Day Students Highlight Gaps In Everyday Life

By Isabella Vander Elst ‘28 and Lyra Dvorin ‘28

Milton Academy’s student body contains a 50:50 ratio of day to boarding students. Currently, Milton does not provide lockers or cubbies to all day students. While students can visit the Office of Student Life to reserve a locker near the campus bookstore, Anka Kahle ’28 revealed  that she “was not familiar” with this option. Instead, the vast majority of day students store their belongings in the Student  Center during the academic day.

Because only varsity athletic teams are provided with locker rooms, Kahle explained that when  she is not an in-season varsity athlete, she’ll “just drop [her bag] in the Stu wherever people are piling their bags.” However, some students worry about the security of their athletic equipment. “Sometimes I’m nervous,” said Ingrid Emmott ’29, “I know  some people have had their [field hockey] sticks lost or stolen.” Naomi Nurenberg ’29 shared similar thoughts: “I’ve definitely had stuff go missing.”

As Julia Refai ’28 shared, “I have to leave my bag in very crowded, narrow spaces, because there is nowhere else to put it.” There have been multiple Milton administration announcements about the hazards that large concentrations  of bags in the Student Center and the lobby of the Athletic Convocation Center (ACC) pose . Students echoed this sentiment; Refai explained that “people can trip over [bags] very easily just because there are so many in the way.” Additionally, Nurenberg feared that her belongings would be “stepped on or destroyed” during transition periods.

When asked what should be done to confront the lack of storage space for day students, Alex Greenwood ’28 said, “I would feel more comfortable if I had a spot specifically for my bag.” Other interviewed students agreed; Refai suggested: “a room just for day students to put their bags.” However, Greenwood pointed out that “Some people wouldn’t use the lockers or need them.” She also posed the question of “where those lockers [would] be.”

Another difference that affects the everyday lives of day students but not boarding students is the recent changes in Forbes Dining Hall. At the start of the school year, the Office of Student Life changed the policy to remove regular Forbes dining services on dorm dinner nights.

During dorm dinner, each boarding house sits in an assigned space. Hathaway and Goodwin sit down for dorm dinner on East Campus, while Millet, Norris, and Hallowell dine in Elliot Dining Hall. However, Wolcott, Robbins, and Forbes Houses eat in Milton’s main Forbes Dining Hall, closing off the space for other students on campus. Clara Ryan ‘28 shared, “I respect that the boarders have their time with dorm dinner.” Nonetheless, she continued, “I think there is a better way to [maintain] that space of community while also giving day students a space of community.”

Forbes plays a critical role on Milton’s campus after sports practices. Most Milton sports practices end around 5:45, just before the departure of the 6:00 buses. Gabriel Galva Diez ‘28 said he and his friends “would look forward to going to dinner [because] our practices would end pretty late.” Although head of Residential Life Mr. Christopher Lewis said “the goal was never to not offer day students meals,” Galva Diez notes that “With dorm dinner, it’s hard to access food, so we do have to go off campus if we want any sort of meal.”

Moreover, Milton’s Speech and Debate Team practices every Thursday night. Meshva Patel ‘28, a day student and member of the Speech and Debate team, shared, “I can’t drive myself anywhere, so I have to find a day student that can drive me to get food because dorm dinner isn’t open.” She explained that for the first practice, “the captains had to buy food for us to eat.”

Day students explained that the changes in Forbes have widened the gap between day and boarding students. “When everyone hangs out after school and eats dinner together, that’s when the community is getting the closest,” Patel shared. Similarly, Galva Diez recognized that “Forbes is the place where everyone comes together, no matter if you are a boarder or day student.”

However, Galva Diez corroborated that he feels “out of place” during dorm dinner, “kind of like an outsider.” Ryan additionally  shared that she feels “uncomfortable [when] in the dining hall [with] just Wolcott and Forbes, especially as a girl.”

In the last week, Forbes Dining Hall switched back to standard services. Reflecting on the last month of dining changes, Mr. Lewis added, “We needed to gather some data on service and foot traffic in the first couple of weeks before we could make any changes to  ensure the dining team could provide appropriate service.” Upon discovering Forbes Dining Hall’s switch back to everyday meal services, Galva Diez highlighted his appreciation for Forbes Dining Hall’s “reopening” during dorm dinner. Ultimately, day students’ reactions have demonstrated Forbes Dining Hall’s pivotal role in shaping Milton’s cohesive and united community space beyond academic spaces.

As a boarding and day school, Milton expresses a commitment to integration between the two halves of the student body. However, day students have expressed difficulties with a lack of storage space in the Student Center; nonetheless, several highlight their understanding of why these spaces do not exist. Similarly, day students complain about dorm dinner in Forbes—and the administration has listened to their complaints, showcasing Milton’s devotion to closing the divide between boarders and day students.

Source: TopPrivateSchools.us