Tower The Masters School 49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 76, NUMBER 1
Editorial With the celebration of Free Speech Week last week, Tower reflects upon the ways in which social media has transformed access to information, and the importance of being mindful of the ways in which we use and consume it.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019
tower.mastersny.org
Masters “revolutionizes” handbook Kate Sibery Features Lead Editor
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ollowing a series of complaints and discussions surrounding Masters’ sexual misconduct policy, a group of Upper School administrators completely reconstructed it with the
goal of prioritizing healthy communication surrounding sexual intimacy and relationships. Last spring, a group of students organized a town hall to discuss potential changes to the policy. Prior to this meeting, a small group of administrators participated in a workshop on sexual misconduct in schools, led by renowned sexual assault survivor and activist Katie Koestner. The first woman in the United States to formally speak out as a victim of sexual assault on a college campus in 1990, and actually coin the term “date rape,” Koestner has been at the forefront of the national movement to reform sexual misconduct policies in schools. She has aided thousands of schools and institutions in writing more comprehensive policies. Concerns regarding Masters’ previous policy dealt mostly with the concept of transparency, Interim Dean of Students Jeff Carnevale said. “As the students pointed out, I don’t think the policy clearly articulated what the steps were when someone reported a [case of] sexual misconduct.” Over the s u m m e r , Koestner and her team worked as consultants ELLA TANG/TOWER to Masters’
Inside this issue: ◄ It’s 10 p.m. Does Masters know where your children are?
administration. Following a period of intense reform, the current policy outlined in the Upper School Family Handbook now features an 11-step protocol that details the course of action that will be taken with regard to reporting and investigating alleged sexual misconduct, as well as the rights of students involved in said cases. Carnevale highlighted the administration’s main goal in revising the sexual misconduct policy.“We knew we wanted it to be the most progressive policy out there, and to really reflect the culture and climate surrounding sexual misconduct,” he said. “We also wanted it to be fair and manageable so that it is something we can engage with consistently.” In the words of Koestner, the policy has not only been progressive, but rather, “revolutionary”, both in its consideration of all possible acts of sexual misconduct and the thorough investigative process that clearly outlines the rights of all involved parties. Koestner, who has travelled globally and spoken at nearly 5,000 schools nationwide since her own sexual assault, indicated that she has yet to see a high school take on such a comprehensive sexual misconduct policy, stating, “I’ve been to every one of the best schools in the country, and spent my life trying to change laws and policies. Masters is the first in history to be willing to take on an entire revamp of the sexual misconduct policy.”
Concerns about the Masters School “Safe Homes” policy Nora Fellas Opinion, Page 4 NORA FELLAS/TOWER
◄ Renovations to the boys’ dorms create a home away from home An inside look at the newly- renovated Strong and Thompson dormitories
Kira Ratan Features & Arts, Page 8
GEORGE CHANG/TOWER
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How one tweet ignited a global fight over freedom, sovereignty and justice With an exclusive interview with former NBA commissioner, David Stern
KENNETH LU/FLICKR
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Mitch Fink and Sophie Grand Sports, Page 12
Vaping-related illness kills 33 across the U.S. Annie Rubinson News Lead Editor
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Kansas woman began vaping at the age of 50–on Sept. 10, one week later, she died. Doctors confirmed that although the woman had a long history of medical issues, it was vaping that “progressed her symptoms” and ultimately ended her life, NBC said. Modern vaporizer or “vape” pens were first introduced in the mid 2000’s, Vape Daily said, as healthier alternatives to cigarettes. The idea that a vaporizer could mimic the sensations of smoking a cigarette without causing lung damage was appealing to buyers. However, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), electronic cigarettes are not nearly as safe as they were initially advertised to be. The CDC has reported nearly 1,500 cases of life-threatening vape-related illnesses across 49 of the United States, with hundreds more being investigated nationwide, The Washington Post said. The national death toll from these illnesses has risen to 33 people as of Oct. 22. The majority of patients are between the ages of 18 and 34, the CDC said. E-cigarettes–such as vape pens or Juuls–are battery-powered devices that heat aerosol-containing liquid to be inhaled into the lungs. This liquid, or “e-juice,” may contain nicotine, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabinoid (CBD) oils. These chemicals, among others, have since been linked to several fatal diseases, the American Lung Association said. “When inhaled, diacetyl causes ‘popcorn lung’–a scarring of the tiny air sacs in the lungs resulting in the thickening and narrowing of the airways,” they added. In addition to popcorn lung, or bronchitis, vaping has led to several fatal cases
