Steel Elected
Dr. John F. Steel '54, who styles himself a "conservative traditionalist," is Dartmouth's newest trustee. He was elected at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees on August 16, following an unprecedented investigation of "irregularities" involved in his nomination by vote of the alumni this spring. Steel will take his seat on the board at its next meeting in November.
The Board of Trustees elects 14 of its members, seven of whom are nominated by the alumni, and two the president and the governor of New Hampshire are members ex officio. In some cases the socalled "alumni trustees" become "charter trustees," as happened this June when Richard Lombard '53, whose seat was being sought by Steel, was made a charter trustee to replace David Weber '65 for a one-year term. Since early in this century, the process of nominating an alumni trustee (by the Alumni Council) and electing (by the trustees) has grown so routine as to become a Dartmouth tradition in its own right. This time it was different.
Steel's path to trusteeship followed a complex, sometimes bitter route in which the Indian symbol came to stand as a symbol of strained loyalties, disaffection with policies of the Kemeny administration, and disagreement over what might be termed Dartmouth's "usable past' the maintenance of tradition versus enthusiasm for change.
About a year ago, several men calling themselves the Committee of Concerned Dartmouth Alumni joined forces for the express purpose of filling the next vacancy on the Board of Trustees with their own candidate. The choice fell on Steel, a physician who had been active in alumni affairs in the San Diego area and who was known to be critical of administrative priorities at the College. Meanwhile, a nominating committee of the Alumni Council was meeting in the traditional way to come up with its choice for trustee (Steel's was among the names being considered). At its meeting last December the Alumni Council unanimously nominated Raymond J. Rasenberger '49, a Washington, D.C., attorney who had been president of the Alumni Council and chairman of the Alumni Fund. By that time the members of the Committee of Concerned Dartmouth Alumni were in full stride in their campaign to nominate Steel by petition. By February they had double the 250 signatures needed for a petition candidate, forcing a runoff between Steel and Rasenberger.
Disagreements soon developed on the way the balloting of alumni was to be conducted. What Steel later described as "skirmishing" pitted his forces, who included Concerned Alumni chairman S. Avery Raube '30 and Professor Jeffrey Hart '51, a kind of local watchdog, against John French '30, president of the Association of Alumni, and J. Michael McGean '49, who simultaneously serves as secretary of the College, secretary of the Alumni Council, and secretary of the Association of Alumni. (Although comparatively few alumni are aware of it, all belong to the Association of Alumni; founded in 1854, it vested most of its responsibilities, with the exception of overseeing trustee balloting procedures, with the Alumni Council in 1913. Its officers are drawn from the reunion classes each year.) The principal point of contention between Steel and the Alumni Association was over the form of statements to be sent out with the ballots, an issue of considerable importance in what was to follow.
In late April ballots with supporting statements for each candidate were sent to all alumni. Rasenberger's statement, which he had prepared himself, acknowledged inflation, communication between various Dartmouth constituencies, and the competing claims of tradition and change as major issues to be faced by a trustee. "There are concerns among alumni," Rasenberger said, "such as those of the petition candidate for trustee [Steel], that are sincerely held and deserve greater understanding. I will work to see that accomplished. However, I intend to act independently. I am not the standard bearer of any particular group or point of view." Steel's statement, prepared for him by members of the Committee of Concerned Dartmouth Alumni, cited four major planks in his platform: an end to purported racial divisions among students and alumni; a return of "valid traditions," including a "dignified Indian symbol"; a unified alumni body; and greater alumni voice in policy decisions at the College. "He wants to see coherence replace divisiveness," the statement for Steel said. "Regardless of the goals and pressures of well-meaning groups, he believes Dartmouth College, theinstitution, must be supreme." Steel's statement listed by name 16 partisans, plus unnamed former trustees, present and former Alumni Councilors, Dartmouth administrators, faculty members, American Indians, and blacks.
On May 23, French and other officers of the Association of Alumni met in Hanover to observe the counting of the ballots. The results were 7,013 votes (58 per cent) for Steel to 5,025 (42 per cent) for Rasenberger.
According to French, a lawyer, on the day the ballots were counted he became aware that two of the alumni listed as members of the Concerned Alumni committee disclaimed their alleged support of Steel and that one of them had, in fact, voted for Rasenberger. As for Steel supporters among the administration, French, promising confidentiality, had obtained two, possibly three (accounts differ) names from Steel. According to a report drafted in July by the Alumni Association, "After the final, decisive count in Steel's favor was announced, French and Administrator C [name deleted in report] met together on another matter. French states he made a passing comment that he understood that Administrator C was a Steel supporter. Upon learning of his purported Steel support, Administrator C vigorously denied the same, stating that he had voted for Rasenberger." The other administrators on French's list told him the same thing.
Shortly before the trustees' meeting in June, at which time most observers expected Steel to be duly elected, French made these discrepancies known to the board. The trustees reacted by leaving the vacancy open and asking the Alumni Association to investigate "any irregularities" and judge whether the results of the balloting "should or should not be affirmed."
The officers of the Alumni Association hired two lawyers to assist with the investigation and met twice in Boston in July to study testimony and evidence. In a 17- page report to the chairman of the trustees dated July 28, the Alumni Association faulted Steel and his supporters for not exercising "greater care and diligence" but determined that the misstatements lacked sufficient impact to offset Steel's margin of victory. (The report found that the use of the names of the two alumni resulted from possible "misunderstandings"; it was less forgiving as far as the administrators were concerned.) The Alumni Association concluded its report by affirming Steel as the nominee of the alumni and recommending that the trustees "take appropriate and expeditious action on this nomination." Three weeks later trustee chairman David McLaughlin telephoned his classmate Steel in California to announce his election to the board.
In the 1890s, when the trustees were first coping with demands that alumni be allowed a voice in selecting members of the board, they resisted the idea because it would, they said, lead to strife, turmoil, and bitter electioneering. In the words of President Bartlett, "The more I think of it the more it seems to me that... in virtually inviting the body of the alumni to join us [the trustees], we have made the gravest mistake in the history of the College." Now, in 1980, after a year of mutual suspicion and mistrust, both sides say they are calling for peace. McLaughlin has said it is time to embark on a "healing process" and that the board will welcome Steel at its November meeting "we are happy to have him with us." Steel acknowledged that there had been "tough and heated exchanges" but that any comment on the proceedings would involve "naming names" and the time was past for recrimination. He said that he is "more interested in getting out the message again that my purpose was to get the alumni together and stop the divisiveness. And I think this [his election] will get us there." He said he intends to be a strong proponent of his campaign causes but that he doesn't plan "to arrive and crusade."
A true test of the peacemakers' skill and, for that matter, Bartlett's prophecy will come soon. Next spring, two more vacancies on the board occur (see story below), and already the Alumni Council and the trustees are planning a study of possible revisions in the nominating process. Steel feels a need "for brushing up on procedures that apparently don't exist" a sentiment professed by everyone concerned.
John Steel, victorious petition candidate.
"GIRDLED EARTH DIVISION On a train from Canton to Hong Kong, we met an attractive young Chinese returning from a visit to the grave of his ancestors. 'Where in the States do you come from?' he asked. 'From Hanover in New Hampshire it's in the Northeast,' replied Betty. 'Yes, I know,' he said, 'I graduated from Dartmouth last June.'" Ralph Hunter '31
