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PRO/CON: Should senior privilege be changed to a parking privilege?

Caroline Bomboy and Brooke Carroll

October 31, 2023

PRO: Extending the privilege to juniors will help to eliminate problems

Seniors whose grades meet certain requirements receive what’s known as “Senior Privilege.” This allows seniors to arrive late or leave early when they have off first or last mod. Juniors should be given the same privilege.

At the end of their sophomore year and the beginning of their junior year, students start getting their driver’s license. Students can drive themselves to and from school and no longer need to get rides from their parents.
With this new ability to drive, students are required to be more responsible. If senior privilege was transitioned to a parking privilege that applied to juniors as well, it would teach juniors responsibility and time management.
This year senior privilege started earlier than normally. Seniors were allowed to utilize their privilege beginning in late September. One of the main reasons they started early was to ease the traffic load before 8 a.m.
Traffic coming to school each morning is always bad as traffic backs up into the roads leading onto the campus. It’s not out of the ordinary for students to have to add an extra 10-20 minutes to their morning trip to prepare for traffic.
If juniors could arrive later when they don’t have a first mod class, there would be fewer cars coming onto campus before 8:00 a.m., so, therefore, morning traffic would be reduced even more.
In the afternoon, students who have off last mod could leave before 2:45 p.m. This would shorten the pickup line in the afternoon and reduce the number of cars exiting the school.
Since this is a privilege, it would incentivize juniors to keep their grades up.
Junior year is challenging, and motivation to earn a specific GPA will benefit students.
Receiving the same privileges as the students in the grade above them will give juniors a sense of leadership. They will embrace their need to be leaders in the school and fulfill their roles as an upperclassmen.
There is a big transition between junior and senior years. Seniors become focused on applying to colleges and preparing for their futures. Allowing juniors to have the same privileges as seniors will better prepare them for their senior years.
Some may argue that the parking privilege should exclusively be for seniors, but extending it to juniors would teach them time management and responsibility. These traits would prepare them for college and beyond.
Does this mean sophomores could benefit when they begin to get their own licenses? If traffic conditions continue, they could get a privilege as well.
If the privilege is abused, it could always be taken away. – Caroline Bomboy

CON: Privileges should just stay with the seniors as they have earned them

Imagine waiting a few years to know that you are finally a senior and have earned your senior privilege. All of the sudden, you are told that this privilege is changing and is being extended to other grade levels. How would this be fair?

At a recent SGA meeting with administration, the possibility of extending the privilege was brought up. While the idea was ultimately dismissed, it’s hard to believe that it was even considered in the first place. Juniors should not be able to have the privileges that seniors have waited a few years for themselves. Senior privilege includes a major “perk” as seniors are able to come in late or leave early based on their free mods.

Juniors shouldn’t have senior privilege because it is called “Senior Privilege” for a reason: for the senior class, students who have been in high school for four years.

It is meant to reward seniors for being in school longer and showing responsibility and maturity.

It’s not meant for the other students.

Senior privilege is something that students look forward to when they are underclassmen; they look forward to being able to do what the seniors before them have done.

It also motivates juniors to do well and to maintain good behavior so they can earn the privilege the following year.

Allowing juniors to have this could diminish the specialness of senior year. It isn’t fair to the current seniors who have been at John Carroll for all four years because when they were in their junior year, they didn’t have that privilege of coming in late and leaving early.

It is known to be some tradition that marks their transition from junior to senior year. Seniors may feel less valued if privileges are shared with juniors, which could lead to many controversial arguments back and forth.

Not only is it not fair to the current seniors, but it would also not be fair to juniors who don’t drive.

If they were to use that privilege, they would probably be wandering around the campus of JC; they would only be able to leave once their parents came to get them.

If we were to give juniors senior privilege, there would most likely be more problems with the students leaving early overall.

These problems could include overcrowding, resource shortages, and potential discipline issues.

It could potentially disrupt the school’s structure and daily routine that they already have set in place.

Extending the privilege to other grade levels will only confuse things in general. Once it’s given to juniors, other grade levels may start to look for the same thing as well. – Brooke Carroll