Alongside Phillips Academy students in Uncommons, visitors from the town of Andover also partake in meals – though not usually as welcome guests. Phillips Academy Public Safety (PAPS) officers confront several unauthorized diners each month, according to Thomas Conlon, PAPS Manager. “There’s a possibility that there are more [unauthorized diners] than we know about,” said Conlon. He also noted that most of the people they confront are teenagers, although some adults are occasionally asked to leave Uncommons as well. Currently, Phillips Academy has no systematic method of identification at the dining hall’s entrances. PAPS officers rely primarily on their knowledge of the Phillips Academy community, and Conlon said that PAPS officers have a pretty good idea of who the community’s members are. “We try to know as many people as we can,” he said. Despite PAPS’s efforts, though, Conlon said that Phillips Academy students are “the biggest identifiers” of unauthorized diners. “Some people feel that we don’t go to Andover High School to loaf for meals, so why should they come here?” Conlon said of students’ incentive for reporting unauthorized diners. However, complications arise because of the number of guests of members of the Phillips Academy community that dine at Uncommons as well. “It’s a tough call, because a lot of students have friends and family that come to visit, and we don’t want to bother them,” Conlon said. “There have been some instances when we have approached some people and it turns out they were friends or family members, and they can get indignant. We have had to apologize a few times.” When an unauthorized diner is identified in Uncommons, PAPS officers simply ask the individual to leave. Conlon said that most everyone is compliant with the security officer’s instructions. According to Conlon, the testiest situation he ever encountered occurred a few years ago, when the diner wanted to finish his meal before leaving. A Senior from Andover High School, who asked to remain anonymous, said that her brother was asked to leave Uncommons on two separate occasions this year. In both of these instances, students called PAPS about his intrusion. “I was surprised that the PA kids pointed [my brother] out. They must have thought that it was funny,” she said. The first time that her brother was noticed in Uncommons, he was asked by a PAPS officer to leave. On the second occasion, the officer escorted him from the building. For repeat offenders, PAPS issues “trespass notices.” According to Conlon, the trespass notices are only issued when the violator “becomes a problem.” A trespass notice forbids the individual from being on school grounds, and those who violate this can be arrested by the Andover Police Department. PAPS has filed three trespass notices this year. Conlon noted that the number of unauthorized diners increased this year, due to the opening of Uncommons. The close proximity of Uncommons to athletic events allows for easy access to campus guests looking for free food, he said. Consequently, for some major athletic events at Phillips Academy this year, such as the Winter Term wrestling interscholastic tournament, Uncommons temporarily checked school IDs at the door. Many colleges and some high schools use ID check-in systems throughout the year in order to regulate dining hall use. Conlon said that Phillips Academy may discuss the possibility of adopting an ID checking system in the future. Conlon personally believes that such a system should not be instated because “it makes for an unwelcoming presence.”
