Interest Group Analysis
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Running Head: Interest Group Analysis
Paint-up policy at York High School
Paul Rice
The College of William and Mary
Interest Group Analysis
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Going to high school football games in the fall is a tradition in many areas of
America. Each area has their own special traditions that contribute to the overall culture
of each school. One such tradition at York High School is “painting up” before home
games. A group of student, usually seniors will paint their bodies in school colors and
four boys will have York spelled out on their chest. These revelers have become a point
of pride to the student body, and a part of the school culture.
Traditionally only boys were “painting up.” In the pass couple of years girls have
began to “paint up,” to support and promote school pride. The area of conflict revolvs
around what is appropriate attire for a girl when she “paints up?” Boys were allowed to
enter without shirts on, so a standard needed to be established for girls. Some girls
painted their faces and wore shirts. One group of girls only wore sports bras, and this
was where student interest and the administration differed.
Girls had been wearing sports bras to games for two years. Principal Fox when
she was an AP thought this was inappropriate. As principal she crafted a “no painting up”
policy. This policy impacted both boys and girls. The tradition was dead.
As drastic as
the “no painting up” policy may seem it was driven by equity. Principal Fox stated that,
“It did not seem fair that boys could come in without a shirt and girls not be allowed to
do anything.” Even with equity as a goal the policy was seen as a clear use of
distributive power. Students could only see that they were not part of the policy process.
The reaction by students was to mobilize bias and over turn the policy. The
number of students who “paint up” before a game is small, but what mattered was who
“painted up.” The students who painted up were leaders in the school who had worked
Interest Group Analysis
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with the administration before to resolve issues or implement student programs. The use
of power created a sense of injustice among the students.
Interestingly, the shaping of consciousness by students was done by the
asymmetrical relationship of classes. Seniors took the lead on this issue and began to
lobby other classes for support. I had a senior, who made an impassionate plea to the
juniors in class with him to fight for this grand tradition.
Common ground was found on one key issue in this dispute, and that was the use
of sports bras. The students felt that girls’ wearing just sports bras was inappropriate.
This area of agreement gives insight into student groups and the issue of power. The
students fighting to over turn the policy wanted to do just that, and did not care about the
sports bra issue. Clearly some students controlled the discussion and worked to shape a
policy that would benefit them, which is a realistic position considering Principal Fox’s
stance on sports bras.
The outcome of this situation was a positive one for the administration.
Eventually a compromise was reached where girls were allowed to “paint up” their
stomachs, but no further, and boys could continue to paint up without a shirt. Principal
Fox said there were two positive results of this situation. First, students saw the
administration using their power in a facilitative manner. She was willing to listen to
them, and her transparency about the issue strengthened her trust with students.
One group worth mentioning that did not directly play a role in this policy was
parents. Principal Fox acted unilaterally when she instituted the “no paint up” policy.
Parents were not consulted during the entire process nor did they ever protest the change
in policy.
Interest Group Analysis
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Students were motivated because a perceived right had been taken away. History
is very clear that groups will respond when rights are taken away, and this was no
different for the students. This also could have been a case where they were challenging
the authority of a new principal. There short term motivation may have been to overturn
the policy. There possible long term motivation may have been to see how the new
administration would respond to such a controversial issue.
Principal Fox’s motivation was linked to her belief that girls in sports bras were
inappropriate. Her motivation may have been personal, but she had policy behind her.
Students were in violation of the dress code, but I don’t think this was her motivation for
the policy. I believe she saw football games as a time for community evaluation of the
school. I believe she wanted to show the community that the school reflected community
standards. .
A Friday night football game is an opportunity to mobilize bias. Schools are
evaluated at every football game. Some are concerned about what takes place on the
field and others use this time to discuss the school itself. My belief is that someone might
have said something to her about the girls in the sports bra when she was an AP. As
principal she has the power to influence policy, and I think she wanted to show the
community that the school reflected their values when it came to appropriate dress.
Overall the policy formulation process showed students that the administration
was will to work with them to craft better policy. This in turn created a stronger
relationship between students and the administration. The unintended consequences of
policy are sometimes more powerful than the intended.