BCP/XCP administration ponders possibility of change

By Sean Harris ’11
THE ROUNDUP

The Great Hall vibrates with the pulsating sound of the latest hit songs as students dance along.

This has been a proud tradition carried out by the Brophy/Xavier dances; providing a fun and relaxing break from the stress of school, an outlet where students can hang out with their friends, have a good time and maybe meet that special someone.

Lately the dances have been viewed as controversial because contemporary dancing styles do not match with the expectations of the administration.

The obvious example of this is “grinding,” something that has taken control of the dance floor and spread like wildfire. Because of this some people think that it is time for a change.

“Obviously we share our dances with Xavier and they felt like they had some real significant problems at their Winter Formal,” said Dean Mr. Jim Bopp.

“We’ve come together to talk about how we might increase student awareness of the issue and make sure students know it’s something we’re concerned about.”

Whether such information is given by the Assistant Principal for Student Activities Mr. Jeff Glosser after the Student Council elections or in the body of a mass e-mail sent out by Xavier the Thursday before Prom, it is clear that Brophy/Xavier are trying to quash grinding.

While Xavier has been more vocal about a possible change to the dance policy, Brophy has taken steps towards enforcement and awareness.

“I still think the vast majority of people are doing things the way we want and hope they will, but there is a significant percentage of people who aren’t,” Mr. Bopp said. “We have to see if we can’t correct that or get them to correct that.”

However, some Brophy faculty and staff members are still seeking a change to the policy.

“Among the staff we’re just concerned that there’s a lack of respect going on among the Brophy students as well as the Xavier students as far as the type and style of dancing that’s occurring,” said Mrs. Robin Miller. “Is it really necessary at a high school dance to have so much inappropriate behavior going on? It’s just general concern about implementing more of an environment that supports self-respect.”

Mrs. Miller is a part of a committee formed by Mr. Stephen Johnson to bring to the administration their concerns and potential solutions.

Despite all the push for change, much of the student body has remained firm in its belief that there is no big issue behind dancing.

“Our mission on Student Council is to encourage people to come to the dances; they are allowed to dance closely but to keep in mind that it needs to be appropriate,” said Student Council member J.P Mulligan ’11. “They can’t take it to the extreme and as long as they are having a good time and keeping things pretty clean, they (the administration) are not going to have any problem with that.”