The entire idea of having rules is to keep everyone in order and keep people safe. Lately at Panther Creek, freshman and sophomores have had a hard time complying with certain Panther Creek policies and it is taking a toll on rule-following juniors and seniors. There has been an uproar from upperclassmen as off-campus lunch privileges are being revoked and new restrictions are put in place. The source of the problem is underclassmen finding ways to sneak off campus for lunch.

Panther Creek currently has a system in which you show the security guard your off-campus pass which proves that you are an upperclassmen and you are eligible to leave for lunch. Certain underclassmen found loopholes in the system and were getting to leave for lunch. After a couple students were caught with fake passes, hiding in back seats, and sneaking off in “the cut,” Panther Creek administration knew they had to make a change.

On January 19, 2017, students felt the impact of theses new changes. As everyone drove off for lunch they noticed the line was moving especially slow. The security guard was instructed to look for people hiding in cars and to check passes thoroughly to make sure nobody had fake passes. Anger began to stir when students were stuck in the parking lot for over half an hour. Amanda Coole recalls “By the time I got out of the parking lot I only had fifteen minutes to eat.” After talking with a few more seniors, it was discovered that their anger was directed not so much at the security guard and the administration, but towards the sophomores and juniors trying to sneak off. Connor McCreedy, a senior at PC, said “We all had to respect the rules and wait two years to go off-campus and the underclassmen need to respect the rule and wait their turn too.”

Although these restrictions have negatively affected many Panther Creek students, “you have to trust the process” says Alex Robertson.