The joy and excitement of seniors receiving early admission to colleges during the past weeks have been tempered by rejections. Unfortunately, seniors now have  one less way to cope with disappointment.

The Palo Alto High School administration recently expressed concerns about the Rejection Wall and asked the Associated Student Body to delay putting up the wall until further notice, according to ASB President Uma Veerappan.

The Rejection Wall is an annual unofficial Paly tradition where seniors are able to submit their rejection letters to be  displayed in the English Resource Center windows looking outward toward the Quad.

Principal Phil Winston asked for the wall to be delayed until he is able to have “further conversation with ASB” and possibly rename the wall.

The staff of The Paly Voice believes that it is a poor decision to delay the wall, and that the Rejection Wall should be reinstated immediately now that the student body has returned to school from winter break. The naming of the wall, while potentially significant, is no reason to delay the wall when the first round of decisions has already been released.

We believe that the wall provides an opportunity to dispel the perception that rejection reflects poorly on the applicant. It provides a chance for rejection to become humanized and socially acceptable, and ultimately less stressful. The wall helps seniors realize that they are not alone in their rejections, and also provides an authentic exposure to college for underclassmen.

We hope that the Paly administration will realize that the wall is not only a Paly tradition, but it has tangible benefits as well. We hope to see it return as soon as possible.