Last spring, Andover Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) club members dedicated sleepless nights and countless hours to qualify for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) — the final round of the renowned business competition. The DECA competition consists of three rounds: Regionals, States, and Internationals. We progressed through regionals with financial backing from the school through an Abbot Grant. However, we faced a series of hurdles in the Massachusetts state round. The school informed us that attending States was only a possibility, not a guarantee, and when we asked the administration for confirmation to compete, they directed us to the Learning in the World (LITW) Office. They claimed that our request to compete in Boston over a weekend during Spring Break would be treated similarly to traveling internationally for weeks over break.
In our subsequent meeting with the LITW Office, the administration said that there wasn’t time to process the request and that our faculty chaperones were unfit to supervise due to weak ties to DECA; a chaperone would need experience with the club. While the DECA team suggested an economics teacher, the school objected. Given the short turnaround time from regionals to states, we were left in a frenzied state. In three days, we rushed to prepare all the necessary materials for the progression. We returned to the LITW Office, who informed us they would discuss the proposal with the larger administrative committee. A week later, the committee announced that our proposal was rejected.
Having already paid the down payments for the hotel, DECA membership, and plane tickets, we proceeded to compete independently under the school’s name. Considering the fees paid and the lack of clear communication with the administration, we felt forced to act in this gray area, without explicit permission from the school.
During States, Andover students thrived, with seven members qualifying for ICDC. However, shortly after, the administration also rejected our request to compete in the international competition. After we had dedicated hundreds of hours to this prestigious event, our own school was preventing us from advancing in the competition. While schools nationwide were supporting their DECA teams financially, even offering preparatory classes for the competition, Andover stood in our way. This term, the school indefinitely terminated DECA as a club.
Throughout the competition season last year, we attempted to work alongside the administration to be able to compete at the international level, but it seemed they were against us every step of the way. Rather than focusing our efforts on preparing for the competition itself, we were forced to spend many hours dealing with administrative duties with the school. For example, to register to compete, we, as student DECA leaders, had to fill out forms and coordinate communication with the Massachusetts DECA Organization under the supervision of our club advisor. However, it seemed unfair and unrealistic to expect our club advisor, who had to juggle classes, coaching, and dorm life, to fulfill these additional, high-commitment obligations.
As the “Number Two Best Private High School in America” according to Niche, one would expect Andover to encourage and support participation in national and international level competitions. This school year, more competition clubs have been barred from competing, such as Phillips Academy Speech and Debate (PASD). PASD was even barred from events that were fully on-campus, such as the Georgetown Fall Invitational, an online tournament entirely funded by the club and cooperative with the school schedule. Andover Rocketry Club was also prohibited from representing Andover at off-campus competitions such as the American Rocketry Challenge.
Andover Admissions’ website parades the Academy’s “expansive worldview and legacy of academic excellence,” but in reality, the school restricts passionate students who show initiative. Perhaps the Andover website should acknowledge that students are only allowed to pursue their passions as long as they exist inside Andover’s bubble. Andover’s reputation is only as good as its student body and alumni. When students aren’t supported in pursuing external endeavors that build outside connections and showcase their talents to a broader community, Andover becomes insular, with its students unprepared to interact meaningfully with the rest of the world.
The club system at Andover is critically flawed. Students here face more challenges with participation in external competitions than multiple local schools do. Upon founding a club approved by the Office of Student Activities, students are expected to run their clubs with the support of a faculty advisor. No straightforward guidelines or policies are detailed. In an email regarding club funding from the Student Activities Office on October 2, 2023, students were only informed of regulations such as no solicitations of outside donations or involvement in community engagement or volunteering. As a result, club leaders are unaware of existing preventative policies and administrative barriers. Critically, regulations surrounding off-campus competitions were not mentioned at all in the email.
There are a few clubs at Andover that have financial independence, and currently, there are few pathways to achieving this. Some clubs, such as the Philomathean Society, have endowments that allow them to fund their own activities. Other competition clubs, such as Mock Trial, cost less. While Model UN has registration costs, the school is able to cover them. However, the vast majority of clubs have no way of attaining such funds to support them. This leads many clubs to apply for an Abbot Grant. However, providing funding for items such as travel and competition fees is difficult when dates are uncertain. Another possible path is receiving funding from academic departments, but most already have a standard list of clubs that they support and are typically unable or unwilling to take on more. With limited other options to obtain financial independence, competition clubs are placed at a disadvantage.
The Academy must rise to the standards to which it holds itself and its students. An equitable policy that removes bias between clubs is imperative, and a solution should consider input from every member of the Andover community. We are willing to work with the administration on this effort. Andover’s website claims to foster students’ “abilities to question beliefs, systems, and the way things are done” and “press [students] to envision the world they seek to create.” Hence, we present our concerns here in hopes of a more prosperous future for our clubs.
Editor’s Note: Suvir Virmani is a Finance Manager for The Phillipian, Philip Meng is a Business Manager for The Phillipian, and Ishaan Padmawar is a Photo Associate Editor for The Phillipian.
