I wholeheartedly agree with the recent steps the administration has taken regarding Deerfield secret societies, because the school absolutely must take action.

Students can only hold so much influence over their peers. A room search is a good start, but how fruitful can that really be? Anything found in a room search can be denied as having to do with the Sevens or any other secret society. I feel that the school must take further initiative and use measures that are much harder to deny. I definitely do think that these groups are harmful. They promote social discrimination.

If everyone is fighting each other to become one of the “coolest” seven guys on campus, they are more willing to hurt one another. It leads to a lot of tension and anger. The worst part about it all is that no one is willing to talk or do anything about it. Everyone agrees to a code of silence, which reinforces the idea that it is okay to treat people like they are nothing, provided it will raise your status a little bit.

The things that are looked at as “cool” cannot usually be changed in the four years you attend Deerfield. Irrelevant facts, such as how much money your family has, do not reflect a high what a high school student does in four years, yet for some reason they are still taken into account. The clothes you wear and where you are from are taken into account, when what really matters is your actions towards others and your character.