The Undergraduate Chair
The pages of the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE often contain references to the "Dartmouth fellowship"—that mystical bond among men who have shared similar experiences. This bond manifests itself in a Dartmouth man's attachment to other Dartmouth men and in his loyalty to the College. The existence of this "fellowship," however, is often taken for granted; everyone knows there is a certain "uniqueness" to Dartmouth and it is usually explained in terms of the Dartmouth fellowship. At a time when Dartmouth is considering broad changes which would affect the structure of the College, it is important that the concept of the Dartmouth fellowship not be taken for granted. This article will be one undergraduate's attempt to analyze the "uniqueness" of the Dartmouth experience and to discuss the future structure of the College in terms of that uniqueness.
Daniel Webster articulated the attachment many men feel to Dartmouth when he said, "It is a small college, yet there are those who love it." Webster was also pinpointing one of the key factors contributing to the unique essence of the Dartmouth experience— the size of the College. Dartmouth has always endeavored to remain a small, liberal arts college and its success in doing so has resulted in an atmosphere in which a student can consider himself at once a member of a class, a student body, and a community. The autonomy one feels in a large university is not felt at Dartmouth. Certainly one aspect of the Dartmouth experience which all students have appreciated is the ability to walk across campus assured of being able to say hello to someone you know.
Another central element in the Dartmouth experience is the location of the College. Hanover is a small, isolated town located in a state that is famous for its long, austere winters. Certainly the bond among Dartmouth men results from the fact that all have shared the experience of living in Hanover. Almost everyone bitches about the winters in Hanover; yet almost everyone appreciates the winters—after all, it does something for one's ego to be tough enough to survive a New Hampshire winter.
The size and location of the College are not enough to explain the uniqueness of the Dartmouth experience or the existence of a Dartmouth fellowship. The education offered at the College is of major importance, particularly when one considers the term "education" to encompass not only academics but dormitory living, fraternities, athletics, and other aspects of campus life that contribute to the growth of the individual. Enabling freshmen to live in dormitories together with upperclassmen provides opportunities to make friendships that are not limited to one's own class. A loose fraternity system that allows for comradeship without forcing its members to limit their participation "in other campus activities or limit their friends to one particular fraternity contributes to the uniqueness of the Dartmouth experience. Another integral part of that experience is the athletic program, both intercollegiate and intramural, in which a great number of students participate; the athletic program not only benefits the participants but it adds to the spirit of the campus.
All the above factors contribute to the essence of the Dartmouth experience. The assertion that this experience culminates in a bond toward other men who have shared the same experience as well as in a peculiar loyalty to the College must be examined; one cannot prove the existence of the Dartmouth fellowship merely by asserting it. Is there, in reality, a Dartmouth fellowship? It is my opinion that such a bond exists, and I would like to discuss the reality of the bond by using an example drawn from personal experience.
In the fall of 1968, several members of the Class of '72 decided to implement a class project under the aegis of the Tucker Foundation. Charles Dey, Dean of the Tucker Foundation, suggested that our class work in conjunction with the Class of '52. This suggestion was prompted by the passage of a resolution at the reunion of the Class of '52 indicating an interest in dealing meaningfully with the problems discussed in the Kerner Report. The result of a series of meetings between members of the two classes was the initiation of the '52-'72 Internship Project which enables members of the Class of '72 to leave campus for a term and serve as teaching assistants in schools that have voiced a strong desire for this kind of aid. Aside from working in the schools, interns become involved in community affairs by participating in community organizations. Three cities were chosen as intern cities—Roxbury, Chicago, and Richmond, California (minutes north of San Francisco).
The '52-'72 Project began operation in the winter of 1970. Larry Barr, Jack Manning, Stu Simms, and myself were the first team of interns to arrive at Kennedy High School in Richmond, California. Members of the Class of '52 were instrumental in setting up the project on the West Coast and their involvement did not stop at that point. It was in California, thousands of miles from Hanover, that I learned of the reality of the Dartmouth fellowship. The only common denominator between the men we met and ourselves was the fact that all of us were associated with Dartmouth College. This tie alone was responsible for the tremendous effort put forth by several men to make our stay pleasurable and our internship meaningful and worthwhile. The involvement included invitations to dinners as well as participation in the work we were doing in the Richmond community—the latter was highlighted when several members of the Class of '52 spent the day with us in Kennedy High School.
