It occurred to me, given the recent activity in this thread, that I had not finished entering Malcolm's blog entries on
Brother's Keeper from 2005. Here's is #3, using the example of
a student caught smoking.
Ironically, this was right around the time that Hyde parent Nancy Lund, who describes herself in
her bio as being "the key steward of the Marlboro brand for more than two decades," was in the midst of -- or just gearing up to -- her financial contributing frenzy that ended up landing her on the Hyde Board of Governors not long after.
Although the veracity of a matching employer contribution is not known, IMO I find that possibility highly likely, given that her employer was then (and still is) "Altria Group, Inc.," previously known as
Philip Morris USA. Philip Morris chose to
rename itself in the wake of plummeting popular opinion re. the rapacious marketing strategies of cigarette companies, and strategically strove to present an image of a philanthropic steward of public consumption. "Altria"... is that supposed to suggest "altruism?"
See the
Only @ Hyde thread for more details. The new
Only @ Hyde site was "conceptualized during discussions between Hyde Board of Governors member Nancy Lund and Hyde President Malcolm Gauld, who expressed interest in featuring the 'unique' and 'intriguing' qualities and experiences delivered only at Hyde." Incidentally that "cutting edge global marketing firm" of Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc. that Nancy Lund teamed up with for this project, has been handling the Marlboro brand since 1955.
Back to
Malcolm's blog, color emphasis mine:
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Date: August 30, 2005
Subject: Brother's KeeperIt occurs to me that this topic (Brother's Keeper) might require some explanation.
Most of Hyde's ethics regarding student behavioral expectations are easily understandable. The fact that we do not allow students to take drugs and that we penalize them for stealing from their peers does not surprise them; nor are students surprised to learn that cheating is not tolerated. The "rub" with the vast majority of Hyde students comes with the concept of Brother's Keeper.
Simply put, students are expected to act upon the disciplinary infractions and attitudes of their peers. They are expected to hold each other accountable to their personal best.
For example, if you are not a smoker but you're walking downtown with Johnny, who lights up a cigarette, you have a responsibility to do something about that. You must tell Johnny to turn himself in to the Dean's Office and make it clear that if he doesn't, you will. If we later become aware of Johnny's smoking and it becomes clear that you knew he had smoked and that you had not acted upon it, you will be treated as if you were in the same boat as Johnny. This is a bitter pill for Hyde students to swallow. When a young student first learns of Brother's Keeper, he or she will invariably say something like "No way! I'm not going to 'narc' on my friends." In most schools, a student would commit social suicide if he or she turned a classmate in for breaking the rules of the school. Not so at Hyde.
Much of the initial disdain for Brother's Keeper is due to the fact that a student's initial association with the concept is usually a negative one. Either a student has committed a violation of the ethics and does not want to accept accountability for it, or one has witnessed another student committing a violation and would rather not get involved in the ugly social repercussions of turning in a fellow student. However, later on, after a student begins to perform well academically, scores a few goals out on the soccer field, or sings a solo in a school production, the student realizes that he or she might never have accomplished these things without the positive peer pressure of Brother's Keeper. After these experiences the veteran student generally regards Brother's Keeper in a positive light.
