No, I’m not “pro-fence”. No, I don’t support a theoretical wall bordering between Mexico and America, that’s not what I’m implying. I am indifferent to the construction of a bordering fence at the forefront of our school.
I’m genuinely perplexed by the reaction. The public outcry, the misconstruing of the fence’s actual purpose, and the circulation of false narratives relating to the fence all seriously puzzle me. This isn’t a 20-foot concrete wall that serves as a barrier between ECFS and the “outside world”. It’s not a prison gate. It’s not a wall, seriously, it’s not a wall, many refer to this 6-foot, see through fence as a wall; that’s laughable.
And I feel that frequently as a community, people tend to work themselves up over very minor matters, and that the true objective of something as minute as a fence, can be lost in emotional public backlash.
As Head of School Jessica Bagby wrote in her statement to the ECFS community, “In doing safety, security, and risk assessment on both ECFS campuses, security experts strongly advised us to make variety of security enhancements, including attending to the porous perimeter of our campus as noted in the message below. The Audit & Risk Committee and Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees made these recommendations mandates to be completed this school year. Keeping students, faculty, and staff safe is an essential duty.”
It makes sense: directing access to campus, centralizing on-campus protection, and just overall, bettering Fieldston’s security system.
But, there are some questionable features to the new construction.
Yes, I don’t think the fence is the most aesthetically pleasing structure ever created. But, students and faculty must look past that trivial aspect, and realize the actual purpose of the fence. I don’t find the obstructing security booths scattered in front of the campus particularly beautiful either, but there are benefits to having them there. Our school is undergoing a security upgrade. Visitors and cars requesting access to Fieldston’s porous campus are now required to show their pre-registered guest certification upon entering campus while being greeted by the ECFS member they know, there is 24/7/365 security booth being built near the 600s building adjacent to the middle and upper school entrances, and new security officers are now required to participate in diversity and anti-bias training with the Anti-Defamation League during their orientation.
I also know there are openings to the fence and it’s not the tallest structure, but, it wasn’t built with the intention of becoming a gargantuan, Trumpesque barrier sheltering Fieldston from intruders, its purpose is to direct the migration of visitors, students, and faculty through designated entrances in order to efficiently vet those who come on campus.
I don’t agree with the lack of transparency between the administration and the faculty-student community regarding the fence, or the burying of the notification that the fence will be built in a schoolwide newsletter. But, are we sure that every time an aspect of our campus was altered, we would want to be notified? If all members of our community were notified every time a change on campus was made our inboxes would be cluttered even more, and the schoolwide emails would be read less–– if that’s even possible.
We’re upping the security. Everyone should understand why. After having breakfast on October 31st, as I walked past the commons to my first period class, I caught a glimpse of mentally-ill alumna who got onto campus and was attempting to take student property, frankly, it was disturbing and unsettling. I support the enhanced security of our campus.
Are there other ways to effectively and efficiently monitor those who come on campus? Maybe. But, I think in the immediate, constructing a fence to efficiently streamline visitors for the Mulligan security team to verify before coming on campus is a good first step.
Although many oppose the fence, it’s not a metaphor or emblematic of any ‘greater’ message. It’s simply a fence. The community needs to look past the elitist narratives that have been circulating, and come to their senses. I mean seriously, when in public parks, is their constant dialogue about the elitist nature of a surrounding fence? No.
I understand both sides. It’s legitimately ugly. If an ill-intentioned intruder really wanted to get on campus, they could jump over the fence. If there was a fire or some other disaster, the fence would prevent people from escaping campus efficiently. But, that’s where the irony lies: fury over a 6-foot fence is somewhat absurd. It’s not that big of a deal.
