Attending any top-tier college prep school is a privilege; Greenhill is no different. Although at times you may disagree with the school’s decisions or even find them incredibly unsettling, at the end of the day we should all be thankful for the education we have received while here. Along with the privilege of attending an elite college prep school comes the understanding that expectations must be met, or that very privilege will be revoked.

Recently a situation arose on campus that brought up questions regarding a student’s privacy and whether or not the school has the right to infringe on this privacy. We all know and understand that legally, as a private institution, Greenhill reserves the right to inspect lockers, desks, computers, cars, bags, and basically whatever they want. The legal right and the ethical seem to collide here. Many students feel that they are not just a part of Greenhill but in a larger sense Americans, and therefore their privacy should be treated as stated in the Constitution. This sentiment makes sense on the surface but really it is a fairly weak argument.

As members of this community it is understood that we all must adhere to a simple set of guidelines and values. Failure to live up to these guidelines by a member of this community must be dealt with properly. To better ensure adherence to these guidelines and the overall safety of the student body the school must possess the power to inspect cars, lockers, bags, etc., confiscate inappropriate or illicit things, and punish students accordingly. I am not calling for metal detectors, drug- sniffing dogs (well, maybe those would be a good idea), or random strip searches. What I am saying is that during extreme circumstances in which school rules are believed to have been violated, Greenhill must act and should not be condemned for such actions.

As students, we need to realize that Greenhill is not out to get us, at school anyway, but in fact teachers and administrators are usually only trying to help. While I personally disagree on a myriad of issues concerning Greenhill and its administration, I am very thankful for the education I have received here. As I stated earlier, I consider it a privilege to attend a school of Greenhill’s caliber. Greenhill must possess the ability to, when necessary, have access to expose those who take such a privilege for granted and are unwilling to live within certain ethical confines.