Phillips Academy has cleaned up its act for All-School Meeting, at least for one week. Carlos Hoyt, ASM Coordinator and Assistant Dean of Students, said that this week’s ASM, featuring guest speaker Judy Shepard, seems to have benefited from increased monitoring and more severe consequences for disruptive behavior. Hoyt recently sent an email to all students outlining these new ASM policies, which give faculty the ability to collect any “item that may cause a distraction or disruption” for 48 hours. These items include cell phones, listening devices, schoolwork, reading material and food or drink. Hoyt also wrote in his email that “if [a student behaves] in a manner that leads to being removed from the Chapel hall, [the student] will earn a cut for that period.” The improvement in behavior at this week’s ASM was “remarkable,” said Hoyt. Jordan Bailey ’11 was reprimanded at Wednesday’s ASM for falling asleep during the presentation. “I was just kind of dozing off. I don’t remember much. I woke up to a lady I didn’t know tapping my arm and whispering for me to get up and pay attention,” said Bailey. “I was tired. I got less than six hours of sleep last night,” continued Bailey. “I couldn’t see the speaker from where I was sitting, and it made it hard to really to focus on what she was talking about.” “[Sleeping] shouldn’t be reprimanded the same way as using electronics, because sleeping is usually involuntary, while there’s never a need to use electronics [during All-School Meeting],” said Bailey. But Hoyt said, “It is off-putting to presenters to see people sleeping in the audience.” He added that when he sees people sleeping, he “assumes it is inadvertent, and that there is no malice or ill-feeling.” Although some students have voiced concern over the policy stating that disruptive materials will be taken away for 48 hours, Hoyt said that the confiscation as a consequence “is not explicit. Faculty will exercise their individual discretion.” Hoyt said that he feels that “it is better to have a standard” regarding punishments for those who break the rules set out in the email. “I’ve heard students say ‘If you really trust us you won’t give us restrictions.’ But life doesn’t work that way,” continued Hoyt. “[The goal of the email was] to reaffirm the rules of the Chapel. These are not new rules, just a clarifying of the parameters.” Hoyt said that his email was prompted by an “accumulation of concern” from faculty on students’ behavior during ASM. The faculty entertainment ASM on February 11 added another concern—the large amount of trash left after the meeting. “The people who take care of the chapel spent over three and a half hours cleaning up,” said Hoyt. “After that, they sent me a direct email. They were very upset.” The concerns over behavior eventually led to a discussion between Hoyt and cluster deans. “All-School Meeting only works…if students are all basically well behaved,” said Hoyt. “Even 12 people talking can create a buzz.”
