Letters

What Dr. Thomas Left Out

The Sophomore Summer Program noted in the September issue Alumni Magazine would seem to be pertinent to the purpose of a Dartmouth education: to open minds. They were fortunate to have such a distinguished and witty keynote speaker as Dr. Lewis Thomas. I can agree with his theme that humankind has a long way to go up the evolutionary tree before we can usefully predict beyond the day after tomorrow. That is, we have a long way to go, if we manage to avoid destroying ourselves and our planet.

But I have some complaints about some of the examples Dr. Thomas uses to illustrate his arguments. For example he speaks of our presumed single ancestor, the prokaryote, the beginning of life on earth, which he says appeared... all done, as we are instructed, by chance ..." Who instructs? This reflects the materialistic, scientific view of life and humankind that has become dogma since the middle of the 19th century. It carefully leaves no room for spirit as the Ground of Being. In fairness one notes that Dr. Thomas makes room for the possibility of "magic" in the process of creation. Magic may be his euphemism for "spirit," an unpopular term these days.

A similar kind of bias shows up. in the discussion of computers and Artificial Intelligence, a field I have been working in for a number of years. The materialistic view is that thought is something extruded or otherwise produced by the complex chemical and electrical processes in the brain. Again, no room for spirit. It follows that one only has to find means of interconnecting and modulating vast numbers of neurone equivalents and, behold, we have a thinking machine. Indeed, one researcher has already produced a computer that can teach itself to read out loud something like, "Mary had a little lamb." It is already clear that the experts will be able to develop and program computers that can cope with wonderfully complex input and process this by means of all kinds of logic. And faster than humans can manage. But what is logic? It is the lowest form of human capacity. What about imagination, inspiration, and intuition? Without these humankind would never have climbed to its present lofty, if perilous, place in the scheme of things.

There is another view: that humans are spiritual beings, and that the physical bodies and brains they occupy for a time are no more than mechanisms for the workings of the spirit. Unfortunately, no "scientific proof" of this concept is available, so that it can be dismissed readily by the scientific fraternity.

None of this is meant to denigrate Dr. Thomas' thought-provoking address. One hopes that it stirred the attending sophomores to think beyond current campus issues and agitation.

McKinleyville, Calif.

Bonfire

Your "history" of the Dartmouth bonfires really burned me up!

In the fall of 1975 a small band of fieryeyed freshmen enkindled the admiration of an entire campus by setting out to build the biggest bonfire in Dartmouth history. The previous record was held by the Class of '77 at roughly 85 tiers. The challengers began on Monday morning and worked faster than a speeding locomotive to erect a 100-tier-high monument for Dartmouth Night. And so, we believed, the Class of '79 burned a notch for itself in the lore of the College.

Could it be, instead, that our glory has gone up in smoke?

Cambridge, Mass.

Do my eyes deceive me, or is that Vic "Doggie" Trautwein '52 atop the 1949 bonfire (Page 52, October issue), coaching the 's3's in proper piling-on technique. If so, it could be one of those seemingly rare occasions when 1952 has topped our erstwhile competitors from the good Class of 1953. It. certainly would certify Vic's true Dartmouth spirit, although, as one of just a few sporting his original 1952 beanie at our recent 35th Reunion, his credentials as a trueblue Big Green are impeccable.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, Ron Williams '52 may also be seen lurking about in the underbrush. Sorry, can't identify the rest must be the crewcuts!

Glen Rock, N.J.

9,000 Voices

It is my fervent hope and prayer that the profound significance of the vote for two Trustees of the College last spring has deeply registered on the minds of the Administration and Board of Trustees.

When 41% of the voting alumni of the College register their votes for two relatively unknown alumni, versus the two Trustees highly recommended and widely advertised by the College, the Alumni Council and the present Trustees, then one must realize that it is the perception of almost half of the alumni of the College that something has gone drastically wrong.

For even 15% to have voted against these recommended Trustees, one of whom is an important officer of the College, would have been really shocking, but for almost half of the voting alumni to express their dissatisfaction states an appalling situation.

