Stevenson '57 Heads Alumni Council
Tosiah Stevenson IV '57 of Wilton, Conn., was elected president of the Dartmouth Alumni Council at the 126th meeting of the Council in Hanover, June 13-15. He succeeds Vincent W. Jones '52 of Long Beach, Calif., who presided over last month's program, in which faculty and student participation was more extensive than usual.
Mr. Stevenson, who served as vice president of the Council this past year, is a senior brand manager with Chesebrough- Pond's, Inc. of Greenwich, Conn. He is past head agent and past class president for 1957, and before joining Chesebrough- Pond's in 1967 WHS an account executive with Benton and Bowles, New York advertising agency. After getting his MBA at Tuck School in 1958, he was a finance officer for the U.S. Air Force in Japan for three years, and for two of those years was also an instructor in the Far East Division of the University of Maryland. He became a member of the Dartmouth Alumni Council in 1971.
Stanley C. Smoyer '34 of Princeton, N.J., assistant general counsel of Johnson & Johnson, was elected vice president of the Council and J. Michael McGean '49, Secretary of the College, was reelected secretary.
Members of the executive committee, in addition to the officers, are F. Charlton Mills III '38 of Cleveland, Richard W. Lippman '42 of Philadelphia, Kevin I. Sullivan '54 of Buffalo, N.Y., and John G. Demas '55 of Westport, Conn.
The Council elected four new members- at-large to serve three-year terms until June 1976. They are Richard H. Mandel '26 of Bedford, N.Y.; Myles J. Lane '28 of New York City; Garvey E. Clarke '57 of New York City; and Scott H. Creelman '64 of Philadelphia. The new undergraduate representative on the Council is Thomas W. Eggleston '74 of West Lafayette, Ind.
E. Ronan Campion '55 of Hanover was elected to a three-year term as an alumni member of the Dartmouth Athletic Council. Prof. Jere R. Daniell II '55 of Hanover was reelected as the Council's representative on the Board of Overseers of the Hanover Inn.
Last month's meetings were attended by of the 53 incumbent members of the Council, also by 42 former members. Acting upon the recommendation of its executive committee, the Alumni Council voted to increase its membership from 53 to 60, as a means of strengthening its representative role in alumni affairs. The additional seven will be a combination of members-at-large and regionally elected members.
Last month's Alumni Council program had four main segments: (1) discussion and action on the reports of the standing committees of the Council; (2) two special presentations – one on "The Dartmouth Experience: Black and Native American Perspectives," with student speakers, and the other on "Teaching at Dartmouth," presented by five young members of the faculty and staff; (3) the annual dinner at which Trustee David T. McLaughlin '54 was the principal speaker; and (4) the report by President Kemeny at the concluding business session.
In connection with the report of the Committee on Class Organization, the Council endorsed a resolution "That the Alumni Council requests the President of the Council to appoint an ad hoc committee to study the feasibility of an on- campus Alumni Lounge to be financed by other than College funds and that such ad hoc committee report to future meetings of the Council as to its findings."
The Committee on Public Relations urged that there be better communication with the general body of alumni and especially recommended that word of Alumni Council activities as well as the detailed information made available to the Council at its meetings in Hanover twice yearly be relayed to the alumni, perhaps in special issues of The Bulletin.
The Committee on Enrollment and Admissions concentrated on the Ivy Presidents' Agreement under which all applicants will receive an "informal early evaluation" of their chances for admission. The effect on alumni interviewing procedures was a special concern, and it was agreed that new timing and a changed emphasis might result from the agreement. Regarding financial aid, it was reported that only 55.2% of applicants for Dartmouth's next entering class applied for financial aid, compared with 61% the year before, giving rise to concern that increasing college costs without increasing the opportunities for financial assistance to families heretofore not considered "needy" could eliminate "middle America" from the best private colleges.
The Bequest and Estate Planning Committee reported that the program will exceed $6 million this year for the first time in Dartmouth history. Launched by the Alumni Council in 1951, the Bequest Program has since accounted for $58- million, about half in the past six years. t
The Committee on Regional Organization reported that only 12 of the 126 Dartmouth clubs in the U.S. failed to have a Hanover speaker during the past academic year. The 75 speakers who went out from the College included 30 undergraduates, a development praised by the committee. It was also reported that 101 clubs have job placement chairmen and that 127 jobs were filled through the system for the summer term.
