“Hey you! Get off the quad!”

Have you ever wondered why only seniors were allowed to cross the quad? It actually goes way back to the first years at the Upper School.

The very first senior class, in 1998, had a lot of input. They decided on the dress code and even created a senior lounge at one point. In the early 2000s, they decided that the seniors would be granted their privileges as soon as they turned in their forms at the beginning of the year.

Later, senior privileges got attached to Convocation and Senior Retreat. Years ago, the quad and the gazebo were actually Convocation gifts to seniors. This year, however, it seems that crossing the quad is the only senior privilege. This year’s seniors are wondering what the hold up is.

“We definitely had our privileges by now,” recent grads Gabby Maraia ’13 and Amelia Summersbee ’13 confirmed to this year’s concerned seniors. So why haven’t this years’ seniors gotten their privileges yet?

First quarter is already over and the class of 2014 is getting disgruntled about their lack of senior privileges. Some have rumored that the administrators felt that some seniors were not living up to their leadership responsibilities to keep the Arts Building, especially the Black Box, clean. But many seniors felt that only some seniors are to blame for the  littering in the Black Box. Some felt punishing the entire class was unfair.

“It’s not me,” Abbey Graham ’14 said, “some people just don’t care.”

Ms. Evan’s has confirmed that the delay of the privileges has no connection to the messy Arts Building. Actually, Ms. Evans is not responsible for determining when the seniors get their privileges and has no definite answer as to why the seniors don’t have them. Ms. Dougherty, however, does have that responsibility and has met with senior representatives, Josh Simon ’14 and Colby Elliot ’14, to discuss the matter and review this year’s senior privilege wish list.

Here’s what the seniors came up with:

• Lunch on Tuesdays
• Leaving during free periods
• Coming late for free periods
• Able to make lunch orders
• Being able to use gym and weight room during free periods
• Headphones anywhere on campus
• Parking spot
• Quad

In the past, the seniors received their personal parking spots during the Senior Retreat. Three weeks have passed since Senior Retreat, however, and seniors still have  not been officially given their parking spots. While seniors do have senior parking what they’re waiting for is the right to have an assigned spot which they can personalize.

Aside from being allowed to claim the general parking area, no additional privileges have been granted. As time passes, more seniors have begun to question whether previous senior classes were required to earn their privileges as this year’s seniors have been told they must.

“I’ve always thought that the seniors should get their privileges on the first day of school, and we shouldn’t have to earn them. I have no idea why we haven’t gotten them yet,” Adil Shariff ’14 said.

This is not the first year privileges have been delayed. About five years ago, one senior class didn’t get their’s until January! To keep this from happening, Ms. Evan’s gave some advice to this year’s senior class.

“[The seniors should] present a united front and support each other and prove that [they] are more than capable of managing them,” Ms. Evan’s suggested, “it will happen sooner than later.”

Can the senior’s take up this challenge? It would take a team effort, but it is not impossible. Go get them!