I pray these 9,000 voices calling in the wilderness will be heard and cognizance taken of their deep feelings.

Scarsdale, N.Y.

Fresh Thinking Needed

I think it reasonable to assume that there are a lot of alumni who have held back from giving, but who, nevertheless, look forward to again feeling unqualifiedly proud of their alma mater. Reduced giving is one way to express dissatisfaction. Another is to nominate non-establishment candidates for trusteeship. To me, this was a sincere effort to broaden the outlook of the board and set aright policies and procedures that have been a source of embarrassment.

As I see it, alumni dissatisfaction stems not so much from undergraduate behavior as from reaction to the faculty and administration to that behavior. These latter are the adult heads who on the one hand are committed to freedom of thought and on the other to guidance and wise leadership. The immature behavior of faculty personnel, the patently prejudiced handling of discipline, and the vacillation that accompanied it suggest a lack of clear policy on the part of the administration and the board of trustees.

Some years ago the trustees set out to make Dartmouth a world class institution. A number of innovations were initiated. Year-round sessions, widespread use of computers, women, and no more Indian symbol (although reuning alumni are allowed a quick peek at the Hovey murals). Yet something was missing. Perhaps sensing this, when the time came, the trustees appointed David McLaughlin, because, as one of them put it, "he was one of us."

A board of trustees are a policy making and governing elite with a potential for great achievement. However, there is a tendency for self-perpetuating boards to recreate themselves. All of us are attached to the like minded, but excessive homogeneity can foster a kind of mental and spiritual cavitation; it spins vigorously with little effect. There is a need for an infusion of fresh thinking. This, I believe, is what the non-establishment alumni were trying to bring about.

Dartmouth is more much more than just one more superior educational institution. Its locale is unique; its history is unique; it invokes a unique response; it enjoys a unique loyalty. Its spirit is universally admired and envied even by Harvard men. It invokes the rugged hills and "the granite of New Hampshire." It recalls the words of Daniel Webster when speaking of New Hampshire's landmark (and hallmark): "Up in the mountains of New Hampshire God Almighty has hung out a sign that there He makes men." It calls up the image of a pioneer minister who "went into the wilderness" to carry the light of learning. It is this spirit that means so much to the men of Dartmouth and to women associated in whatever way with the College, as well. I know, for I married one whose Dartmouth family stretches back 140 years. Our daughter attended that first summer session that admitted women. These are the images in our hearts and minds that call forth the "manly tears" of which the beloved Dean Laycock bid us be unashamed. I think that Daniel Webster and Craven Laycock were advancing the intellectual, moral, and spiritual values that build character in men and women. While values are hard to quantify, they can't be overestimated when the end product is people.

"Dartmouth Undying" appears to have become "Dartmouth Besieged." Students will always raise a certain amount of hell, but generally less deliberately in an atmosphere that respects values as well as knowledge. Something has been overlooked in the rush to achieve.

Dartmouth will serve itself and the world better by being itself a liberal arts college with superior teachers in a unique semirural setting with an emphasis on character.

I think some of the alumni would appreciate a little soul searching on the part of the trustees and the administration. Open the door to fresh thought. Let those in charge respond rather than react to campus problems. Let Dartmouth be Dartmouth to evolve, not revolve.

Cohasset, Mass.

A Nautical Vision

I have these recurrent visions, one of which has to do with the Dartmouth campus being, now, a sort of inland sea. The sea is too small for navigation, but still there are the battleships, four or five of them, prowling around with their guns elevated to fire though never firing. These ships don't have crews in the usual sense, but instead they have "members," all dressed in jumpsuits, blue for one ship, yellow for another, and so on, with a badge worn at the breast that is distinctive for each ship and that is polished in the evenings. Members are seldom seen. Life is below decks in a blaze of florescents where they hold the meetings events of sheer joy to strengthen the songs and vote on new slogans. Outside all is fog and mist with the battleships moving slowly to avoid bumping. There is no reason for speed because there is no place to go anyway.

