After reading the article entitled “FSG Grade Reps” in the December 1st edition of The Fieldston News, we were concerned with the inaccurate portrayal of the FSG Senate as a detached and ineffective legislature. In the article, concerns were raised about a lack of communication and productivity of the FSG Grade Representatives. The implication was made that there was some sort of disconnect regarding the FSG Senate. It was unclear whether this disconnect was between the Senators and the Co-Presidents, or between FSG as a whole and the student body. Either way, this is an erroneous claim.
This year, FSG has deliberately taken steps to keep the student body both informed and involved. Each week, the Co-Presidents make an announcement at assembly regarding current FSG activities. The Grade Reps have also kept their respective Forms in the loop via Facebook and announcements at form meetings. The Senate has also encouraged student involvement, at every announcement, by asking for student suggestions. We have made ourselves available both in person (students frequently provide suggestions to us in the hallways) and online (we have posted our contact information publicly for the purpose of obtaining suggestions). The idea that “thus far there have been very few suggestions made” is unsubstantiated, as there has been an abundance of student suggestions, many of which have turned into serious FSG initiatives. These have been both grade-specific, such as speakers in Form IV Dean’s office, and school-wide, such as the addition of a foosball table and the adjustment of the lunch menu.
Furthermore, the Grade Representatives and the Co-Presidents have a close working relationship and discuss all FSG issues. The Senate congregates weekly during Activities. A typical meeting consists of a lengthy discussion of student suggestions, and ways to act on them, as well as a conversation regarding the general state of the school and Senators’ ideas on how to improve it. For example, it was the Senate that collectively chose the foosball table, and it was a Grade Representative who suggested the second toaster that FSG is working toward. Thus, the claim that the online suggestion box was “one of the only new ideas suggested by a Grade Rep” is also false. Grade Representatives run the Snack Shacks, which is a time-consuming and challenging job. Grade Grade reps have also worked on initiatives for their respective grades, such as additions to the Dean’s offices and seating for the Form IV corridor.
We believe that this year, FSG has been an immensely active as well as cohesive body. Although the article was released on December 1, interviews for it were conducted as early as four weeks previously, when the FSG Senate had only existed for a couple of weeks. Therefore, it is reasonable that these misunderstandings occurred. However, we want to stress that there is certainly no disconnect between the Grade Representatives and the Co-Presidents, and we hope that there is no disconnect between Fieldston Student Government and the student body, as we have taken every effort to avoid this. We would like to take this opportunity to again stress that if anyone has any questions, suggestions, or concerns, they are always welcome to contact any member of FSG, whether it is a Grade Representative, a Cabinet member, or one of the Co-Presidents. You can find a list of contact information on the FSG bulletin board (located outside of Dr. Banks’ office).
