Is there a problem with the “Common room” Arrangement?
The UNIS common room had originally been an exclusive space for seniors; however, this year, the new “DP Lounge” has been opened up to both juniors and seniors. This new initiative has raised mixed responses and concerns among the Grade 12s. Here are a few comments that embody the seniors’ general sentiments:
“The arrangement – it’s complicated. I don’t like it much because there are a lot of people, it’s noisy, and I am often disturbed in this space. There should be rules and consequences – temporary bans from the space… maybe even permanent!” [John Yoo]
“I like the prospect of sharing the lounge, but I’m not a fan of its execution. The idea of supporting each other is great; however, space is limited. There should be alternative spaces. Sharing one space is hard, and rules should definitely be implemented to set a standard.” [Kate Sharman]
“I understand why this arrangement between the Grade 11s and 12s was made, but I felt that administration forced this onto us the moment we stepped back – we weren’t given a heads up, and we certainly did not ‘vote’ to allow the Grade 11s in. It’s not that the Grade 11s are innately disrespectful but they can be loud. Sometimes we do need our own space, and I think that we should be given priority. Space isn’t available right now, but the Senate should talk to the Grade 12s to come up with viable solutions.” [Lan Anh Foster]
“Of course, this happens to just a small number of us, but sometimes I think that they [Grade 11s] can be disrespectful. I remember asking a group of boys to be more quiet because I was doing my college applications, and they just looked at me like ‘who does she think she is?’ and ignored my request.” [Ha Nguyen]
Complaints about the Lounge are not new, and the Senate has been working hard to come up with platforms for discussing possible solutions – a recent example being Grade level Town Hall Meetings. But, what solutions have actually come up? Below are summaries of comments of leading members of the Senate:
“This is the first year that we are sharing the common room with the Grade 11s, so obviously there’s going to be some adjustment issues. When the Grade 11s become seniors, it’s going to be normal that they are sharing the room, and so, in this sense, sharing the room becomes normalized. I think that people just need to get used to the new arrangement, give it time, and change their attitude. We’re setting the new standard now, and this arrangement will be normalized in no time.” [Zeke Edwards, President]
“The Senate has been discussing this – the new arrangement is just a matter of normalization. We’re coming up with a Common Room Committee to implement guidelines and to redesign furniture in the space. Also, from the Grade 11 Town Hall Meeting, Ms. Gibbons has provided a list of classes that are open during SEAL blocks. Hopefully, this will help spread the students out during peak periods.” [Julia Choi, Vice President]
As Mr. Stroupe aptly puts it:
“The room is definitely being used a lot more by a lot more people than last year. On that measure, it’s great that we’re making better use of the space and that interactions between the Grade 11s and 12s are happening more frequently. However, the main worry is that the Grade 12 class may find it harder to “bond” as an individual cohort (who prefers having personal space). This isn’t necessarily a problem that can’t be overcome – it is more like a conceivable challenge.”
Yoav • Nov 2, 2017 at 11:14 am
Zeke and Julia both spoke about normalization of this arrangement in the DP Lounge. However, I think they should stop to consider whether normalization is always the right path.
Though I am obviously not remotely comparing the two, one can draw an analogy between normalization of the Common Room as a space for all of the DP, and normalization of gender roles in society. The normalization of gender roles has done more harm than good for society – and the question is now whether this new arrangement does more good or more harm for the DP students as a collective.
Just some food for thought.
A Passing Senior • Nov 1, 2017 at 4:05 am
For a “United Nations school” that supposedly upholds the values of the UN, UNIS’s strong points definitely don’t lie in transparency, communication, or democracy. I was appalled by the process by which the decision regarding the common room was made. The seniors received no real warning. This decision was announced to us after it was made. For a change that directly affects the seniors, we certainly didn’t have much of a voice in it.
I empathize completely with the seniors who have voiced their opinion in this article. There is a reason why the common room was originally for seniors only. Out of all grade levels, seniors are faced with the largest responsibilities and decisions they have been faced with so far regarding their future. The common room was supposed to be a place where seniors could focus on their responsibilities and do work.
Of course, it’s great that eleventh graders are also getting a separate space to work. But the execution of this decision was so questionable that I cannot help but feel that this arrangement was intended to solely accommodate the wishes of eleventh graders. There are so many better, more reasonable things that could have been done to benefit juniors. Create a separate, quiet space for juniors to work in? Sure. Create more external opportunities for them to interact with seniors? If they want to do it, of course. But cram all of them into an already crowded room, inconveniencing another grade level in the process? Ridiculous. I found it absurd, comical even, that one may suggest that seniors find other empty classrooms to work in when the common room gets too crowded. No senior I know will be happy to be told that they have to leave what was originally their space because they have to share it at least fifty more people due to a decision they had no place in making.
Juniors don’t even have to wait another full academic year to gain access to the common room. They gain access to it anyway after a few more months. As far as I am aware, juniors are not in such crucial need of a separate space in which they can fill out their college applications, work on their IAs, write their extended essay, and study for their DP exams that they cannot wait approximately four more months to use the common room.
What the seniors need right now is not “bonding”. Bonding between grade levels is easy enough to do if both parties actually intend to do it. The seniors need to work. As I became a senior, I noticed how many more of my classmates chose to work in their free time compared to last year. Seniors just don’t have a choice. The IB is not a marathon at this point anymore; it is a sprint until May. Because all of us have some plan or other for our future, we are racing to get everything finished on time. And the common room decision respects none of our efforts.
The seniors have generally negative sentiments toward this decision because it is a decision that is completely worthy of said negative sentiments. Put bluntly, adopting a positive “attitude” is not going to make the nature of this arrangement or its execution any less ridiculous. The common room arrangement is not a meaningful “challenge”. Rather, it has proven itself quite effectively to be a nuisance. The common room used to be a relatively quiet space in which students could work alongside other students with similar responsibilities. Now it is loud, crowded, and there is often unnecessary tension between the two grade levels using the space.
I am not hesitant to ask the administration to turn the common room back into a “seniors only” space because I feel that we seniors need it the most. I am not embarrassed to ask UNIS for things that help me and my classmates spend their senior year in a more fruitful manner. As a student, I am sick of having to “water down” my opinions on issues like these in fear of retaliation that may affect my success in school. The execution of this arrangement is absurd and everyone knows it. So these are my two cents.