“We have been tested as a community, tested as individuals — both one and the same in times like these. And the best that we can do in a time like this is to join together and show respect for the feelings of others.”

Exactly one year ago, The Winged Post published an editorial mourning the loss of a beloved faculty member and commending our community’s ability to pull together and support each other, even after the death of a faculty member.

One year later, and we appear fractured, our community split by misinformation and miscommunication. And over what? A hemline.

Around Aug. 6, the rumor that the requirement for skirts had been changed to knee-length trickled on to Facebook from the back to school hub, spreading through the Harker community and igniting protest. On Aug. 8, the administration notified parents of the change but did not directly contact students until Aug. 13, following a student council meeting and considerable social media backlash.

Many students were convinced that the administration’s motivations for changing the dress code were rooted in sexism. While Upper School Dean of Students, Kevin Williamson, the engineer of the rule change, maintained that the policy had been changed for enforcement purposes.

What frustrated students about the dress code was not the rule itself but the lack of transparency with which it was changed. Students were not informed that there was a discussion about changing the dress code, and when the new policy was enacted, the administration waited at least a week before notifying anyone. When the update came, it was directed towards parents, not the students, whom the rule would affect.

On the student side of things, anyone who had a Facebook account and at least a couple friends who went to Harker knew about the dress code and the outrage that flooded news feeds for the next few days. A group sprung up called Skirt the Rules. Petitions were drafted. Voices were raised. Accusations of sexism were levelled. The caps-lock button was firmly on.

No problems are going to be solved if the administration discusses issues without the input of the whole community and if the student body continues to point fingers instead of trying to reach a compromise.

It’s much easier to share your thoughts on Facebook with your peers, but it really takes effort and thought to draft an email to administration. Despite the maelstrom of complaints over social media, Williamson reported receiving only three or four complaints from students. For all of our Facebook passion, very few of us had the courage to sacrifice the sense of impunity that comes with staying behind a computer screen.

We let our sentiments fester and proliferate through Facebook because we were unconvinced we could effect actual change. Even the group name “Skirt the Rules” condones hiding and shrinking around the rules, and diverts efforts away from a respectful discussion about what’s best for our campus.

Even now that the skirt length has reverted back to last year’s four inch rule, pending further discussion with all parties, our community remains fractured. In times like these, when we can feel the foundation of our community crumble, it’s important to remember all that we’ve been through.

We have been each others’ shoulders to cry on and biggest cheerleaders. We are not a group of people that splinters over something as inconsequential as a hemline. We are the Harker community, and we are a strong one. Going forward from here, we need to act like it.