Letters

In Their Muscles and Their Brains

Thank you for publishing my letter in the October issue in which I recommended rewriting the last line of Men of Dartmouth: "... the granite of New Hampshire in our muscles and our brains." I had hoped to start a lively discussion on the subject, but alas! I've received only two responses, one in favor of my suggestion and one against it. If I may, I would like to expand briefly on my position.

The point I'm trying to make is that the English language is constantly changing. Since that line was written a number of words such as "blockhead," "knucklehead," and "stoned" have come into widespread use to denote stupidity or diminished mental capacity. As a result, the words "granite in . . . our brains" have taken on an entirely different connotation than the meaning originally intended. They seem to border on the ludicrous.

To the doubters, I suggest you try singing or reciting that line to a group of non-Dartmouth people. You'll have them rolling on the floor with laughter. I enjoy humor as much as the next person, but I don't like it in an anthem, whether the anthem relates to my country, my religion or my college.

Surely there are others who feel that the last line of the first verse should be changed. I hope they will speak up.

Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Bad Manners at Halftime

Re: Tom Ruggles' '50 letter in the November issue of the Magazine in which he expressed dismay at the behavior of the band in prostituting the Cornell Alma Mater by singing it with ribald words and by sporting insulting and obscene hats at the Harvard game.

As an officer and enthusiastic member of the Alumni Band, it is with great pleasure each year that I go back and perform with the band at the Dartmouth Night weekend game. Many hours of prior practice are required in order to get the lip in shape but the result is, for sure, worth it to me.

This year, at the end of the Friday afternoon rehearsal, I discovered what the band was going to do to the words of the Cornell Alma Mater. That night I thought about it and decided that such an act was antithetical to my personal code of behavior and inconsistent with the image that I felt the College should portray. In addition, it violated the host-guest responsibility that I feel the College should observe in such a situation and, finally, it was in just plain bad taste. The net of all this is that as a silent protest and to be true to my personal beliefs, I put up the horn and didn't play.

Then, when I returned home, I wrote our president of my feelings and of my action (or inaction if you prefer). He responded, as you would expect if you know him well, in a responsible and concerned manner.

But why did this occur in the first place? Largely, I feel, because the College, in spite of having adequate notice, failed to replace the retired band director and left the kids mostly on their own. And, I must say, with the exceptions noted by you, Tom, in your letter, they handled the responsibility quite well. But, the fact still remains that an important public image area was left largely unguarded and it shouldn't have been.

At the December Alumni Council meeting, President McLaughlin indicated that he was a supporter of the band but that he had questions in his mind about the behavior of, not just our band, but all Ivy bands. Further, he said he would look into what progress had been made in finding a new director and, in fact, he did ask the Provost to get involved (which the Provost did). However, to my knowledge no one has been hired.

That David is conscious of the College's image is not in question. He has taken very positive steps to deal with the image question . . .

the most potent being the hiring of John Heston '54 as Director of Communications. The President also indicated that he may hurl some of his business marketing experience at the issue by using consumer research to track the College's image with its publics. . .a step that I thoroughly endorse.

Where does that leave me? Like you, Tom, I will continue to be a loyal and concerned alumnus of a great college but I won't be satisfied to let someone else worry about it . . .

and you won't see me on the field next year representing an incredibly fine institution if, in my conscience, I feel that by my actions I am discrediting it.

And knowing David McLaughlin as I do, I know that won't be a problem! See you at the Harvard Game next year . . . I'll be the one playing the E-flat Alto Horn . . . without a hat!

Westport, Conn.

A Glimpse of Other Worlds

It is with a sense of real regret that I read of the demise of the Outward Bound living/ learning term (Undergraduate Chair, December 1983). Coupled with the discontinuation of the Jersey City internships, it signals to me a very definite shift in College policy. No, I did not participate in either the O.B. or Jersey City programs, nor was I an intern in Kicking Horse, Montana, but I had many close friends who found those and other "alternative" experiences to be among the most rewarding of their college years. The actual enrollment figures in these programs belies their import; I can say honestly that I know of no individual whose life was not touched in some way by one of the above-mentioned alternatives, or others, such as the Co-op House, Foley House, the Afro-Am, the A Better Chance program. Those of us who did not participate ourselves had roommates, classmates, or teammates whose ideas and values were shaped by their experiences away from the Hanover Plain. Their views in turn shaped our views, and allowed us a glimpse of worlds outside our own.

The declining emphasis on such programs heralds, I fear, a return to the Dartmouth of old - one dominated by affluent, athletic, and ambitious Anglo-Saxons. I am hardly in a position to criticize this species, since I might fit the appellation myself. But it would be a mistake to narrow the focus of Dartmouth's utility to such a homogeneous group: far better to maintain the commitment to diversity fostered under the Kemeny administration. By encouraging students of diverse social, political, ethnic, and economic backgrounds to come to Dartmouth, the school enhances the quality of the education to be obtained by all. Let us not strive to produce a society of Dartmouth clones, but rather, to develop each student's consciousness of the multitude of backgrounds and viewpoints found both here and abroad.

