Letters

Still Sound

I thought that you would like to know that, at least among all the members of the 50-year class I spoke with personally, we came away from our reunion with the feeling that the College is still sound and the addition of the class of 1986 to the alumni roster will do nothing to lower the level of our intellectual quality or the integrity of our purpose. Young Erik Hagerman's valedictory was a credit to the College. With the exception of one or two who apparently felt the need to attract attention to themselves on the foolish theory that they might thereby forward a purpose they apparently consider vital to their own personal welfare, the class at Commencement behaved with the enthusiasm and spontaneity young people should manifest.

Finally, Gwendolyn Susan King's benediction was truly inspirational. I think the College is in pretty good hands, and I think that most of the class of 1936 joins me in looking forward to the 60th.

Manchester, N.H.

A Disservice to 1986

I was sincerely disappointed by a recent article which appeared in The New YorkTimes on June 9 entitled "Dartmouth College Two Arrested at Commencement." The article, unlike others on Williams College and New York University Law School's graduations, failed to mention either the honorary degree recipients or a summary of the keynote speaker's address. Instead, the article focused on the arrest of two people: a parent of a graduating senior and a senior barred from the graduation ceremony as a result of the occupation of Baker Tower in April by the Dartmouth Committee for Divestment.

Apartheid is a horrific human crime. And, as this past year's activities have demonstrated, divestment is a very controversial issue on campus. Yet, it is an issue that can be examined intelligently. For those of us outside Hanover, recent publicity has focused on Dartmouth as a battleground between two opposing views, both of whom have forgotten their most powerful weapon intelligent debate through open thought and communication. By resorting to childish tactics, acts of destruction, and defiance of authority, both sides, in my opinion, emerge as losers.

However, students who chose to demonstrate, whether opposed to divestment or not, must be willing to accept the consequences of such action. Regardless of the issue at hand, if respect of the disciplinary system does not exist, we will have anarchy. Just as those students who destroyed the shanties in February faced their punishment, so must those who occupied Baker Tower. Mr. Menon, however, chose not to abide by the system and as a result, the class of 1986 paid the price. Although we should never let the issue of apartheid die, it is unfortunate that the selfish actions of one individual should mar, for all those involved, volved, a day, a ceremony, and a tradition of which I have such fond memories.

New York, N.Y.

Dartmouth Not Alone

At a recent Dartmouth class reunion I had the opportunity to meet Dartmouth alumni from other classes as well as my own. I found many ill-informed regarding the antiapartheid sentiment, and activism, at Yale as well as at other colleges throughout the U.S. Dartmouth is not an isolated incident of such demonstrations. At Yale the "shantytown" was standing for several weeks and throughout commencement exercises.

The national press gave all this little coverage. Apparently a Yale shanty town was no longer news, or else the press had already had their heyday covering Dartmouth and, with the perversity of the press, were not to be sidetracked by two Ivy League contenders simultaneously. In any event, to my way of thinking Dartmouth once again proved herself as a leader among institutions of higher learning. It is always satisfying to know Yale follows Dartmouth's lead, rather than vice versa.

New Haven, Conn.

What Community Means

The College prides itself on the image of Community it projects. Certainly, administrators and fund-raisers from other institutions believe the potency of the Dartmouth mythos. And each of us gone from the Hanover Plain but with ears still pricking at the mention of Alma Mater choose to believe in and reinforce the connection with the College. We give our time and money and love to a place which helped shape us and which now we may try to shape.

Because we, as alumni, constitute a large part of the Community that is Dartmouth, we have an uncontested right to be heard. Nevertheless, if we understand the concept of community, we must recognize the need for use to do more than make petulant demands upon the College. We fool ourselves if we believe that Dartmouth has no responsibility beyond teaching the "Greatest Hits of Western Civilization." We do the students a disservice if we believe that this is all they are capable of digesting and do not regard them as citizens of our chaotic world with opinions and a lifetime of choices to make. We do them an even greater disservice if we do not encourage the College to give them the deepest possible exposure to the wider world in which they will live.

Over the past few months, I have watched a deterioration of the communal purpose at the College. A recent mailing from an alumni group promoted the notion that we could return to a "simpler" time and avoid conflict if we eliminated the troublemakers (defined variously along the lines of race, gender, or affectional or political preference).

