In the past, student leadership at Tilton has been something of a joke.

Being a student
leader for a few years here has shown me that it is nothing more than a title. As someone who
has ideas she wishes to see enacted or even considered, I am sincerely disappointed. For my
duration as a student leader, I have constantly been told that we , the student leaders, are a
very important group, that our ideas matter. However, when we make suggestions or question a
rule, like asking why day students are only allowed to park at the rink or requesting a
clarification on the dress code, we are promptly ignored. Furthermore, we are expected to
enforce the very rules we question upon the other student. This is not student leadership, it is
administrative puppetry.
Leaders are those who direct a group. They represent the larger body in a positive way.
Therefore, student leaders should be representing the student population. We should be voicing
the students ideas to the administration, not blindly enforcing the opinion of the administration.
Also, if we are to be given the title of student leader by the administration, shouldnt the
administration then listen to our ideas? I am not suggesting that all of our ideas will be feasible,
but I would ask simply for consideration. Now this is not as serious of an issue within the small
groups that comprise the student leaders. Dorm parents often listen to proctors, ambassadors
have significant jobs, etc. However, when it comes to major disagreements between the
administration and the students, we are just students, not leaders. It seems that a leader is
always a leader, not selectively a leader, so why student leadership would be any different
baffles me.
It is common that we are disregarded on the premise that we are teenagers, thus we
make ridiculous requests and wish to abolish rules. Firstly, this is not true at all. Secondly,
simply because we are young, does not mean are wrong. I would like to assert that age and
experience do not imply omniscience. No matter how old, we are all humans, and humans are
often wrong. I would ask that the administration accept that sometimes teenagers are right and
they are wrong. I would also ask that our ideas and questions be received with just as much
respect and attention as those of your colleagues. If this cannot occur because you do not trust
our teenage minds or intelligence to produce a reasonable request or have a mature
conversation, I would remind you that our school does have open enrollment. If you do not have
faith in those you have admitted to the school, then perhaps you should review the admission
process. Lastly, I would point out that this cannot continue for long. If you have ever been
disregarded based on a factor you cannot control (age, gender, race, etc.), then you will know
the definition of frustration. Giving student leaders this misnomer of a title is maddening to those
of us who care.
I hope that this is received with an open mind and not simply thrown in the pile of writing
fueled by teenage angst. This is meant to be a wake up call to those who do not realize that we
have been tuned out. The less you listen the louder we will scream. A community cannot survive
divide, and if we continue to be ignored, that is just what will happen. There must be some
compromise, a middle ground, between administration and student. That sounds like the job
description of a student leader. I am not saying that we will always be right, but we should
always be heard. When I ask why, the answer should be more than because. Giving student
leaders some real power gives the entire community some real potential. I dont mean to imply
that we should run the school, we should not. I do think, however, we need a vote. We might
even surprise you with some great ideas.

Below Ive outlined just a few of the ideas Ive either had or heard in my time here:
Perhaps the reason more students are not, or do not strive to be MacMorran
Scholars is because there is not enough incentive. Now obviously we should not be
working towards great grades simply for the benefits, but if it could make a few people
work harder, is it really that bad? I would suggest any of the following as additional
Macmorran Scholar privileges
The option of having a fridge in your room, similar to proctor
privileges
Allowing day students to park somewhere specified and
documented that is closer to the dorms than the rink.
Signing out to go extended campus during the day or during lunch
period
Maybe we should change Formal Dinner to Community Dinner. Not many people
enjoy formal dinner, seating is either great or terrible, and no one really likes the
structure of the meal. While I dont think formal dinner is benefiting our school, I do think
we need one meal a week where we all sit down together. Maybe we could assign tables
based on common interests discussion topics people wish to explore. The structure of
the meal need not be so strict, but we are all still gathering to break bread as one
community.
I believe certain issues especially ones brought up at our town meetings must be
handled quickly and correctly. I have seen so many issues go unsolved, even when they
are extremely simple, like the request for paper towels in knowles dorms. We, the
students, need a way to check the power of the people looking into it to make sure that
the issues we feel are relevant enough to bring up are handled. I think certain issues
should go before a vote of the entire community: student body, faculty, and staff.
Rules and consequences need to be explicitly spelled out in our handbook in a
clear way. As of now there are no set consequences for any set actions, therefore it
would very easy for discipline to subjective or biased.