This is one of the visions. The doctor says it isn't the coffee but what he calls, gently, the "advancing years." There are still long periods when I am relatively okay.

Santa Fe, N.M.

Letters Space Questioned

Let me urge you, after 25 years of reading letters to the editor, to eliminate them. Leave them to class newsletters. Use the space better, to tell us about the College.

You are doing your readership a disservice. Apparently you feel that a full array of letters, in intelligence and subject matter, must appear in each issue. I disagree. We all understand, if we ever needed to be told, that change upsets alumni/ae, whether it relates to the Vietnam War, coeducation, the Indian Symbol or, more recently, ROTC, divestiture and shanties. What we don't know, and what we richly deserve to know, is what the quality and content presently are of Dartmouth's program and prospects. Who are the people, and what are they doing, now and in the future at Dartmouth? We need vastly more of that and vastly less of the back and forth in the space allocated to alumni letters.

I might feel differently if the alumni letters reflected the critical inquiry made possible by expanded articles of substantive content. Without such expansion, you are failing to present adequately the growth and life of the College. For example, over the past year the alumni magazine and various alumni mailings barely mentioned that the medical school complex may be moved a distance of ten miles or so from Hanover. We badly need a full discussion. The cost, apparently, will be on the order of 50 to 60 million dollars or more. The implications for community at a "small college" are far more important than any of the issues now exercising our alumni and their letters. Yet I suspect I am the first alumnus even to reflect consciousness of the importance of this change. And I am truly concerned: who shall bear the cost of the move, what other more important initiatives will be shelved because of it, what monies will be drained off from what other good causes?

Another important issue barely noted in the latest magazine was the announcement that Dartmouth had undertaken a women's studies program. I have supported such a program at the institution where I previously taught and at my present institution, Lewis & Clark. I know that important questions are posed: Shall the program be a major? Shall it have its own staff? Shall it be eclectic, drawing from varying disciplines and departments? Shall the program be under a department chair or under a dean or under a provost? More fundamentally, are such programs transitory phenomena, do they have enduring disciplinary roots, will they help within the liberal arts tradition to educate our students, will they be a hindrance ultimately to placement in the job market? I want to know more about these issues and less about alumni neuroses.

I do not wish to seem intolerant of the men and women with whom I share Dartmouth roots. Indeed, it is my high regard for them that leads me to believe they thirst for knowledge fully as much as I do. The particular knowledge you can offer us is more and better information about the life and times, the prospect and programs, of the Dartmouth we cared about as students and care about now. I, for one, would like you to tell me more.

Portland, Oregon

Reply to Elaine

Elaine Anderson '83's letter in the September issue got me stirred up. She wondered, and rightfully so, if old-time grads remember only football and the Indian symbol.

No, Elaine. Perhaps we could all focus a bit on what made our College special. For me, academically, it was the Great Issues course. The world view I was exposed to has never left me. My personal highlight was perhaps the following: In my junior year, at age 19, I wandered out of Topliff Hall one afternoon, lost in not-too-deep thoughts. I moved out of the way of a big dog, without recognizing the animal. At the other end of the leash was John S. Dickey. President Dickey, puzzled that I did not greet him, upon his return to his office, looked through student photos until he recognized mine. He then tried to phone me. He reached my roommate, who reported, as I was able to confirm the next day, that I was doing fine.

The kind of personal caring has served as a model for me these many years.

Carmichael, Calif.

New Symbol Needed

After following this column over the past years, I feel that I too should put in my two cents on the general conditions of the College that seem to arouse the alumni.

First, and most painfully, the Indian symbol. It almost seems that the symbol was dropped to encourage a never-ending source of letters to this column. My personal feelings are that I felt a loss when the Indian symbol was abolished. However, I (and all alumni) cannot go home. If the people who now populate that campus feel negatively towards this symbol, then it should be removed. But "Big Green" has no meaning. It is not a symbol that students and alumni can rally around and find a common ground for communication. Dartmouth desparately needs a solid, meaningful symbol. The trustees, administration, students, and alumni should make this a high priority. A great call should go out to find a symbol which hopefully will unite those on campus with the alumni group behind a strong Dartmouth.

