Editorial: Reporting on CCO, Discovering a Culture of Silence

“It is not enough to simply inform, for we must inform conscientiously, identifying all pertinent perspectives and making an active effort to build holistic narratives … We have a responsibility to use The Exonian as a positive platform that will record and contribute to our community’s growth and progress.”

I made this statement at a Faculty Meeting earlier this term, in a speech reaffirming The Exonian’s commitment to the core journalistic values of accuracy, fairness and integrity and my own sense of purpose as Editor-in-Chief. This is the mission that the 141st Exonian board has sought to uphold in all of our reporting and the mindset that the Executive Board has maintained in over two months of work on this week’s News article examining the role of privilege in Exeter’s college counseling process.

I received my own counselor assignment last December, as did every member of the Class of 2020. A slew of College Counseling Office (CCO) appointments awaited us upon our return from winter break, and the college process emerged as a topic of regular discussion in the January weeks that followed. While there was certainly talk of general college jitters, the most popular subject of conversation pertained specifically to the distribution of college counselors across certain student demographics, based on factors including race, legacy, financial aid status, trustee relations and leadership positions on campus.

The Exonian’s Executive Board found that many students strongly believe Exeter’s college counselor assignment process is not equitable. Some of my peers characterized the process as “cherry-picking,” while others described the perks of being assigned the head of the office, who supposedly has greater leverage in college admissions offices and gives counselees a leg up before they have even submitted their applications.

Our Executive Board wished to examine this perception—both its origin and credibility. However, we were also wary of giving airtime to potentially unsubstantiated speculation, which has the power to unfairly undermine the reputation of an important campus organ.

We mulled over the best journalistic approach for much of the winter.

Then, over March break, the FBI's revelation of Operation Varsity Blues investigation brought back into the national spotlight the role of privilege in college admissions—a regularly-broached topic in recent years. Perhaps more remarkable than the exposé of this elaborate bribery scheme was the unfazed response from a significant portion of the public. College students in particular remarked that the function of race and wealth in college admissions was old news.

The Academy identifies Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work as an institutional priority, and as such, Exeter’s progress on those fronts has been the subject of many discussions and community initiatives in recent years. However, the national response to Operation Varsity Blues reminds us that we live under a larger system that does not offer a level playing field when it comes to college admissions.

Our Executive Board realized that examining the equitability of the college counselor assignment process was a crucial component in determining the role of privilege in our own CCO, which in turn pertains to the larger question of how Exeter might successfully uphold its DEI mission in a society that recognizes countless forms of privilege and disprivilege.

To fairly assess the equitability of counselor assignments, The Exonian conducted an independent investigation into the distribution of college counselors for all current uppers and seniors, as well as certain demographics of recent Academy graduates—alumni with PEA trustee relations, those accepted to Harvard or Stanford University and previous Student Council presidents and runner-ups. We asked all students to self-identify through numerous surveys and granted them the chance to refrain from comment

We sought to fully disclose the subject of our investigation to all upperclassmen, and faculty requested to comment in hopes of encouraging as many people as possible to contribute their insights and perspectives. “Our intention is not to pursue sensationalism or point fingers. As journalists, we want to report the complete story and encourage all who have a stake in this issue to contribute their perspective. Fairness is our top priority … Any reflection on your college counseling process at Exeter would be valuable to us; again, we are not looking for a particular type or tone of story,” we wrote in an email sent to all uppers and seniors.

Indeed, we did not conduct this investigation with any intent of targeting the CCO or any of its members; rather, we hoped to bring to light a seemingly opaque process that had long been subject to widespread speculation, discern where this student perception of inequity had come from, and examine how the nuances of privilege in college admissions might have impacted Exeter’s college counseling practices.

Yet, it became evident that college counselor assignments was a highly fraught topic in the community, as students and faculty either voiced concern that The Exonian was seeking to incriminate the CCO or praised our efforts to expose corruption, when in fact, we were doing neither.

Despite all the attention our investigation received and the numerous, often inaccurate, rumors that circulated about our findings, very few agreed to share their perspectives and personal stories on-the-record. Even with the offer of anonymity, some hesitated to acknowledge that they may have benefited from privilege, while others were concerned that contributing to this article could jeopardize their relationship with the CCO. Others still were instructed by parents and trustee relations not to comment or to retract quotes after an on-the-record interview.

Much of our final data, as presented in the article, does not appear to confirm the student perception that having Dean of College Counseling Elizabeth Dolan offers an advantage in the college admissions process or that the counselor distribution is wholly skewed toward certain demographics.

However, even after two months of reporting, we know that we do not have access to the complete story. Not only are we limited by our sources and the information they choose to share on-the-record, but the nature of privilege is also nuanced to such a degree that it is often nonlinear and thus becomes entirely untraceable. 

After several months’ worth of interviews, investigation and data collection, we are unable to make a conclusive statement about the equitability of Exeter counselor assignments. However, what we have observed in these last weeks is a concerning culture of silence pertaining to all CCO practices. Much of the student speculation about counselor assignments would not have gained ground in the first place with more transparency from the CCO. The hesitation of so many Exonians and Exeter families to openly express their thoughts about the office for fear of reprisal is also worrying.

If the Academy hopes to better align its practices with our DEI mission, it must facilitate an atmosphere of full disclosure­—even when it comes to the college process—that invites all community members to join the conversation.