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Leelanau Talk Blog

## My Prefect Resignation Letter

November 14th, 2008 | Tags: leelanau school, letter, prefect
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Near the start of third quarter, I quietly resigned from my position of prefecture. Why? Because I realized that by being a prefect I was putting myself above others. The school had made it very clear to me that I was not to cause any more disturbances or engage in politics, so I didn’t make a big deal out of it or publish the letters.

While I think I did my duties well, I didn’t want to be doing them at all. I wasn’t a member of the kindel dorm anymore and it wasn’t my right to go around telling people to do their areas, especially when other prefects were getting paid to let kids off the hook. Even before, it wasn’t my right. When I joined the prefecture program, part of my goal was to make it more equitable, which I think I did by doing areas when the guys in my group did them, often doing more than them. I hope this set an example for future prefects.

To: Ms. Semanco – Head of Prefecture Program
Mr. Friley – Director of Resedential Life
Mr. Sonnenberg – Kindel Head of House

From: Alex Bryan

I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to be a prefect this year and for maintaining my status as a prefect despite political differences. As you know, I have given up my life of political activism and I am now only engaging in political activity outside of school. I do not believe that I adequately fill the roll as prefect. I am writing this letter to tell you that I have decided to give up my status as a prefect staring second semester.
Since I left Kindel I have quickly become alienated from it and my status as prefect is often confusing to the residents of Kindel. Prefects are meant to be respected members of the dorm community who naturally fall into leadership roles. I am no longer a member of the Kindel community and I believe my status as a prefect dilutes the program’s original intentions. Students need a person who they live with and I just can’t bring that to the prefect program.
I have heard that there will be a new prefect installed in Algonquin and that Joe has been groomed for the position. Because of the mixture of students placed in this dorm, it has become a high-tension area and I constantly am aware of it due to my room’s proximity to the common area. My last action as a prefect, and therefore informal representative of students, is to strongly urge you not to make Joe a prefect in Algonquin. I do not think Joe would be a good prefect because he does not have the respect of the other members of the dorm. The main issue I feel and observe is that Joe does not give the same respect to other residents that he already expects, and would expect more of, if he were to be chosen as a prefect. At the prefect orientation meeting this year, we were told that things would be different and they have. The prefect title carries weight among students and no longer means somebody who can get away with things because they played their cards right the previous year. I was also told at the meeting that prefects were not to be administrator’s pets, the community watch, or anything along those lines but rather members of the community that naturally fell into leadership roles whom other dorm residents respected. By setting good examples, students would start to look up to prefects and take on leadership roles as well. To me, Joe would be that “extension of the staff” that many prefecture programs in other schools have. I believe the “community member” model is much more effective and helps foster bonds between dorm members. These bonds lead to working collaboratively and mutual respect.
Other students may tell a different story to you, and I hope that you will listen to everybody’s views and make the best decision possible. I do not know who to suggest for prefecture or even if Algonquin needs a prefect however I do believe that Algonquin needs dorm meetings for Algonquin-only issues. If a prefect is to be chosen for Algonquin then I believe John Wilt is a good candidate. He has the respect of the other members of the dorm because of the way he treats them and handles dorm life. I do not know how well he does with leadership roles or if he is interested in the position; that is for you to evaluate.

I hope this letter has come soon enough for you to find a replacement for me and that prefecture continues to represent what it has represented this year to myself and other students this year. I am willing to sit down and discuss things with you individually or as a group if need be.
Sincerely,
Alex

After I sent the letter, not a single word was spoken to me about the prefecture program. Prefects get away with a hell of a lot, so it’s a good position to be in but it’s not right to make others do work against their will. Hopefully somebody got some joy out of this blog posting, just putting it up so things can be more transparent.

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- November 19, 2008 -- Welcome to the Leelanau Talk Blog
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