By Perrin Clark ’15, Staff Writer

Newark Academy prides itself as an institution of diversity. From the Global Speaker Series to the International Baccalaureate program, the Academy aspires to broaden the scope of every student’s learning experience.  Inevitably the issue of diversity will come up with regard to politics. What are the political opinions of the student body? Does Newark Academy foster an environment in which every student may express their philosophy with encouragement, or is our school politically one-sided? As a student of politics, I found this question to be a critical cog in the thought machine of our student body.

The simple answer: the environment of Newark Academy does seem to project a liberal bias. The results of the well-attended mock election at school would have re-elected President Obama decisively. The students interviewed for this article were in wide agreement that the school is liberal, although they did not attribute that liberalism to any sort of institutionalization. In other words, the genesis of political leanings can be found by the students themselves.

Junior Jake Faber ’14, a member of the Young Democrats club, said, “It seems that the school is largely liberal with a few conservative outliers. It is not that these opinions are taught by anyone in particular, but rather they are learned by most. Simply being in an environment where an ideology is particularly accepted incentivizes those within the community to adopt similar opinions.” Indeed, students tend to feel the liberal leaning. Ted Steffens ’14 had similar thoughts. He claims, “I do believe, as shown by the polling results conducted by the programming class, that the majority of students lean, or at least would vote, in a liberal fashion. I think there is an inherently liberal attitude at any school for the most part due to the fact that youth in general are becoming more socially liberal, but the school does not force this on students. So I would say that it’s not so much Newark Academy as it is schools in general that are more left-minded.” Such left-mindedness can be attributed to many things: age, location in New Jersey, or religious beliefs.

Jai Ghose ’14, a Young Republicans member, believes “the school seems to have a liberal bias because of the community and location. NJ is an overly liberal state, so that carries over. Also, having not made their first paycheck, many seem to think big government is what’s best for others–many people do not think pragmatically because they do not have to.” Jai is not alone; the election results indicate that there is a substantial minority of students who share his fiscally conservative views. However, a minority is still just that. This leaning could also indicate that students prioritize social leanings over economic ones.

Students’ liberal attitudes are not spontaneous, but rather bricks ingrained in the foundation of philosophical convictions. Therefore, it would be impossible to eradicate any political leaning at Newark Academy; the student body will remain entrenched in its views. While a political bias among students is inevitable, this bias mustn’t be blamed on the administration or faculty. It is imperative to foster individuality, tolerance, and respect to create an ideal environment at Newark Academy.