Our world is complex, and the question of what is best for any community is sometimes tryingly difficult. But we cannot abdicate our responsibility to face the complexity by homogenizing the viewpoints of those involved. Like any large family, we may have some loud, obstreperous members. Disagree we will, argue we may; but membership in the Family is not negotiable. A difference of opinion cannot exclude one from the Community; temper tantrums are immature but reparable. Premeditated and malicious injury to other members of the Community, however, is unconscionable; acts with which one attempts to place oneself outside the rules and the control of community morality cannot be tolerated. The generosity of forgiveness in the Community does not extend to those persons who would obliterate the right of their fellows to participate in the group colloquy.

No matter how angry others make us, no matter how frustrated we feel, we must continue to listen to the moral voice (even if in troubled times it is Vox Clamantis in Deserto) saying that Dartmouth can survive as a moral and intellectual community only ' as long as its aims are larger than the desires of any individual. The Community does and must enfold those we love and those with whom we disagree. It will enfold each of us most fully if we accept that it is everchanging and reconstituting with new and different voices blending with the old and that this is as it should be.

Alston '80 New York, N.Y.

Curtail COS

I have read each and every letter published in recent months, as well as the statement from President McLaughlin on the regrettable events at Dartmouth. Nowhere have I read any explanation of the genesis and powers of the COS (Committee on Standards), which made the decisions on those who participated in the Shanty episode. I have written for such an explanation, but have received none. In the meantime, I think it is imperative that you tell the alumni what President McLaughlin included in a recent letter to me and I quote:

"With regard to the disciplinary actions that have been awarded by the Committee on Standards, you should know that the Committee is an independent and standing faculty committee, comprised of three faculty, three students, and two administrators. The only role I have in the process is as an appeal officer and then only to judge for procedural errors or for extreme hardship. Under no circumstances am I permitted to question the original judgments of the COS."

Can anyone conceive of a President of the College not being the final source of disciplinary decisions? I can conceive of a COS being a fact-finding, recommending body to the President but not the final word. This COS smacks of the Kemeny era and let no one forget he now is a faculty member and one who hired many of those presently on the faculty, some with tenure. Do we now understand why no severe discipline was taken against Professor Cole? The COS must be stripped of its power and recast as suggested above. Trustees take note.

Pasadena, Calif.

The Faculty's Voice

In the midway of dozens of letters boringly blowing off steam over three or four revoltingly chewed-to-the-bone issues, too boring to enumerate here (but you know, oh friends of Dartmouth, what they are), one intelligent letter "daring to be different" mentions something that matters. Amid metaphysical disquisitions about Indian heads (there I go enumerating) such wonderful topics for discourse because they are about nothing real and never can be resolved (what is the underlying cause, good Doctor, for the anxiety so overly expressed by these obsessive and apparently meaningless symbols?) this letter dares to bring up the point that Dartmouth is a school. Schools are either good, bad, great, or indifferent according to the quality of the education they succeed in providing to their clients, known as students, through the efforts of the faculty, or teachers.

Mr. Kirby '72 points out that lost in the foam and blather over poor old Dartmouth a cacophony of repeating plaints with administration as sopranos, the alumni as altos, and the students as tenors are the good, all-important voices of the basses, the faculty. Oh that dirty old dog, that shredded glove, toss it in the corner, and let's get on with talking about Dartmouth The Metaphysical One. Who cares about teachers; what does education have to do with the Dow Jones, anyway? The smart boys and girls have gathered to talk about Serious Stuff.

Mr. Kirby dares to mention that the opinions of those who do make a difference at Dartmouth anyone remember those inconspicuous characters who stood in front of the room when you went to class? are being ignored in all this huff and puff. He speaks of a significant "shift of power" where the "governance by professional enucators is now being replaced by governance by professional administrators." My friends, that is something worth talking about, if Dartmouth is still an educational institution. Kirby correctly complains that "these changes" ,and the views of the faculty have largely gone unrepresented in our Alumni Magazine as if students, administrators, and alumni had already dispensed with the needless fourth estate. Ironically, the editor replies: "For coverage of faculty concerns, see the College section of the March issue." So! One has to go back to a certain column two issues prior, to catch the weak and measly voice of the faculty interrupting the loud and lofty thumping of our chests. Let the faculty speak, big shots. They do the job.

New York, N.Y.

No Enthusiasm Either Way

It is said that failure to vote represents abdication of one's civic responsibilities. -However, I could not vote with any sense of enthusiasm for any of the trustee candidates. I do not want to feel partly responsible for either group winning.

