A Crayon For Your Thoughts

By  Indrani Basu ’22

When students at Phillips Exeter Academy staggered back into their dorms on Election day, they were greeted by an unassuming cardboard box in their dorm common room. Inside, snacks, play-dough, card games, nail polish and other care kit items sat upon a bed of shimmering red tinsel. These packages were intended to “relieve stress” during this year’s most consequential event in American politics. And so as America watched the election unfold, students at the nation’s most prestigious boarding school were coloring with crayons. 

The fact that we received care packages highlights an important aspect of the Exeter experience, the way that our minds are shielded from the unfairness and hate perpetuating in the dark undercurrent of American society. Too often I hear of the famed Exeter Bubble. It’s the space we all know and love, the place where we can be ourselves and bask in its diverse and accepting glow. The idea carries through to students and faculty alike. Exeter, in our minds, is a utopia where everyone accepts each other and fills out coloring books instead of worrying about you-know-what. 

And yet, maybe this bubble isn’t as idyllic as we’d like to think it is. Perhaps prejudices from the outside world leak into our classrooms and dorms and athletic fields. I would argue that care packages provided distraction from issues on Exeter’s campus, not outside of it.

It must be easier for the Exeter community to write off American conflicts in terms of our own campus when the myth of our school’s complete diversity and acceptance are championed. “Look at us,” that mindset says, “the world may be dealing with these issues, but not us!” The truth is that the Exeter Bubble is somewhat of a cop-out; it allows our community to deny the very real issues regarding race, class and gender within our own walls.

The question arises: what exactly is Exeter trying to say with these slumber party supplies? 

Is it to pretend that these issues don’t exist? 

Is it to distract and remove us from the anxiety that comes with the elections? 

I have to say, painting our nails did not stop us from compulsively refreshing the election map on our phones every ten minutes. Playdough did not erase the worry of having to live the next four years under a failing president as we watched the election map slowly color into a divided red and blue.

I am not all against the services provided by Exeter. The Office of Multicultural Affairs had hours where students could seek counsel. “Politics-free” zones were set up on campus, and even treats like coffee and donuts were provided. Some classes were changed to an asynchronous block. These events allowed an ever burdened student body to take their mind off of the election and the inherent stress that comes with it.

While the respite was welcomed by students all over campus, including myself, should we really try to forget the threats of injustice that carry into the lives of so many students? Boxes filled with goodies may have been a temporary relief, but it is not enough. Protecting us from the truth is not enough to counteract outright hatred.

If Exeter wants to promote the well-being of its students, then it will enforce an unwavering commitment to progress from all members of our community. Exeter will continue to go out of its way to hear marginalized voices, it will hold faculty members accountable for their words and actions, and it will prioritize students before anything else, equally and with respect. If Exeter wants us to be safe, it will eliminate the barriers and shortcomings in its own community, and continue to fight for these values outside Exeter as well, because our platform as a respected academic institution gives us that power.

Yes, Exonians welcome a way to have fun. But we also want an effectively progressive school administration, the elimination of racial and gender based discrimination on and off-campus, and the preservation of human rights in spite of whatever state American politics is in. In other words, actual change. We want both. We, students at Exeter, deserve both.