The Council approved a committee recommendation that a detailed reappraisal of the Council's 1968 study of the Dartmouth clubs be made to determine how well the existing system meets the needs, and changing life-styles of this decade. A preliminary report will be made in January and a final one in June.
The Committee on Athletics also expressed concern over the implications of the "early evaluation" of applicants for admission agreed upon by the Ivy presidents. It recommended that more information about the DCAC program be given to the entire College community, so as to point up its importance. In discussion on the floor of the Council, Director of Athletics Seaver Peters opposed the Budget Task Force recommendation that net DCAC growth be limited to 3% annually, saying that a 5% growth rate is needed and that the task force recommendation would reduce the DCAC budget by $100,000. Later, in a report to the Council on the Budget Task Force proposals, Dean John W. Hennessey of Tuck School, chairman, challenged the statement about the $100,000 reduction. He noted that the DCAC budget had not been cut, nor will it be next year, in contrast to a $68,000 cut of the Princeton athletic budget last year. He added that a 32-cent increase in the price of football tickets will have the same effect as increasing the net growth rate from 3% to 5%.
The special presentation on "The Dartmouth Experience: Black and Native American Perspectives" was moderated by Prof. Brunetta R. Wolfman, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Prior. to Thursday lunch, the speakers were Cleora Hubbard '75, a Navajo; Michael Cornelius '75, an Oneida; and two black students, Vernon Baker '75 and Richard Nichols '76.
The culture shock of coming to a college like Dartmouth was cited by both Native American students. The need of Indian cultural support to go along with academic programs was stated, and both students were critical of the stereotyped attitudes toward their group on campus. There was praise for the College's commitment and for its Native American Studies Program, but a pervasive difficulty is that the student is looked upon as an Indian and not as an individual human being.
Campus "myths" about the black student were also discussed. One, according to Vernon Baker, is that black students are marginal,' whereas many are excellent students. It is also a myth, he said, that Dartmouth is devoid of racism, which comes into play in subtle and concealed ways. Richard Nichols spoke of the identity problem for the black student on a predominantly white campus, and mentioned the importance of the Afro- American Society and Alpha Phi Alpha where companionship and relaxed social relations can be found. Two examples of stereotyped thinking, he said, are that all blacks are athletes and that all have academic deficiencies.
After lunch, the presentation continued with discussion of the College's Native American and black programs by Associate Dean Leroy Keith, Assistant Dean of the Faculty Gregory Prince, Assistant Director of Admissions Samuel Smith '49, and Stuart Tonemah, director of the Native American Program.
The second special presentation Thursday afternoon was arranged by Prof. Jere R. Daniell '55, faculty representative on the Alumni Council. The general topic was "Teaching at Dartmouth," and as varieties of it Gary D. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, explained off-campus programs in his field; Carole Berger, Assistant Professor .of English, discussed the importance of remedial English for many students at Dartmouth today; Michael Dorris, chairman of Native American Studies, described interdisciplinary programs, especially in relation to his field; David Gregory, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, gave an evaluation of student abilities and attitudes; and Robert MacArthur '64, director of the Dartmouth Outward Bound Center, reported on the unique program that seeks to bridge the gap between classroom and self-reliance in the outdoors.
At Thursday night's dinner, Trustee David T. McLaughlin '54 spoke on the value of a liberal arts education in dealing with the world's complex problems. In an interesting application of his thesis, he analyzed the educational backgrounds of the principal figures in the Watergate Affair and pointed out not only their general lack of liberal education but their very specialized training and experience. High public responsibility requires the attitudes and broad background that only liberal education can provide, he asserted.
In his talk to the Alumni Council, President Kemeny dealt solely with the Medical School, where a federal cutback in supporting funds has created a serious problem and where a Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has just been established in a three-part cooperative effort by the Medical School, the Hitchcock Clinic, and the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital. Mr. Kemeny reported continued Trustee backing of the new M.D. program and described the need to enlarge the Medical School's endowment, which currently stands at only $5 million.
The Council closed its meetings with luncheon on the outdoor plaza of the Murdough Center and then had the opportunity to inspect the Tuck-Thayer facility which was dedicated one week later.
Josiah Stevenson IV '57 (c), new president of the Alumni Council, is flanked by StanleyC. Smoyer '34 (l), vice president, and J. Michael McGean ’49, secretary.
