Freshman Friday perpetuates negative school environment

Administration should take preventative measures to stop future Freshman Fridays

posted September 29, 2008

by The Campanile of Campanile

In response to the Freshman Friday hazing incidents on Aug. 29, the Palo Alto High School administration suspended 18 students with the expulsion of one student currently pending.

While The Campanile agrees that the administration should take action against Freshman Friday and its participants to stop the hazing, The Campanile believes the administration handled Freshman Friday in a questionable manner.

The administration should have taken preventative measures for a known event. Furthermore, many students and parents have questioned the severity of the punishments for participating in Freshman Friday. The lack of disciplinary action for those who partook in Freshman Friday in previous years provided a false sense of security for those who participated this year.

Nevertheless, Freshman Friday should be condemned, regardless of tradition; any action that harms another student should not be tolerated.

To prevent Freshman Friday from occurring again next year, the Paly administration should take preventative measures to ensure the safety of Paly students.

First, the administration should better communicate its stance on and the consequences for participating in Freshman Friday. By warning students of the harsher consequences that were established and enforced this year after the event, the administration could potentially deter students from participating in the event. This would also clarify the punishments, so that students will be aware of the severity of their actions.

Second, The Campanile believes that student and parent meetings, for not only seniors but also other classes, will be essential for determining clear guidelines. As the administration has suggested in beginning discussions, the meetings would address ideas for creating a Link Crew and buddy program at Paly to facilitate cooperation between underclassmen and upperclassmen. The administration also hopes to gather student, teacher and community input. Although unofficial, a senior class meeting could be held on Oct. 15 while juniors are taking the PSAT to briefly highlight Freshman Friday and Paly guidelines.

The Campanile believes that preventative measures should be taken before next year to stop Freshman Friday from continuing.