By Claire Gunning
Opinion Editor
Mira Costa girls soccer has well established the tradition of seniors dressing up freshmen between October and November as a team-bonding exercise. Administration’s new policy that states that seniors must follow a new set of restrictive criteria or they are not allowed to participate in freshman-senior dress up day undermines a long-standing student tradition and hinders the bonding of the team as a whole.
Costa girls soccer has held the tradition of the seniors dressing up the freshman girls for approximately 25 years, girls Soccer Booster Club President Leslie Whittet said. This year, the team can encourage freshmen to dress up in costumes as long as the senior girls dress up in the same costumes; dressing up is optional for freshmen, and the team must give a detailed description of the dress-up day’s events to the administration beforehand due to possible hazing claims, Vice Principal Jon Shaw said.
According to a survey of 31 girls on the soccer team, 28 of the girls said that the dress-up activity has brought the team closer together in the past, showing that it helps create a cohesive team environment. The new potential policy is not reasonable for the team as it is important to build team camaraderie.
Shaw recognizes the importance of team bonding, but Costa should avoid any liability that could result from an activity that could be considered hazing, he said. However, according to California Penal Code 245.6 PC, hazing has to cause “serious bodily injuries” to be subject for a lawsuit. Since serious bodily injuries are indubitably not a possible consequence of the relatively harmless tradition, Costa should not be worried about liability and instead allow the team to continue its longtime tradition.
Furthermore, according to a poll of 29 parents of Costa girls soccer team members, 100% of the parents have agreed to sign consent forms, a method the team captains have agreed to adopt if administration deems it necessary, co-captain Delaney Whittet said. With consent from students and parents, there is no reason that the school should be concerned about liability, because the responsibility then lies in the hands of the guardians as participating students are minors.
In addition, according to the survey, 100% of the freshman respondents is willing to and interested in participating in the bonding day at Costa. If the students are willing to and are comfortable in taking part in a dress-up day, then there should not be any concerns and unease among the participants.
Despite the freshmen’s answers, the fact that 100% says it is willing may suggest that team members may not openly show feelings of humiliation. This is a situation that Costa does not want to occur, Shaw said. However, the girls do have the option to back out πwith no punishment or pressure, co-captain Emelie Flaig said. Therefore, if they do feel humiliated, then they have a completely viable option that allows them to avoid any embarrassment.
By receiving consent from both guardians and the students themselves to dress up students, the possibility of hazing as a liability to the school should be dismissed. Furthermore, as long as participants of the girls soccer team do not feel that this event represents hazing, the administration should respect the team’s tradition.
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