1928 - Monroe County Library System

Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County · Yearbook Collection
A Step Forward—Continued
activities. Teachers were at times wronging pupils; pupils were often wronging
teachers; pupils were occasionally wronging each other. Here was a wide field for
student endeavor.
"Let us have," said these constructive pupils, "a government that will take from
the pupils and give to the faculty the powers that the faculty has through practice
exerted and give to the pupils powers that will remain with them—powers that will
allow them to exert a healthful influence over the fortunes of the school. A committee
of arbitration can protect the rights of pupils in any unfairness in discipline
or in awards for activities, a student finance committee can be a check on the disposal
of the funds of the Students' Association, and a third committee can take up questions
of the reputation, honor, and appearance of East High School."
Confidence that a new student government would have the power and ability to
bring about a better state of school life rested on the hope that a new government
would by home room representation come into direct contact with the student body and
would thereby obtain prestige and influence with the pupils.
But to get this new government: there was the difficulty. The Executive Council
was a degenerate body, having one by one lost the powers originally assigned to it.
It was so devoid of power that it was unable, even under the urging of its president
and leading members, to sign its own death warrant. Because of the organization of
the school government under the Executive Council, there was little hope of a change
being brought about by the usual and expected methods. Action had to come by
spontaneous action of pupils functioning in no official capacity.
The history of the government movement shows that the excitement of the
original campaign for the abolishment of the Executive Council begun by The Clarion
more than two years ago had soon died down, and that an investigation committee
appointed by the president of the Council had failed to hold a single meeting. Work
done by a committee under John Sleight, president of the Students' Association last
year, in re-writing the bulky and out-of-date constitution of the Students' Association
proved in vain, for the results of their efforts were never laid before the Council.
Fully in favor of the new government campaign which The Clarion, under the direction
of its managing editor, Abe Miller, began last term, Albert E. Arent, president
of the Students' Association, attempted to have the Council take action on substituting
a superior form of government, but he soon found that the machinery of the Council
was too weak to allow any decisive action to be taken.
It was this term, with Miss Helen Hess, editor-in-chief of The Clarion, trying to
stir up feeling through the columns of the school publication, that a triumvirate met
to institute some independent and unofficial action for rousing the student body from
sluggishness in school affairs. Miss Hess, Albert E. Arent, and formed the group
that set about the momentous task. Frequent meetings resulted in a clear idea
of a new government, and during the Easter vacations a detailed constitution was
written. In less than a month the triumvirate was ready to gather a corps of homeroom
workers, and to make the first concentrated effort for the adoption of a
radically-changed government.
Unquestionably their efforts have resulted in a step forward. Whether their confidence
in the ability of East High pupils to govern themselves sincerely and well is
justified, remains to be learned from the results of this long and difficult struggle.
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