Phillips Exeter Academy - PEAN Yearbook (Exeter, NH)

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154' I i rt'-X l 'ru ,Q ,Ui girly ,. q... 'ings -. I fl Student Council N the past, student government at Exeter has often been a farce. The elections to the Student Council have been a mere popularity poll, and the Council itself has been hampered by a lack of respect on the part of students and faculty alike. This year, moreover, these barriers to accomplishments caused the group to question its own structure. The Council executed its mechanical duties well. The student drive, one of the Council's most important functions, was efficiently run and reached a new peak of S3l5O. The debates on distributing the money to the various charities showed a highly commendable sense of responsibility and interest. The other duties of the Council were carried off competently. The town children recreation program was more successful than it had ever been, and the monitor committee took care of all school assemblies, concerts, and lectures,

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Page 31 text:

The first constructive project initiated by the Council was the old radio issue. The Council felt that the rule was no longer practical, since radios have shrunk to virtual invisibility. They decided to cooperate with the faculty without arousing any student pressure. This approach received initial success, as the heads of dormi- tories greeted the petition with unanimous approval. After an involved series of meetings with faculty committees and numerous misunderstandings, the entire faculty considered the issue. They then reversed their decision, and the proposal was de- feated by an almost unanimous vote. A discouraged Council met and tried to analyze the mistakes it had made throughout the whole affair. The loss of respect from the school made the Council's position seem hopeless, and the Council's intellects di- rected their energy towards discovering the fiaws in the structure of the organization itself. When the Exeter housing system was revised, class unity was, in effect, destroy- ed. Now students have unconsciously be- gun to think in terms of dorms rather than classes. The Council, however, is still elected from classes, and consequently does not adequately represent the student body. The members of last year's Council were grouped in five out of the thirteen dormitories and assorted wooden houses. To correct this weakness, it was decided to fit next year's Council to the new housing system. The organization envisioned by the planning group will be a school-wide body, headed by an augmented Council lone member from each dormitory, and representatives from the houses and town boysl, and kept in close contact with stu- dent feelings by a network of dorm com- mittees and interhouse committees. This should be invaluable in fund drives, dorm dances, intramural athletics, and in sound- ing out opinions on such issues as radios, The Council will then fulfill its primary purpose-to be a link between the student body and the faculty. 'I STUDENT COUNCIL-First row: P. Jones, Angle, W. Davis, B. R. Thomas, President, Laur- ence, Thurman, Woods. Second row: J. Bissell, Tinker, Fogg, Finney, Arensberg, Barlow, Third row: Burbank, Ohly, Hogan, deMenil. 1'