To the Editor: I am thoroughly disappointed at the recent behavior of students working “silently” in the library. As an avid Quiet Study Room fan and peer of the many intellectuals at our perfect school, I have been appalled by the amount of page turning and squeaking erasers I have heard this past week. The library needs to do a better job on controlling students’ behavior. Time and time again I have heard the complaint that our library has become a place of un-learning. I walk in and can almost immediately sense a vibe of “stupid” wafting from the walls. Of course there is no talking to be complained of – we thankfully had that banned back in the sixties. I don’t want to compare ourselves to those chatty Andover students, because if we do that we bring ourselves down to their level. I want quiet in the library, and that means no crinkling of pages, no study groups, and no squeaking of erasers. Turning pages loudly? What is the point? Do students find enjoyment in crinkling and crackling their way through Homer? I’m sure Joyce, if he could, would kick you pretty hard if he found out you’re rifling through Ulysses like an escaped convict. And don’t even get me started on study groups. Students get together with the intent not to make noises like an atom bomb, but those whispers scrape against my eardrum something fierce. Students shouldn’t be perturbing me with their eraser sounds. They shouldn’t even be erasing. Here at Exeter, you get things right on the first try. That’s the way it is. You screw up, you pay for the consequences. Don’t get me annoyed and distracted by trying to make the pain of getting something wrong go away. So next time you go to turn a page, meet with a “study group” (yeah, more like a “stupid group”), or erase something that you screwed up, remember all the students at our school who actually want to get work done. Thank you, Thomas Dupree ’08 To the Editor: I was delighted to read last week’s story entitled “Girls At Exeter Uglier Than Sin.” Once we can move beyond the fact that girls on this campus are, for one, more similar to men and more importantly, not fans of modern hygiene, we can begin to build a truely academic part of the world. Kindly, Sally Folds ’09 To the Editor: I am writing this letter in response to Sarah Treehugger’s article titled, “The Environment: Exeter’s Impact.” The main focus of her article was to point out ways the Exeter community could reduce our impact on the environment. She talked about initiating recycling programs to save paper, conserving electricity, an Environment Awareness Week, and using student body hair to stitch uniforms. Why are we trying to save the environment? The environment sucks. Every year, over 5,000 deaths are caused by things like the rainforest, natural caves, the ice caps, all things people are trying to save. Thanks nature, you’re the best. I have come up with a variety of ideas for how we can destroy nature right form our own school. First, we must turn on every light in the school at all times. This will waste large amounts of electricity. We can also initiate “Multiple Tray Monday.” By using two trays, we use twice the energy and water to clean them, giving nature a slap in the face. We could also start serving endangered species for food. Whatever course of action we choose to take, it is clear that we must destroy nature before it is too late. Thanks you, Berry Paulson ’10
