On the Students' Turf
When Mike Colacchio '80 composes a poem, he presents it in style. For the presentation of one in particular, he donned long pink ears and a fuzzy white tail he already has a full beard of whiskers. The poem was dedicated to departing Dean of Freshmen Karen J. Blank and recited last month at a roast in Blank's honor. The rabbit costume was a reminder of a run-in four years ago between a brand new freshman dean and a bunny-suited freshman named Colacchio, who paid her a visit in the hospital, where she was spending the Easter holiday with her leg in traction.
For all the icy patches Blank may have encountered during her Dartmouth tenure, it seems there were enough Colacchios and thaws to make her overall stay a good one. Having served on "tons of committees," including the College Committee on Standing and Conduct (C.C.S.C.), and advised many undergraduate organizations, such as Fire and Skoal senior society and the Dartmouth Women's Alliance, she has spent a lot of time "being on students' turf." "Building a visibility" through these responsibilities and also through attendance at sporting events and other studentrelated activities has proved a valuable vehicle for gaining rapport with students, she says. "I wish, however, that I had felt more comfortable dropping in on people in their dormitories or fraternities," she adds.
Blank expresses some frustration with a few misguided attitudes she encountered, especially prejudgments directed at her for her chairmanship of the C.C.S.C., a body responsible for enforcing regulations on academic standing and conduct. Contrary to the description that some have attached to that office, Blank did not serve as chief disciplinarian. Nor does the position mandate that she should have. Hers, rather, was the responsibility of explaining C.C.S.C. actions and facilitating committee discussions. "The administration, despite what some may think, is not one single way of thinking," and the C.C.S.C. is not a body which enforces what that fictitious single mind dictates, says Blank. "There was also a prejudging that because I am a woman, because I said I am a feminist, that I could not have the same feeling of spirit for the College. That because my style was different, it was therefore not good."
Blank left the College last month to finish her dissertation at Columbia University's Teachers College, where she will begin research on the personal and career histories of women prominent in the field of student affairs. She says she would like to return within five years to a post similar to the one at Dartmouth, maintaining as part of her job "an overview of an entire institution."
During the College's presidential transition, Almon B. Ives, professor emeritus of speech, is acting dean of freshman the second time Ives has held the interim post. After Ralph Manuel's promotion from the freshman office to the deanship of the College, Ives stepped in until a search committee chose his successor.
Like Blank, Ives had some involvement with the C.C.S.C., having served on that committee during the era of Vietnam protests and the subsequent takeover of Parkhurst Hall. He had a hand in developing the forerunners to freshman seminars and the Dick's House counseling service. During his 40-year association with the College, Ives has - in addition to his teaching - advised WDCR-WFRD broadcasting, served as a local expert on the Orient, and helped coordinate several inter-departmental courses.
Professor emeritus Almon Ives has returned one more time as acting freshman dean, until Karen Blank's successor is named.
