By BRANDON WONG This past Tuesday, boarding students in Adams Hall, Rockwell House, Nathan Hale House and Fuess House were all asked to permanently leave Andover. The evictions were the latest in the school’s new “Go Green or Go Home” policy. According to the new “Gunga Data,” which tracks electricity consumption around campus, these four dormitories each fell above 25,000 KWH. The administration publicly announced earlier this year that students in any dormitory that failed to meet this mark, and thus failed to “go green,” would then be suspended indefinitely–in other words, they would have to “go home.” The Dean of Students Office sent out a statement that said, “We have learned so much this year about listening to the voice of the students. Following [Michael] Kontaxis’ [’11] Green Cup Challenge video last year, we have decided to take the message quite literally. This is, as always, in the best interests of the students.” These dorm evictions are just the most recent of many “Go Green or Go Home” policies. On January 4, 2011, random room searches were conducted for all international students. Any computer monitors or room lights turned on without just cause warranted an eviction. Three students were consequently sent back to their native countries. Evelyn Salt ’11 complained, “They booked me the first flight back to Russia. After all the waiting and waiting as sleeper agent KA-12…It was all undone because I left my light on when I went to the bathroom.” On January 11, 2011, motion-activated timers were placed in the showers of freshman dormitories. Any shower lasting longer than one minute and 20 seconds alerted the PAPs office, and they were instructed to immediately apprehend the suspected Junior. James Langworthy ’14 said, “I had only seen the po-po in action before on TV. It was like a bad episode of COPS. When PAPs busted into the bathroom and took me out in handcuffs, I grabbed the towel to cover myself. I felt like a felon.” Regarding any future actions, the Dean of Students claims that the “Go Green or Go Home” policies will continue until Phillips Academy wins the Green Cup Challenge next year or the school population falls below 50 percent.