Second, it appears the College has taken a conscious stand to admit students who have academic excellence but only athletic mediocrity. Watching men's football and hockey over the past five years affirms this observation. If this is going to be the future course of the College, then Dartmouth should lower its competitive sights accordingly. It makes no sense to play teams year in year out who are going to "cream" our teams (e.g. the Navy-Dartmouth football debacle this weekend, October 4). We should be playing teams such as Williams, Bowdoin, UConn, etc. Not teams that have made sports recruiting a priority.

Finally, my last observation is that writing letters to the editor is in itself nothing more than an exercise in frustration. It appears the trustees and administration don't read or don't seem to get the general feeling of the writing alumni. But then again, Dartmouth's seal reads "Vox clamantis in Deserto"!

East Hampton, Conn.

The Navy Game

On Saturday I attended the Dartmouth-Navy game in Annapolis. I have never been so ashamed of my college and hope I never will be again.

It was Navy homecoming day and there were over 30,000, mostly Navy, spectators. And the problem was emphatically not the fault of the Dartmouth team. They played a hard gruelling game with nothing to be ashamed of. They were beaten by a better team.

The disaster was .what must be wrong at Dartmouth itself. First off, they fired the coach, for good reason or bad. But then they waffled and took him back. He chose absolutely unbelievable plays at crucial points, so that the Dartmouth stands were saying he was just getting even with the College. And it certainly looked that way. He kept men in until they were ready to drop when any fresh men could have done better. And to top it, our college didn't even have the courtesy of sending cheerleaders to pep up the team and those of us who had come long distances to support the Indians. Nor was our band there either. You'd have thought we were Mudflats U. from Buffalo Wallow, Wyoming.

Everything that management collectively could do wrong was, and I'm sure we lost more prestige as well as money than we would have by paying the coach off, getting a substitute, and sending along the cheer-leaders and band.

Oley, Pa.

Navy Dartmouth 1953 55 1954 42 7 1986 45 0 Uncle!

Arlington, Va.

An Athletic Comedown

This letter frankly should be entitled "What the Hell is going on in Hanover?'' I entered Dartmouth College in the fall of 1925, having played football at Englewood (N.J.) High School and Mercersburg Academy. I won my numerals under Coach Sid Hazelton in the fall of 1925. Sophomore year (1926) under coaches Jess Hawley, Jackson Cannell, Norm Crisp, Honey Hagenbuckle and Johnnie Phillips I learned a lot, but not enough to letter. In 1927 I won my letter and in 1928 I started and played in all eight games. In those days there were no special teams. A player stuck it out on both offense and defense. In other words, you had to be carried off the field. Your substitute, then, filled your place.

Freshman year we had a 4-1 record. Sophomore year and Junior year we were 7-1 each year, losing only to the "Yale jinx." Senior year we split 4-4, beating Norwich, New Hampshire, Columbia and Cornell. We lost to Harvard, Yale, Brown and Princeton.

In 1985 Dartmouth's football coach, with a year to go on his contract, was fired by the Athletic Director. The coach took his case to court, where he Was awarded his full contract, to terminate his connection with Dartmouth at the close of the 1986-87 year. Currently, under his tutelage, Dartmouth has a mid-season record of 0-5. It seems reasonable to expect a 0-10 for the season. Then the coach will have the dubious distinction of being Dartmouth's losingest coach.

I would make a slight change in one of Robert Browning's poems. Us "Golden Ponders" who are still around from the late '20's may have said it this way about Dartmouth's football: "Grow old with me, the worst is yet to be." Senior citizens are eagerly watching Dartmouth football to find out "What the hell is going on in Hanover?". At least we will have a new President and possibly a new Athletic Director next year.

Dallas, Texas