Embracing Section 2.8 of the Student Handbook

Picture this: a campus is filled with chanting students holding around posters with bolded words that denounce the school administration’s policies. Students pitch out in tents outside and seize entire academic buildings; lectures stop, and the school practically shuts down. The local police force gets called in to suppress the situation. Many would find it hard to believe such disturbances could occur in world-famous colleges, but this exact scenario regularly occurs on the campus of Columbia University for the past few years in response to the Israel-Palestine conflicts.

Last summer, the Student Life Office added the new Section 2.8 to the Student Handbook. Section 2.8 is titled “Student Advocacy, Action, and Protest” and is split into two subsections: “Off Campus” and “On Campus.” “Off Campus” discourages students from participating in public political advocacies, and “On Campus” forbids students from disruptive protests at Deerfield. Furthermore, both sections affirm Deerfield’s “institutional commitment to nonpartisanship, open inquiry, and freedom of expression.”

Section 2.8 is integral to the Student Handbook because it establishes a framework that guides students to express their opinions through safer and more civil channels, such as Deerfield Forums, Open Tables, and the Scroll. As a student, I would say that protest culture in American education is counterproductive to educational missions. Educational environments should be havens for curiosity and inquiry, not flashpoints of conflicts. Section 2.8 nonetheless encourages students to exercise freedom of expression in ways that adhere to the school’s mission.

I agree that protesting is essential to the health of a democracy, as it represents the voices of the people. However, physical protests are an unpredictable form of expression that does not fit in the context of educational settings. Student protest is like a flammable gas that can erupt into a fiery explosion when unchecked.

As a high school that prepares young adults for the real world, Deerfield should teach students how to express their opinions in a way that generates productive responses. Raucous protests won’t bring change, but civil dialogues will. Deerfield does an excellent job at this by offering countless seminar-based classes and communities for students, and Section 2.8.2 further bolsters the well-established school practice. In such a divided era like today, I am confident that this framework will encourage discussions rather than futile fights.

Furthermore, as a school that prioritizes the safety of students, Deerfield assures the inclusivity and safety of students on campus with the implementation of Section 2.8.

Personally, I find the Scroll a perfect place to express my own opinions. Even if my opinions may be controversial to some, I feel comfortable sharing them through writing OpEds. Even while writing this article, I met multiple students who held opposing viewpoints on this topic, yet we were able to openly discuss ideas without tearing each other down. I aspire for a school community where students can talk freely about recent political events in common rooms, the Dining Hall, or the Greer, without being overly conscious of possible tensions. Deerfield, I ask that we make a community where talking about politics or controversial issues doesn’t divide us but unifies our common understanding.