A core value at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School is integrity. The Academic Integrity Board (AIB) and the Accountability and Restoration Council (ARC) were designed so the student body has a uniform system to determine the consequences for those who violate the rules of the community. Both boards consist of faculty and student representatives, elected by their form, every two years. This year’s AIB election winners were Layla Finn and Megan Orsuwan from Form III, and Alkis Karmpaliotis and Alex Kaufman from Form V. The ARC election winners were Arden Sehgal and Shaan Daly from Form III and Clara Tripp and Sylvie Poisson from Form V.
The AIB and ARC are unique to Fieldston because of this student representation. At other schools, consequences for violations to academic integrity depend on the teacher. Layla Finn (Form III) said, “I know more than any adult what [the students] could be going through. …I want to be able to help students learn from their mistakes.” Students who violate community norms are subject to a uniform code of consequences that often does not fit the infraction. Clara Tripp (Form V) said, “The ARC instead provides an opportunity for students to actually understand the effects of their actions and respond in a way which is commensurate with any harm they may have caused. If someone doesn’t comprehend or feel remorse for their actions, there’s little reason they wouldn’t continue acting that way in the future.”
The student representative positions provide a place, apart from the Fieldston Student Government (FSG), for students to help the community. Alkis Karmpaliotis (Form V) said, “I decided to run for a student representative position early in my freshman year. When faced with choosing between FSG and AIB, I chose the AIB because I thought I could make more of a positive impact in that role. …It’s always an honor when your peers trust you with a role in the student government, so I was really happy to be re-elected this year.”
The AIB and ARC are valuable institutions within our community. Arden Seghal (Form III) said, “I really admired how the system is set up. I think it’s a great balance of students both taking accountability for their actions, and them being able to restore themselves in the community.”
