By Josh Faber ’12, Commentary Editor

There are certain nuances of Newark Academy that magnetically attract new students to the school. Our technology is sleek, our teachers are amiable and our ubiquitous master plan is just getting off the ground. Yet, gadgets and school spirit cannot diversify the community in all regards. Despite the best efforts of a methodical admissions department, Newark Academy draws nearly twice as many self-identified Democrats as Republicans according to a school-wide survey conducted by the Commentary section.

Newark Academy is an institution that strives to encompass students and teachers, whites and blacks, boys and girls. Why not liberals and conservatives? This should not be misconstrued to suggest affirmative action on the basis of political affiliation. Rather, the conservative minority should not be crushed by a vociferous left. Over the past few years, the most benign manifestation of NA’s liberal tilt has been our nearly fanatical commitment to the environment. While some activities like the Passaic River Clean up have served to build a sense of community, other events strike a biased chord to the politically aware observer.

In 2008, the student body was assailed by a presentation on the horrors of oil consumption which incorporated segments of a film entitled “The End of Suburbia.” One of my earliest memories at NA includes the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” which has been lambasted as alarmist and statistically inaccurate by politically savvy laymen and environmentalist scientists alike. The most recent example of green rhetoric at NA came from Annie Leonard just a few years ago.

Amongst all of these examples, not a single person stepped on stage to tell our school that cow flatulence is as likely a source of global warming as SUVs. This opinion is considered conservative and therefore does not fit the mold at Newark Academy.

It would be silly and irresponsible to contest the viewpoint that the environment must be protected. A unilateral approach to this discussion, however, is quite detrimental. Combating political homogeneity in the NA community will allow students to come to their own conclusions and conceive of potential solutions to world issues.

The best way to reform this situation is to inform the community of all sides of the discussion instead of the perspective that is most politically correct. If that goal requires a showing of the Story of Stuff Critique after Annie Leonard speaks, so be it. A person should not be chastised for agreeing with imperialism or disagreeing with gay marriage. There are simple ways to moderate this dialogue without offense or polarization. We just have to be open to the possibilities.