Letters

Try It

My good wife, a 1939 graduate of Duke University, is in receipt of a letter from the president of that school addressed to all alumni and dated August 18, 1981. In the opening paragraph President Terry Sanford says:

"While the legal authority for the operation of the University, and the future of the University, rests in the hands of the Board of Trustees, it is extremely important to me that we have the understanding of the students, the faculty and the alumni in everything that is done here. Because of the significance of the question that is about to be considered and ultimately resolved by the Board of Trustees, I would like to have these Duke constituencies fully informed in advance, and to have invited them to express opinions prior to the decision. This decision relates to the proposal that Duke provide the land on a site adjacent to the campus for the [Richard] Nixon Archives and Library."

President Sanford's letter then gives the information concerning the proposal plus the names of two persons in the office who are available by telephone to answer any questions the alumni might have. Further, he asks for letters and/or comments from all alumni and gives them the proper mailing address. Sanford's letter closes with this paragraph:

"It is my desire that this University behave like a great university in everything it does. I want you, as a loyal alumnus, to participate with me in this decision-making process."

My question? If Duke, one of the great universities of this country, can ask its alumni to contribute their opinions in this very emotional issue, what explanation can President Kemeny or the Dartmouth Board of Trustees give for refusing so constantly and relentlessly to solicit any contributions from the alumni before making the radical changes that have marked the last administration? Duke continues to be known as the "Blue Devils" in spite of the damage that does to the self-esteem of their mascot. On the other hand, the "Dartmouth Greenies . . . "?

Macon, Ga.

[During the time of one "emotional issue,"coeducation, Dartmouth engaged a professionalopinion-research firm to canvass alumni on theproposal. The ALUMNI MAGAZINE published theresults of this survey in a special supplement inSeptember of 1970. To be sure, other decisionsat the College in the last decade (and in the lasttwo centuries, for that matter) were not alwaysmade on a participatory basis. One thing is sure:President Sanford and his trustees now have animbroglio at Duke. Ed.]

A Rouse, but

The "Give A Rouse" column in the May issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE incorrectly stated that John B. Crowell Jr. '52 was chosen chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Rather, Growell was nominated and approved as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment. R. Max Peterson is still chief of the U.S. Forest Service, which falls under the administrative jurisdiction of Crowell's office. The chief of the Forest Service has historically been a non-politically appointed officer, which accounts in part for the agency's cohesiveness and effectiveness as a public service organization. Mr. Crowell was appointed to his post by the Reagan Administration, replacing M. Rupert Cutler.

We, as Dartmouth alumni(ae), should be cognizant of Mr. Crowell and his policies. His appointment has been very controversial; the most prominent issue is his career-long association with Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, the largest single purchaser of timber from National Forest lands. In addition, he apparently dislikes the National Wilderness Preservation System as it stands, since the lands were not allocated based on what he calls "rational" (i.e., market) economic considerations.

Mr. Crowell holds a very powerful position with regard to the management of our natural resources in the next four years and in years to come. The Reagan Administration is doing its best to revitalize our sick economy. The vast resources of our public lands can contribute significantly to that effort. However, we must be wary that this Administration does not sacrifice the progress of the last 15 years in long-term resource management in the name of short-term economic benefit. Let's not make the mistake of putting the pedal to the floor to get to the station faster when we see our tank is low.

Cody, Wyo.

I am willing to "give a rouse" for Mr. John B. Crowell Jr. '52 following his appointment as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment. I must, however, express my concern over the extremist policies Mr. Crowell is apparently being asked to carry out.

