Emily Shao (‘26) is hungry for a delicious ramen bowl on a Thursday night — this is one of the three days of the week students cannot order takeout. The Price Dining Hall is serving baked potatoes; Emily just is not feeling the vibe of what they have prepared and would love another food option. As she walks down to the Jones Dormitory common room, Emily smells the aroma of tonkatsu ramen — a senior is eating a delicious bowl of ramen takeout on the sofa!   

Senior privileges seem like a reward granted to seniors for their hard work during their four years at Webb and relief in the second semester from the overflowing work assigned in the first semester. Yet, the actual purpose is far different.  

“There are significantly fewer restrictions in colleges; senior privileges are created to give the seniors a taste of their transition to college,” said Ken Rosenfeld, Dean of Campus Life. “It is also because senior privileges have been a tradition.”  

Senior privileges are determined yearly by the senior class officers this year, Jackie Shugert (‘24), Kristie Ma (‘24), Justin Pan (‘24), and Pui Fong (‘24). The group, along with Geoffrey Owers, mathematics department faculty, and WSC Class of 2024 Lead Class Advisor, gathered a list of privileges from previous years and the opinions of the class of 2024. Together, the combined list of the privileges goes towards the deans for approval and modification.   

Take for example, dorm sleepovers. Sarah Lantz, Dean of Students, states in her email that “boarding students may complete a sleepover pass to host a day student from the same school or a boarding student from another dorm of the same school on Friday and Saturday nights.” 

Another example is lunch sign outs when “Seniors may sign-out between 11:50 am-1:15 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays for long lunch off-campus with permission.” 

These privileges are only announced to the senior class. Underclassmen, however, are not kept from knowing from this information. As Mr. Rosenfeld points out, the deans can answer any questions regarding the specification of the senior privileges for the underclassmen.  

Now the question arises: why are these privileges not extended to the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors? For the underclassmen, the answer is simple: they are still adjusting from middle school, and having these privileges may interfere with their transition into a new and harsher environment, high school.  For the juniors, the privileges are placed right in the busiest time. This is the year for them to sprint for their college applications and the incoming Advanced Placement tests. It is also the year for preparing for preparations new leadership responsibilities.  

Senior privileges are not unconditionally guaranteed, however. As in an email sent out by Dean Lantz on January 30th, 2024, a bolded and underlined message appears on the top, “As a reminder, these are privileges and can be taken away if they are misused or you do not follow protocols”. 

Abusing these privileges, like not signing out when leaving campus during lunch or returning extremely late from the originally reported time without notice, can impact all seniors, either limiting or having the privileges taken away entirely. 

On the other hand, utilizing these privileges with responsibility and attention might mean the expansion of previous privileges or the possibility of new additions.  

Senior privileges can add fun and freedom to the lives of second-semester seniors, and it is something that all Webb students can be look forward to when they become seniors themselves. Emily will one day be able to award herself with a bowl of ramen on a Thursday night.