Although I am sure both of the incumbent candidates are fine individuals whose only misfortune is to be up for reelection at the wrong time, there is too much wrong at the College, for which all trustees must bear some responsibility, for me to want to be part of a mandate for the status quo. This is particularly true in light of the everything is all right" platform which all of the trustees seem to have adopted concerning the election.

Among other current problems.: 1. Both the disciplinary process, and the current administration thereof, seem seriously flawed. Failure to discipline student excesses of one extreme will almost inevitably result in excesses of the other extreme. And punishment does seem to be based more on one's politics, than the crime involved.

2. In an era where almost everything in America has become theatre staged for the press, a process in which some institutions have far better stage directors than others, the public and press relations at Dartmouth are abominable. Both the shanty builders and The Review seem to have a better understanding of the role of the press in America than does the College itself.

3. The administration seems extremely indecisive, more afraid of hurting someone's feelings than providing leadership. First we fire Yukica, then we don't; first we set a deadline for shanty removal, then we don't follow through; first we confront the faculty, then we praise them; etc., etc.

Partly as a result of (3) above the faculty seems out of control. Another phenomenon of modern America seems to be that all faculties are potentially too liberal and live on the brink of anarchy. (Things often seem worse in this regard, however, than they really are. My father was a Dartmouth professor, liberal enough to be labeled a communist by Westbrook Pegler types. When he became a college administrator in the 1960s he became quite conservative.) However, normally checks and balances keep things functioning. In any event the Dartmouth faculty may later come to rue many of its own actions.

4. The policy towards "minorities" seems dominated by a sense that all that is necessary is admitting more. Although all I know is what I read in the papers and College communications, it seems years since minorities have been subjected to normal expectations in regard to discipline and full participation in a meaningful community. Now the policy seems to place more emphasis on admission of minorities in bulk than it does on what they are later supposed to get from the College, or the College from them.

What Dartmouth really needs is some "diplomats" to begin putting it back together. Somehow I doubt that a lot of "wah-hoo-wah" about the Indian symbol, ROTC, and hiring conservative faculty members (which in America is like searching for needles in a haystack) will do that.

Brewster, Mass.

It's Time to Disband

The latest report of the Alumni Committee for a Strong Dartmouth, dated June 5, 1986, has just arrived and calls for comment. First, the logistics. According to Ave Raube's figures, 31,000 letters to alumni in the first mailing of March 4 were actually delivered. The mailing resulted in 4,020 signed petitions, thus coming from only one-eighth of the alumni receiving the request for such petitions. This does not represent a strong measure of support for the Committee's efforts, although in the balloting the Committee's two candidates received 43 percent and 41 percent of the 22,680 votes cast. The total vote is 52 percent of the 43,600 alumni who received the second mailing piece of April 15. This suggests that almost one half of Dartmouth alumni were not sufficiently disturbed by the Committee's reiterated charge of "the absence of sound, enduring, incisive leadership and administration" to vote either way in the trustee election.

The examination of the class affiliations of the 255 "early supporters" of the Committee listed by Raube is even more interesting. Only 11 of the total graduated in the last 15 years, 1971 to 1985. Only 23 more graduated in the classes from 1961 to 1970. Thus only 13.3 percent of the Committee's "early supporters" graduated in the last 25 years. The rest go back as far as 1917, with all but three coming from the classes 1920 to 1960.

It is obvious that what we have in this most unfortunate effort to change Dartmouth is a generation gap which makes all the more astounding the arrogant statement in Raube's letter concerning the Committee's future activities: the promise "to be the most reliable and respected source of information from and about Dartmouth College . . . [the Committee] will fearlessly, diligently, and relentlessly pursue and publicize fact and truth regarding matters of importance to the College." We alumni are not to look to Hanover and recent graduates about conditions at our alma mater, but rather to a group of alumni for the most part out of college over 25 years and living up to 3,000 miles from Hanover.

It is time for the Committee to disband. It has performed a worthwhile service in pointing out deficiencies in the administration of concern to a large number of older alumni, although a minority even of these alumni. The president and trustees are now well aware of these concerns, and will certainly make every effort to avoid such problems in the future. Dartmouth's image and reputation have suffered grievously because of the recent conflict among the alumni rightfully regarded as the most loyal alumni group of any major institution of higher education in the nation. For the Committee to continue its efforts will only aggravate a nasty situation, inhibit the reforms which will be made if the in-fighting stops, and further tarnish the image of the College.