Most, if not all, environmentally concerned individuals are becoming increasingly alarmed over the direction the Reagan Administration has taken on environmental issues. James Watt, Reagan's Secretary of the Interior, has acceded to exploitationists on virtually every front. Under Anne Gorsuch, the Environmental Protection Agency has evaded its responsibilities and is alienating its own staff, prompting experienced and dedicated administrators to quit. Mr. Crowell is apparently following the Reagan line, advocating "intensive multiple use" and limiting expansion of protected areas, even if wildlife populations are severely threatened as a result {Audubon, September 1981). The Ad- ministration's direction threatens to destroy a decade of hard-won political and legislative progress devoted to the preservation of America's natural heritage. If this program, with Watt as its primary proponent, continues, the health of the environment and the best interests of the nation will suffer far into the future while rapacious corporations gain short-term windfalls. Dartmouth maintains a tradition of respect for the outdoors which is reflected in the College's outstanding Environmental Studies Program, the Dartmouth Outing Club, and the day-to-day activities of students and alumni. I hope all Dartmouth men and women will join me in urging Mr. Crowell to carry this tradition into his work and to maintain an open-minded, balanced attitude toward his Forest Service responsibilities.

The Administration's program of exploitation, and Watt's self-righteous heavyhandedness, are neither in the Dartmouth tradition nor the public interest. If we wish to "greet the world from the hills, with a hail" without surveying a clear-cut, strip-mined wasteland, Reagan's policies must be revised, and Watt replaced. I hope Mr. Crowell will do his part to inject reason and sensitivity into the environmental policies of this Administration. We should expect no less of a man of Dartmouth.

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Skinning a Cat

One of the things that many Dartmouth alumni are curious about is what is going on in the countryside around Hanover. The reason for this is that for so many of us there is a latent desire to be able someday to return in our retirement to the vicinity of the place where we spent so many happy days in,our youth.

The real estate advertisements in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE are a reflection of this and so are the classifieds.

There is a new community of some sorts called Eastman, which is a short distance away from Hanover. Yet, your publication has never once published a word about it, nor has it published any articles on changes that have taken place in towns like Lyme, White River Junction, Norwich, or Lebanon over the last 10 to 20 years. How come? Why not?

I enjoy reading about the faculty and the individual articles on new buildings as they have been constructed. But, as I get older, I know fewer and fewer of the faculty. And, I have never had the slightest interest in the lists of donors and the various class standings; raising money has absolutely no news value for me. Yet, I never find anything about Dartmouth's internal macro-functioning as a system of buildings, faculty activities, and students and students' organizations. Also, there is never anything about Dartmouth's environment.

How about an article or two on these subjects? It doesn't have to be a PR or promotional piece. Just give some facts and figures and lots of photographs. After all, the more people you get back to the Hanover Plain the closer the tie to the College!

Please do not respond with a statement full of stale pap about the ALUMNI MAGAZINE having as its mission the exclusive promotion of the College. What I'm trying to say is that there is more than one way to skin a cat and the way you have chosen to do it, historically, leaves a part of your market with the feeling that it is dry and dull. Ho hum! So what!

If your market is the alumni, then a part of your market is being missed.

Greenwich, Conn.

{On Eastman and the local environment, seeNoel Perrin's "The College in the Suburb,"May 1974, at. seq. And more to come. Ed.]

Getting His Kicks

During the past summer Nick Lowery '78 wrote the D.C.A.C. with a rather interesting challenge. Lowery, as some Big Green football fans may recall, was a premier kicker for Dartmouth the second lgading kicker in history and now is plying his trade for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nick's offer is simply that for every field goal he successfully completes for the Chiefs this fall he will contribute a certain amount and hope that this can be matched by contributions from interested alumni. The proceeds from this are to go chiefly to football endowment and also to the music and drama programs.

About a dozen of us loyal followers of the Green immediately leaped to Lowery's "Kick for Dartmouth" challenge, and as this letter is written we have a total of approximately $l,OOO pledged for each field goal Lowery kicks this fall.

Last year, Lowery converted 20 out of 26 field-goal attempts, but he's really putting the pressure on us this fall, as he has already made seven out of eight field goals in the first two games! It could be a long fall for some of us! But the real point of this letter is to say that we'd welcome having other interested alumni join us by pledging a specific amount for each field goal Nick Lowery scores during the season. Even very modest amounts per field goal are most welcome, and all you need do is send a note or postcard, indicating the amount you are willing to contribute for each field goal (plus your name and address), to "A Kick for Dartmouth," D.C.A.C., Alumni Gym, Hanover, N.H. 03755. We'll gladly send you a report on Nick's season and a reminder in December.

Winchester, Mass.