The Undergraduate Chair

A lot of things have happened at and to the College in the last few years besides the more obvious "Big Two" changes, coeducation and year-round operation. Other changes have also developed, some good and some bad, some related to the "Big Two" and some not.

Ted Tibbs '74, dorm chairman of Fayerweather Hall, points out that because of year-round operation, dormitory life is "disintegrating." There is a good chance, he says, that "a student won't be in one dorm for long periods of time now; off campus and leave terms will cut down on a real dormitory sense of closeness. Once you leave Hanover, you lose your room preference, too; sometimes you can get back into the dorm, but a student from Fayerweather may also end up at the Choate Road dorms when he gets back."

"I'm puzzled," says Tibbs. "It was said two years ago [when year-round operation was under discussion] that this sort of thing wouldn't happen, and I really don't see very much being done about it. This transience hurts extra-curricular activities, too. I've been in the Glee Club for four years, and we can lose some excellent soloists to a leave term. The membership is constantly changing, and can hurt the quality of the program."

Tibbs, from Washington, D.C., also says he's noticed a lot of building lately, the Fairchild and Murdough centers for example. "It's very beautiful, but I'm wondering, do we really need all the new space, and how well is it being used? And what about the future cost of heating it all? I've seen the plans for possible expansion of the Hop, and the Medical School is growing, too. But the housing situation is terrible here, and commons rooms in the dorms are practically non-existent. It seems as if Dartmouth is more department than student oriented. I've never seen or heard of plans for dorm renovation, as Russell Sage and others fill beyond the crowded point. It's nice to be internationally famous as a college, but we'd like decent living conditions, too."

There seems, continues Tibbs, to be "a lot of people and gadget waste now. I'd like to know the salaries of some people here, and the return from them. And of course it's tied in with the tuition and high costs. The energy crisis was predicted, and then the Murdough Center was built without windows that open, meaning air has to be mechanically circulated all year long. One does not realize that's waste until we have a crisis. But there's no excuse for such poor planning."

Inter-Dormitory Council president Ernie Kessler '75 has noted a profound resurgence of spirit for the College. "It may sound corny, but there really has been a change in attitude among the students who are taking a much deeper interest in what's going on at Dartmouth. The apathy of the late 1960s has begun to reverse itself. Students are getting involved in the decision making process on some College committees more than before. They are being allowed to - asked to - participate, and that's always good. Dartmouth Night was revived very successfully during the fall. And yet there has been no corresponding growth of anti-intellectualism or ignorance of the reality of the world 'out there.' The College is still being kept in its proper perspective. I think this spirit's development is the most readily apparent change here recently other than coeducation and year-round operation.

"As for dormitory life, there may indeed be some bad effects from year-round operation, loss of friendships, etc. But the College will try and get students back into their general dorm area. Dorm spirit is a function of the dorm itself. Nevertheless, since my class and the seniors are not all on the Dartmouth Plan, we have not seen the results of year-round operaton in any great degree yet."

Kessler works with the Boston area alumni clubs. "I've noticed recently among alumni, the ones with whom I work, a new way of looking at the reality of Dartmouth. They are really aware of what's happening here, that so much change is going on. They seem to know now more than ever that Dartmouth is different from the time they were here, and how it's different. A new awareness has developed."

Richard Ranger is a senior from Michigan heading for law school in the fall. "Dartmouth, I think, has become more flexible recently, under the impact of the ferment created by coeducation, year-round operation, a new president, and new directions.

"There is now a deep emphasis on the off-campus experience, trying to make a Dartmouth education bigger than the Hanover experience. And in planning their education the way it must be done now students have to talk more seriously about what education means for them. At the same time, I notice that many people in our class seem to be getting out of the medicine-law-business way of thinking We are flexible about our careers, we don't want to be trapped.

"The sophomores and freshmen are thinking much more and much harder about education than we did. Dartmouth being in a state of constant flux means they are finding themselves faster than we did. I'm not sure it's always good, but it does encourage discovering who you are and where you belong."

There is also, Ranger says, some degree of inhumanity in all this. "There's not really enough awareness of the student who will react to all these changes in a very human and emotional way. Loss of friends, constant movement ... the important variables in our existence are being taken away, and especially now the up-perclassmen are losing a sense of belonging. The College has failed to come to grips with this.

"There are now all sorts of offices, jobs, courses, and structured majors, but no one any more to turn to when you really need to put an arm on someone's shoulder, to help you with living. Dartmouth College talks a good game here about moving to correct it, but without friendships, people might really get stranded."

"Also," Ranger continues, "more than ever students are getting the feeling that things are done unto us. Many here do not feel as if their personal needs are being met by Dartmouth College. In the old days, things were steady. Now there are all sorts of new things going on; they're great. But with all the choices and personal burden? being placed on people, Dartmouth clearly needs to deal with us as human beings.

"Dartmouth now is a two-way deal. Not only does one give to the College, but the College must now be expected to involve itself with the students. From its vast number of vice-presidents and deans, people must reach out and touch people.