“The Code is something that should punish people when they make mistakes,” said New Trier senior and former Student Alliance president Jack Levin. “At the same time it should teach lessons, and if no lessons were taught then the school has failed at their job of teaching. It’s as simple as that.”

Levin was recently demoted from his presidency to a board position due to a violation of the Extracurricular Code while he was working on Lagniappe.

Levin was disappointed in the school’s enforcement of the Code and what he believed to be unjust since he believes he cooperated with administrators.

Levin and several other students came forward in what they believed would be considered a “Voluntary Admission,” a clause of the Code in which a student admits his or her wrongdoings to the school administration which “will not result in loss of extracurricular participation, and consequences will be held in abeyance.”

According to Levin, “It’s [Voluntary Admission] supposed to be an avenue in which you prove that you’re an honest person and that you understand you made a mistake and the school isn’t supposed to punish you –it’s a test of character. And they [the school administration] did not care.”

He goes on to say that the school did not consider his admission to violating the Code because the Lagniappe sponsors had begun the process of investigating the incident the night before he and the other students came forward.

Every student who participates in any voluntary extracurricular activity, athletic or performing art is held to the school’s Extracurricular Code.

Located in the school’s yearly Guidebook, the Code reads, “[It] seeks to foster health, safety, and welfare of the participants and requires high standards of conduct and citizenship in order to sustain a sound extracurricular program.”

Stacy Kolack, New Trier’s Student Activities Coordinator said of the Extracurricular Code, ”It’s a code of conduct so it really is holding students who participate in leadership positions to the high standards that we would expect of any student leader. We would hope that students are making good choices, that are safe and respectful to themselves and others, so it’s basically a reminder of that.”

A set of guidelines and principles for students to follow, the code outlines the consequences of any transgressions in an attempt to prevent them, including but not limited to, being under the influence of or possessing alcohol or drugs, violations of academic integrity, bullying, vandalism, and suspension.

In signing the Extracurricular Code, each student pledges, “I understand that if I violate the express or implied terms of the Extracurricular Code, or if I engage in any behavior that negatively affects my activity, fellow students, school, or community, I will be subject to disciplinary measures that may include the immediate revocation of my privilege to participate in the extracurricular program.”

Levin felt the Code’s claim to analyze all “facts, circumstances, and disciplinary measures… on a case-by-case basis,” fell short in his case. This means that the rules of the Extracurricular Code will apply differently to each case brought before the school administration based on the context and circumstances surrounding it.

“This was the explanation given to me. One of the reasons behind the punishment was that they wanted to create consistency. This is how student leaders have been punished when they’re caught drinking or breaking the Code in some aspects, so for what I had done, this was the normal punishment, but that goes against the case-by-case basis,” Levin said.

In accordance with this case-by-case basis, Levin thought that his past work would have some weight in his punishment. Being the Head of the Events Committee for two years prior to his being elected President, as well as being a student ambassador Levin stated he thought he had, “proved a level of leadership that goes beyond one mistake that I made.”

While he doesn’t expect to get his presidency back, on returning to Student Alliance as a board member Levin plans to use his time raising awareness about the Extracurricular Code and work for its reform.

According to Kolack, each year the school administration holds a meeting in which members of Student Alliance are invited to share their thoughts on the Code in a collaborative effort to revise it.

“It’s [The Code] out there in advance, it’s not meant to be a ‘gotcha’ sort of thing by any means but it is outlining what we as New Trier hope that our student leaders who take on more responsibility would be held up to,” said Kolack.

The school administration would not comment for this article.