of pneumonia. Patients have experienced chest pain, coughing, fevers, vomiting and general fatigue, the CDC said. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also suspects that some of the THC oils in vaporizers are contaminated with Vitamin E Acetate, a chemical often incorporated in black market e-cigarette sales in order to “stretch THC oil,” The Washington Post said. Vitamin E Acetate resembles THC oil and is significantly cheaper, but can cause severe damage when inhaled. “Because consumers cannot be sure whether any THC vaping products may contain vitamin E acetate, consumers are urged to avoid buying vaping products on the street, and to refrain from using THC oil or modifying/adding any substances to products purchased in stores,” the FDA told the New York Times on Sept. 7. Hillary Peckham, COO of Etain Health–a medical marijuana company–and member of the Masters School Board of Trustees agreed with the evaluation that most cases of vape-related illnesses stemmed from black market products. “When we make a batch [of cannabis oil] we have to go to the Department of Health for testing before we can release them for sale, whereas nicotine vaporizers don’t have to undergo any kind of testing,” Peckham said. She added, however, that regulated companies are still required to advertise the dangers of vaping, and that they do not sell vaporizers to minors unless they have approval from a physician. “The long term effects of THC on young brains hasn’t been studied well,” she said. “Until there’s more scientific evidence that it does no damage, we prefer to be cautious.” Peckham added that her company discourages customers from buying “smoke-able” marijuana.
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GEORGE CHANG/TOWER
MASTERS STUDENTS ANDREW MITCHELL ‘22, Rowan Walter ‘22 and Wonjun Lee ‘22 partake in New York’s Climate Strike. They were among hundreds of other Masters students and faculty that chose to miss class in favor of the strike. The protestors started the strike in Foley Square and marched over one mile to Battery Park.
Masters to excuse activist absences M. Brody Leo News Editor
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ust over a month ago, on Friday, Sept. 20, Attendance Coordinator Dreia Parker’s office line rang off the hook with over 200 phone calls, each from a parent announcing that their child would be missing school to attend the New York City Student Climate Strike. This excusal of a such a large number of students, let alone for the sake of political expression,was unprecedented, but it may have opened the floodgates to a future at Masters where these events are important parts of both teacher curricula and Masters culture as a whole. Head of School Laura Danforth and Interim Head of Upper School Peter Newcomb have both said they will excuse a student if they wished to attend a protest or strike for a cause in which they deeply believe, as they did for the Climate Strike. As for any other broad policy, this privilege is not without conditions or intricacies. Head of School
Laura Danforth said, “Even if it’s a cause that I as a leader and educator might not agree with, I have to keep that outside of my decision-making. However, there is a difference between that [a cause she might not agree with] and supporting a cause towards hatred.” Danforth was not hesitant to state the importance of events like the
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“We want to tell our grandkids about this when we are older. We want to tell them that we were part of history.” - LAWRENCE AZZARITI, ‘20
Climate Strike support the Masters Mission Statement. “We can’t just say we want our students to be ‘powers-for-good’ in the world. We can’t just talk the talk, we have to walk the walk,” she said. Though missing class is always a concern for administrators, Newcomb also said he believes strongly in giving students the freedom to practice activism in forms that are mean-
ingful to them. “If we have a student who believes strongly in something and they have parental support, we want to do everything we can to support that as well,” Newcomb said. Many other teachers acknowledged the importance of events like these, but also express some concerns over students missing important classwork–especially in classes with stricter curriculums, such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes. AP United States History teacher Colleen Roche said, “It is the student’s responsibility to make up work that they missed.” However she was excited for a future where these events could coincide well with her curriculum. “It could be very interesting to plan lessons around the marches with enough advance warning,” she said. Many students at the strike still value their significance much more than that of one missed day of school. Lawrence Azzariti, one of the senior class presidents said, “We want to tell our grandkids about this when we are older–we want to tell them that we did something and that we were part of history.”