On Oct. 19, the SBC sent out a survey that included six questions rating student opinions of the school as well as an open-ended call for suggestions.

The tampered question involved the request to rate the school’s appearance. The rating options read “one, you hate it or five, you also really hate it.”

A friend of a council member changed the wording of the question as a joke, but forgot to change it back, according to the SBC president Carter Chung. The SBC did not release the student’s name. “They thought it was funny,” he said.

However, the changes were no laughing matter. “A few people, including teachers, were offended. (Some) people thought it was a shot at Lowell, saying that the students had no say. The intention of the survey was to find out what students actually thought of the school,” Chung said.

Not only was the idea of improving the school compromised, but the image of the SBC was damaged, according to Schmidt.

“I’m sickened that SBC’s attempt to better serve the school would be undermined in such a subversive way,” Schmidt said. “What was intended to be a survey to assess students’ desires for improving Lowell has been turned into a partial destruction of the school’s opinion of their student leaders and me.”

To remedy the situation, the SBC is carefully monitoring students in the Student Body Office, particularly on the computers, according to Chung.

Schmidt heard many complaints but declined to reveal the names of those who took offense. “I have received complaints and since ‘the buck’ needs to stop someplace, I deserve all of the complaints I’ve received,” Schmidt said.

The SBC responded optimistically. “We didn’t dwell on pointing fingers,” Chung said. “We sent out an apology note to all the registries.” Nonetheless, the survey was a relative success considering the inopportune change. “The SBC received several feasible suggestions to help improve the school,” Chung said.