school authorities have considered at least the ultimate well-being if not the immediate comfort of the student body. Some of the changes have been the institution of bed-making by the students, of cafeteria- style eating in the Commons, of ration-book rules. One long-range plan was the activities hour, whose history the present class seems to have lived out, since it has been an- nounced by the faculty that the hour will not be included in next year's daily schedule. The aim was to provide a time and degree of financial support to student hobby organizations. Experience has proven, it seems, that they function as happily unsupervised, and that the added study hour is too onerous for those not con- cerned with these activities. It is appropriate that this section of the 1945 Pot Pourri, per- haps the last of such sections, be full and well-organized. Such has been the attempt.

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261 Society of Inquiry President L, C, Dalley Treasurer J, J, Ryan, III According to an early record of Phil- lips Academy of October 7, 1833, a members of the student body met for purpose of forming an organization object of which was to inquire into moral state of the world. This was few the the the the beginning of the Society of Inquiry of Phillips Academy. This organization has had one hundred twelve years of interest- ing history, and it has shown itself able to adjust to the changing interests and needs of the commu.nity and of the edu- cational world at large. Realizing that religion touches almost every aspect of our personal and social life, students today are apt to reject any interpretation of religion that is narrow and limited and that is unrelated to the important fields of man's thought and ex- perience. The recent program of the Society of Inquiry has been built around the effort to understand the forces in the society of which we are a part, to develop an intelligent philosophy with which to deal with these forces, and to encourage the school as a whole to support organi- zations and causes that are attempting to raise the level of inanls intellectual, social, and spiritual life. With this in mind, each fall the Society of Inquiry conducts among the student body a campaign for funds that will be given to worth-while organizations and institutions. This year, under the leader- ship of Lawrence Dalley, President of the Society, and of John Ryan, Treasurer, a most successful fund-raising campaign was carried out on the evening before the Exeter football game. A goal of 33700 had been setg and when all the pledges were in that evening, a total of S4600 had been promised. Much of this money goes to such organizations as the National War Fund, the American Red Cross, Hampton Institute, the Grenfell Mission in Labrador, the World Student Service Fund, the American Friends Service Com- mission, the Calhoun School in Alabama, and some fifteen or twenty other organi- zations carrying on educational or philan- thropic work. On Sunday, February 18, the Society of Inquiry sponsored another all-day con- ference, to bring before the student body aspects of some of the major problems confronting the country and the world. Guest speakers were Dr. Thomas Jones, President of Fisk University and an out- standing Negro educator, and Mr. Spencer 1 P PRESIDENT DALLEY . . . 5'Yea, brethren