All of this does not yet substantiate the existence of a Dartmouth fellowship. I can best illustrate this "fellowship" by describing one particular incident that took place while we were in California. An alumnus invited us to his beach house for a Saturday afternoon and evening. We told him that two friends from Dartmouth who were attending the University of California in Santa Barbara during the winter term were visiting us on Saturday and that we wanted to spend Saturday evening in San Francisco. He invited all of us to spend the day on the beach, nonetheless, and insisted that he would not mind if we ate dinner and left immediately for the city. We spent a great day at his beach house, consumed an enormous amount of beer and food, and as planned, after dinner we got ready to leave for a big Saturday night in San Francisco. Just before we left, the alumnus approached Larry Barr and handed him a twenty dollar bill saying that we should have the first couple rounds of drinks on him. Larry looked around at us and we indicated that he should refuse the gift. His attempt to do so enabled us to hear a story from our host that hits at the heart of the concept of Dartmouth fellowship. He told us that when he was an undergraduate he was traveling in a strange city when by accident he met a Dartmouth alumnus. The man took him to dinner and then gave him some money so that he could "do the town." That night, he vowed that he would return the favor to a Dartmouth undergraduate if the occasion ever arose. He told us that by accepting his gift we were enabling him to make good on his vow. That Saturday evening in San Francisco, six Dartmouth undergraduates made the same pledge.
There is much discussion at Dartmouth about changes in the structure of the College. Efforts at implementing educationally innovative ideas must be applauded. It is important, however, that these proposals be examined from the perspective discussed above; how will these changes affect the essence of the Dartmouth experience and, subsequently, the existence of the Dartmouth fellowship? The Committee on Educational Planning (CEP) has proposed sweeping changes in the structure of the College. Under the CEP's proposal, the size of the College would increase, the patterns of friendship would be altered because students would only have the opportunity to know upperclassmen for four out of their twelve terms at Dartmouth, the fraternity system would be abolished, and the composition of the College would change. It is this student's opinion that the implementation of the CEP proposal would destroy the one truly unique aspect of a Dartmouth education—the Dartmouth fellowship.
All current discussions about the future of Dartmouth include the question of coeducation. The CEP proposal was designed, in part, to provide Dartmouth with the mechanisms for going coed. Many other proposals dealing with coeducation have been submitted. This article would be incomplete if it did not relate the issue of coeducation to the existence of the Dartmouth fellowship. It is important to state that my views on coeducation are not representative of campus views; I am only articulating one undergraduate's personal opinion. The uniqueness of the Dartmouth experience certainly stems from the composition of its student body. The Dartmouth fellowship is a product of the closeness of men who live together and learn together. It is true that the all-male college is becoming a thing of the past; it is not true that fellowship is a thing of the past. There is room in the Ivy League for an all-male institution and it is fitting that such an institution be Dartmouth College—a college that has a tradition of offering a unique experience and creating a unique bond among men.
Dartmouth should be proud of the fellowship it creates among those associated with it. Dartmouth should also be proud of its standing as a first-rate educational institution. Neither of these realities must be compromised. Educational innovation, such things as requiring a term of work off-campus and creating a quality summer term available to Dartmouth students, should be implemented and would not affect the unique aspects of the Dartmouth fellowship. A fanatical desire to see Dartmouth remain unchanged, on behalf of the fellowship concept, would be detrimental to the future strength of the College and to its position as an excellent educational institution. It is this student's belief that the concept of Dartmouth fellowship must go hand in hand with Dartmouth's purpose and with its goals as an institution of higher learning; this article is a plea that the one always be viewed from the perspective of the other.
Joel Zylberberg '72, from UniversityHeights, Ohio, is a student member ofthe College Committee on Standing andConduct. He won the Churchill Prizeas a freshman, was president of his classsophomore year, and served as studentcoordinator of the '52-'72 Project, aboutwhich he has written in this column. Ahistory major, he plans to study law.