The Kemeny administration introduced sweeping changes in an effort to broaden this perspective. The introduction of coeducation, recruitment of minorities, programs such as the Outward Bound term and Jersey City internships appalled many alumni who disliked seeing their beloved alma mater changed. I understand their feelings now, for I too am outraged at the sight of change at the College but it is because I believe the current administration's focus is regressive rather than progressive.

Perhaps Dartmouth is mirroring our country's political moodswing to the right. Perhaps President McLaughlin, like Jerry Falwell and the members of The Review, is only following the desires of the people. But are there not times when commitment to a liberal arts education must take precedence over other concerns? Has Dartmouth not built its reputation as one of the finest schools in the country on such principles? Cannot a lack of interest in alternative programs or lifestyles signal a complacency that is not conducive to true intellectual curiosity?

I am not proposing to run individual programs or the College as a whole at a deficit, nor do I suggest enforced diversity of any kind. Rather, I wish merely to remind the community that a commitment to diversity is one of Dartmouth's most valued possessions, and one that should not carelessly be tossed away.

Washington, D.C.

9 Sanders

I wish to compliment Brad Hills, '65, for his excellent article, "On a Scale of 1 to 10 . . . ," in the December '83 issue, regarding my great-niece, "9," whom my sister and I always refer to as "Wendy."

My only complaint regarding Mr. Hill's article is that he did not carry the Dartmouth ancestry far enough back. I was the first of the Sanders clan to attend Dartmouth with four "D's" for intercollegiate championships in tennis.

R. B. Sanders, '29, was my young brother. An earlier relative of ours, Leslie Bush, won an Olympic gold medal in diving from the high platform. But none has approached the prowess of Wendy ("9") who was the only girl on a boys championship hockey team in Anchorage, Alaska where she also took fifth in a regional high-powered rifle meet, with several U.S. Army and Air Force men were among the defeated. She is now one of the mainstays on the Dartmouth women's hockey team.

Houston, Tex.

On Accommodation

Word is that the Dartmouth faculty has once again voted against NROTC on the campus. This should come as no surprise to anyone. For a cinch, bet that the Dartmouth faculty will never rise above parochial interests and vote for NROTC. What is surprising, and disappointing, is that the Board of Trustees did not tell the faculty - "Enough; we have a duty to more than the faculty to students who would choose such a program and to those who have contributed to the financial well-being of the College." Instead, the Trustees in effect ratified the faculty vote, determining that the matter needed further study. This after studies ad nauseam spanning a fifteen year period during which the issues have remained essentially the same. (This action by the Trustees must appear as curious decision-making to Dartmouth students who will wrestle the world's great problems.) But then more time may be needed to reach the accommodation with the faculty. Such accommodation has the same bright prospect as accommodation with the Russians on the role of religion in society. Small wonder that frustrated Dartmouth alumni turn to alternatives.such as opposition Trustee candidates.

Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Faculty and ROTC

Prior to entering Dartmouth we were fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend an ROTC preparatory school and thereby qualified for appointment as second lieutenants in the United States Army Reserve which we accepted during our senior year at age 21. Consequently, when called to active duty just prior to World War II, we entered the service with the rank of first lieutenant rather than private. Many of our classmates were not so fortunate.

We would like to express our grave concern that while the students and Trustees of the College voted favorably for the resumption of ROTC at Dartmouth, the majority of the faculty voted against it. We would like to ask those members of the faculty who voted against ROTC the following questions:

1. How many have had any military experience in the armed services of the United States?

2. Are they concerned that ROTC studies will compete with the courses they teach? We believe that a liberal arts college such as Dartmouth should make available a variety of

courses of instruction to undergraduates and this includes ROTC. We urge that favorable consideration be given to the re-establishment of ROTC so that students may have the opportunity to pursue that course of instruction if they so elect.

Bethesda, Md.

Ralph L. Specht '35

Sarastoa, Fla.

[Frank J. Specht holds the rank of Colonel,U.S. Air Force Reserve, retired; Ralph L.Specht, the rank of Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve, retired. Ed.]

Nice Going

I was impressed and delighted at the marvelous layout, not only of my article ("Maris Bryant Pierce: Seneca Chief at Dartmouth," December 1983), but of the entire magazine.

I could not help but compare it to the University of Chicago Magazine which I receive regularly. At the risk of being disloyal, your publication seems to me to be far ahead of Chicago's; my wife and I agreed that in many ways it reminded us of the quality found in National Geographic.

New Paltz, N. Y.

Interpreting Orozco

Regarding "Interpreting Orozco's Epic" by Jacquelynn Baas in your January/February 1984 issue - as a student I remember many times looking at panel #21. I knew it was an interpretation of the Second Coming of the Messiah, but I could not comprehend why He had chopped down His Cross and why He looked so angry.

According to Jacquelynn Baas, this is not the Christ, but"the human spirit dramatized as a Christ-figure rejecting the appointed destiny of crucifixion."

