THE EXTENT OF SELF-GOVERNMENT AT DARTMOUTH
No movement for the establishment of an honor system ever gained much headway at Dartmouth; no proctors are supposed to keep order in the dormitories; no members of the . faculty room in college buildings; and the keeping of the peace at night in seventeen scattered halls is assigned to a single watchman. Student conduct is regulated by the undergraduates themselves partly by organization but mostly through the unorganized influence of natural leaders. Very seldom does faculty or administration have occasion to dictate in regard to behavior either in dormitory, in Commons, or on the street.
Two organizations, the dormitory committee and Palæopitus, a senior society, exist solely for the purpose of student government.
THE PALAEOPITUS
Palæopitus, originally a secret senior society, renounced its policy of secrecy and began to assume the. functions of a student governing council in 1902-03. The constitution adopted at that time loosely defines its object as being: "to bring into close touch and harmony the various branches of college activities, to preserve the customs and traditions of Dartmouth, to promote her welfare and protect her good name . . . "
At first the membership consisted of captains, managers, editors, and other prominent seniors who belonged to the society by virtue of some office. Ex-officio members were added, until the 1909 Palaeopitus instituted an elective membership on the ground that the group had become too large. Since that year six members have been elected by the junior class and five by the outgoing Palæopitus.
No definite permanent powers have ever been delegated to Palæopitus.
The weight of any action of the society has depended to a considerable extent on the strength of its membership for the given year. From time to time, however, Palaeopitus has taken action of other than a pure advisory character, and has gradually assumed certain definite powers. These can best be defined by a few illustrations.
For a year or two after the change to the non-secret form Palæopitus found expression entirely in published resolutions of approval, disapproval, or suggestion. Resolutions have continued to make up a large share of its business. At various times the society has condemned the wearing of hats in College Hall, the ringing of false fire alarms, and the like. It has, regularly come to assume a general supervision of hazing, class rushes, celebrations. Nearly every year chinning suggestions have been made to the Interfraternity Council. The 1910 Palæopitus went so far as to usurp the powers of that body and draw up a code of its own, which was not accepted by the fraternities.
The right to annul class elections for too much fraternity or other undesirable politics .was assumed in 1907-08 and was exercised in 1908-09 and again in 1909-10. All three actions had to do with freshman elections and in each case a new election was called for. In the first instance the class officers, who were notified of the ruling, failed to act and the matter was dropped. On the other two occasions the meeting was called directly by Palæopitus and members of the society were appointed to be present. When the nullification of a junior election was agitated this fall the society pleaded lack of jurisdiction.
Until a few years ago no formal election of a college cheer-leader was held. Men desiring the position led cheers whenever opportunity offered and by senior year a leader was chosen more through a process of natural selection than m any regular way. The 1908 Palæopitus assumed control of the appointment, reserving to itself the right to choose one of the three candidates elected by the junior class. The present body has taken this privilege from the class and provided that any number of aspirants be allowed to try out, that the head cheer-leader shall choose two assistants from the lower classes subject to its ratification; and that the head cheer-leader shall himself be elected by Palæopitus from the men so appointed.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
The dormitory committees are a creation of Palæopitus. Each consists of a senior, a junior, and a sophomore chosen by Palæopitus from six residents who are nominated by all roomers in the dormitory. The statement of purposes for which these committees are elected would lead one to believe that they play an important part in campus affairs. In practice, however, the dormitory committee does little more than arrange for the fall dormitory banquet after the initiation of the freshmen into that all-inclusive society of Delta Alpha. But the committees are little more than a year old. Some are already taking on more important duties, not in the direction of discipline, but in the regulation of matters of general interest to the dormitory. For example, the committee in Hallgarten has lately been instrumental in securing a common living-room for that hall. It is quite probable that in the future these committees may come to be effective factors in student self-government.
Another potent but less easily measured force for student government is the fraternity. A fraternity's discipline is of course limited to members of the fraternity, and its extent in the several groups differs widely. House rules of various importance are supposed to be enforced by the officers of all the chapter houses. Some of the societies appoint individual senior and junior advisers for their freshmen, and an act of any member which is liable to reflect on a chapter's standing is sure to be censured.
These are the organized factors in student government at Dartmouth. They play a considerable part in the discipline of the College but the greater share of the control of student conduct rests with the unorganized forces, especially with the great force which is beginning to be formally recognized by governments—reference is had to public opinion.
UNORGANIZED FACTORS
Student opinion no doubt tolerates or even encourages some things that are undesirable, but altogether it may be safely said that its influence is wholesome. The average undergraduate hates to be considered eccentric in spite of his well-earned reputation for eccentricities as compared with society off the campus. So long as freak actions or dress are of the sort approved by his fellows he adopts them with a will; if they are liable to cause him to be looked upon as "not one of the bunch," he most assiduously shuns them.
The best agents of student opinion are the editorial and communication columns of The Dartmouth. In the hands of a clear thinker the thrice-weekly column of editorial comment is a powerful moulder of student thought. Communications, many trivial and some excellent, are printed at odd intervals. A few good expressions of opposite opinion do much to clear up important question of general interest.
Is o account of student government at Dartmouth would be complete without allusion to hazing. Any number of instances of the corrective value of Delta Alpha and the watering trough could be mentioned, while not a single case of extreme hazing has appeared in a number of years. Hazing, as the term is understood in Hanover, consists chiefly in making the subject feel very small and foolish. Such a sensation is necessary to the college education of preparatory school class presidents and athletic stars. It places them on a democratic footing with, their fellows and has a tendency to remove from their make-ups any undue exaggeration of the ego, a trait particularly distasteful to undergraduates.
Student government at Dartmouth is less organized, yet not less effective, than in other colleges. As the College grows in size its government is coming more and more into the control of definite groups, and on some future day there may be a mass-meeting to grant Pakæopitus the definite powers usually assigned to a student council. For the present the gradual rounding out of its functions by the common-law method outlined is entirely adequate to meet all requirements.
