The 2025-26 school year was a time of significant change. In addition to the stepping down of Dr. Bynum due to health challenges, the selection of Mr. Boccuzzi as the new head of school, and the opening of the Vassar Center, there was the implementation of new policies and initiatives throughout much of the year. These included the phone policy, the new assembly seating system, the pilot schedule, the finals week overhaul, and the creation of the “Beyond Lakeside” seminar series. 

As these policy changes are intended to create a stronger and more connected community, it feels important that Lakeside deeply incorporates student voice in the process of implementing future changes. One powerful way to gather and amplify students’ perspectives and insights would be the use of student referendums. 

The success of student referendums has been previously demonstrated in other academic settings, such as Columbia and Cornell. In these settings, referendums have ranged from very focused polls on specific policies to more comprehensive opinion surveys around a broader set of proposed administrative changes. They have been a vehicle for the larger student body to partner with the administration around significant changes on their campuses. 

Lakeside’s adoption of these types of referendums would support student voices in a confidential, efficient, and accessible way. In particular, the anonymous nature of referendums would help to protect student privacy. In a February 2025 Tatler article, an anonymous interviewee stated, “I’m not tryna have my name in the paper and be the only one going after [criticizing] the administration.” While the point of the referendums would not be to criticize the administration but rather to voice one’s take on proposed community changes, referendums might help to alleviate students’ fear of upsetting those in authority positions. Moreover, the referendums would help to gather students’ voices more efficiently. Tatler could use its current poll structure to facilitate referendums as well as to disseminate results to the broader community in a timely manner. Most importantly, this process would create a new communication channel between students and the administration. This broadened accessibility would help to foster greater understanding and clarity across the community, especially in times of rapid or increased change.  

By integrating student feedback in the policy-making process, the use of referendums would better ensure positive outcomes. Particularly, they would increase students’ commitment to and investment in these collaboratively shaped policies. In addition, students playing a role in how policies evolve would help us to adopt any changes with greater preparedness and ease. 

The results of this month’s Tatler poll indicate that students believe the use of referendums would be highly beneficial. Specifically, 91% of respondents feel that the use of this tool would foster greater student inclusion in significant decisions around how our school functions and progresses.

While the enthusiasm for referendums is apparent, it is important to consider some of the potential challenges. In particular, student consensus might not always align with what is most beneficial for our community as a whole. This concern was expressed by one of the few respondents opposing the use of referendums who argued that students “will simply take the seemingly easier path forward.” This respondent highlighted “the phone ban, which I’d argue was a good thing in promoting connection across campus…No [one] would have voted for that…but at the end of the day we have to make the harder decision for what is arguably a greater outcome.” To help mitigate this potential challenge, the referendums (like those in most higher-level institutions) would be considered advisory, meaning that the administration would take their results into account but comprehensively consider a slew of other factors as well. This may also help to foster increased dialogue between administration and students around a range of factors that impact policy decisions. In addition, increasing student participation might be challenging. This month’s poll question about the use of referendums had 57 respondents (about 10% of the Upper School student population). While this is a decent sample size (though lower than normal as a result of the poll being sent out in August) increased participation would be essential for referendums to be representative. Given this, referendum polling could be held during advisory periods or assembly a few times throughout the year. 

Although the implementation of referendums may come with some challenges, the overwhelming benefit of amplifying student voices far outweighs any potential concerns. By introducing referendums, Lakeside would strengthen the role of students in the policy-making process, increase efficiency and transparency in creating new policies, and help our community implement changes in a way that is more collaborative and hence smoother. Referendums would be a powerful step forward. However, it is important to remember that a single measure will never be the whole solution. We must continue to find additional ways to foster open dialogue between students and the administration as we strengthen our community for the changes to come.