My first question has been answered. The panel represents man's idolatry of himself; Modern man designs his own plan for saving the world. God's plan _ revealed on the Cross in His suffering love for man, calling us to costly love of our fellow-man _ is rejected. In other words, Orozco's "Christ-figure" is a false Christ, an Antichrist.

As for my second question, the above confirms my long-term observation that when people miss this message Jesus the Messiah is the supreme revelation of our loving heavenly Father they see Jesus stern, angry, and judgmental, rather than humane, happy, and loving.

Portland, Me.

Readers of Jacquelynn Baas's thoughtful and informative essay on the interpretation of Orozco's murals in Baker Library may like to know that Bernard Picard, a television director based in Montreal, in association with Hochelaga Research Institute, proposes to make a film about them. Mr. Picard and I were guests of the College at the 50th anniversary celebration of these murals on 13 February 1984, and we had great pleasure in discussing pur plans with the painter's son and grandson.

As well as a film made in cooperation with the Orozco family, we think another film could be made from the testimonies of students from the past 50 years who have done "their assigned reading surrounded by this astonishing masterpiece. For any visually aware person, spending four years in its presence has to be an unforgettable experience" (Ms. Baas's words, p. 45).

Just such an example is my own life. While still an undergraduate, encouraged by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, I became interested in the history of polar exploration and development. For 30 years, my life and work have been involved with the Indians and Inuit of northern Canada and Alaska. My habit of mind is verbal: I have no visual imagination. Orozco's images colour the memories I have of the traditional peoples of northern latitudes, just as his images seem to illustrate the news I read today from Central America. I shall welcome correspondence from anyone to whom Orozco's murals have had a personal meaning.

Montreal, Canada

The Annual Report: Orwellian Plans

The Annual Report of the College is informative and interesting. I am puzzled and disturbed, however, by the recommendations on the quality of student life (p. 8). The College is to provide personal counseling, social, academic, and cultural programming for dormitory residents. This presupposes that Dartmouth students cannot organize their free time for useful, satisfactory ends and must be spoon-fed by Big Mother, who knows what is best for her charges. They require counseling, states the Report for what? They will be culturally programmed, perhaps advised, what music to listen to or what socially uplifting lectures they should attend. These Orwellian plans would be more suitable for longterm prison inmates.

Since the Report states that the diversity of Dartmouth's community has created "divisiveness and alienation," why not opt for the obvious solution reduce diversity and seek a more cohesive but still variegated student body?

Dartmouth students are, or should be, by the winnowing of the selective admissions process, achievers, independent spirits with the self-discipline and maturity to manage their own social and cultural lives. Or have I had an erroneous impression all these years?

Providence, R.I.

Fathers and Sons

A letter in the January/February issue suggesting that Dartmouth was "thin on Latin even half a century ago" reminded me how impressed I was when my Latin professor,. Harry Burton, turned out to be the same man who had taught my father, William H. Mitchell '98. However, before and since then there must have been many Dartmouth sons who had the same experience.

Rutland, Vt.

Not-so-quiet on the EasternFront

There is an error in the March issue. E. P. Thompson is referred to as "one of the leaders of the nuclear disarmament movement in Europe" (p. 16). He is a leader of the disarmament movement in western Europe. Alas, there is no disarmament movement in eastern Europe. The governments of the people's republics allow no independent movements _ for disarmament, labor rights, religious expression, or whatever.

Which is a great shame. These governments have to rely for their survival on Soviet troops rather than popular support. So they are especially responsive to the desires of the Russian military. One of the great intellectual tasks of our era is to develop means to liberalize eastern-European society, to make the rulers more responsible to the ruled. Perhaps then our common interest in peace can prevail.

Cambridge, Mass.

The Day Before Yesterday

Reading Mr. Dietrich's comment in the March issue ("The Robes of Academe"), may I beg to differ. I had the honor of representing the College at an inaugural at Northern Illinois University some years ago, and expected to be, as he says, no worse than eleventh. Lo and behold, I was preceded both in number and color by several dozen faculty members from University of Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, Munich, Louvain, etc., etc. And from some of their founding dates, 1769 was just day before yesterday. True, there were a lot behind me, but plenty ahead of me as well. I still enjoyed the honor.

Tequesta, Fla.

You Pays Your Nickel . . .

Dartmouth could do well to take a good look at the curriculum policy being tried at Brown. The chief feature is that all courses are elective. Students take only those courses that appeal to them. No more taking courses that they very much dislike and that they find are a waste of their time.

Besides the obvious benefits, the new policy has some good side effects. Those taking no-credit courses, like football, can sign up for the less difficult courses for the first semester and take the more difficult courses during the second semester.

On second thought, all the Ivy colleges would do well to adopt this new curriculum policy.

Bradenton, Fla.

The Dartmouth Alumni Magazine welcomes comment about College affairs and the editorial content of this Magazine. The Editor reserves the right to determine the suitability of letters for publication, using as standards accuracy, relevance, and good taste. Letters must not exceed 400 words and may be edited at the discretion of the Editor. Letters must be signed, with address and telephone included for verification.