Kingston, R.I.

[Mr. Horn is President Emeritus of Pratt Institute, Albertus Magnus College, and The University of Rhode Island.]

Reckless Language

The boys are using the language recklessly. One wrote in the May issue there was terrorism on the campus. There is no terrorism in Hanover, nor has there been any. That contributor and others are emulating the media in the wild position of their sights. Let's go back to correct, precise reporting.

As for the alumni in London and Paris, let them enjoy their privileged residence and get their campus news from the Colege, not the media. They will then be correctly informed.

We have a good man at the helm. Give him credit for the constructive things he has done for the College. He serves us well in difficult circumstances. Lend him our support; give a little more ballast to the ship to allow him to keep it on course.

Concord, Mass.

A Great Presumption

As a green-blooded alumnus of the College, I faithfully read the considerable amount of campaign literature generated in regard to the Alumni Trustee election held on May 17. The fighting issue genuinely seems to have been whether Dartmouth should be a liberal or a conservative institution. In so advocating their respective positions, both sides profoundly missed the point of the College's charter and thereby foisted a great presumption upon the student body.

Dartmouth is or should be an educational institution only. The"i" in all the "isms" (e.g.; conservativism, liberalism, etc.) most appropriately stands for the " individual/' not for the "institution." The educated individual's philosophy consists of the "isms" which have withstood his/her reasoned analysis. As architect of his/her own philosophy, the educated individual naturally becomes its advocate as well. By contrast, the inculcated individuals's philosophy consists of those "isms" which have withstood institutional analysis. As the implement of an unexamined philosophy the inculcated individual naturally becomes its mere adherent. The fact that the professed purpose of Dartmouth College is to "graduate young men and women with the potential to make a significant positive impact on society" strongly suggests that its administrators and alumni/ae should be preoccupied with providing education rather than inculcation; with producing advocates rather than adherents; and with promoting individual intellectual freedom rather than institutional philosophical bias. However, the tenor of this Trustee election gives the lie to the College's charter.

It is distressing to see one's beloved alma mater humbled from without by the kind of press which Dartmouth has recently received. But it is much worse it is disheartening to see the College humbled from within by the kind of mess both sides made of this election. Fortunately, this mess need not devolve upon the current undergraduates, so as to adversely affect their education. Simply bear this in mind: institutional presumption yields to individual assertion. No matter the outcome of an election, the Trustees of Dartmouth College cannot confiscate what an undergraduate refuses to surrender. Above all else, a diploma should be a testimonial to one's mastery of the only collegiate lesson that matters; namely, that one has learned how to learn. If it memorializes anything less, it had better serve the sheep whence it came.

McLean, Va.

Disappointing Coverage

As an alumnus who has "roamed the girdled earth" and has had to keep abreast of recent developments at Dartmouth through reading the International Herald Tribune, I was anxiously awaiting receipt of the March 1986 edition of the Alumni Magazine. Unfortunately, the depth and breadth of the coverage of both the Shanty issue and the concern regarding governance of the College was truly disappointing. The Magazine did not provide adequate coverage of either important issue. It appears that the AlumniMagazine has degenerated into a simple, public relations document for the College, rather than a news publication about the College. This unfortunate trend was identifiable some months ago, but it has now reached a critical stage.

While I have no interest in subscribing to The Review, I was pleased to note that TheDartmouth Fortnightly was available by mail subscription. At least I can keep abreast of the College through the editorial staff of our undergraduate newspaper, if not the Alumni Magazine.

'67 Bangkok, Thailand

"Chicken Little" Syndrome

Many alumni are fond of quoting various periodicals in support of their view of the current "decline" of Dartmouth College. I would like to offer this: "The sky is falling!

Chicken Little, circa early 20th century?

Seeing as how 25-odd years have passed since I first read this fable, I think it safe to assume that the sky is not falling. What seems just as obvious to me is that while Dartmouth has undergone much turmoil in recent times there is no substantive basis for charting the College's downfall. Indeed, the most frequent alumni criticism of widespread published criticisms of the College is that they are one-dimensional and do not address the more complex underlying issues which give rise to the more public conflicts. If this is the case, why all the worry about this temporary wave of "negative publicity? Are we worried that potential Dartmouth applicants may shun the College because of possible exposure to radically opposed points of view? Would the College benefit from the matriculation of such intellectually spineless types? I doubt it.

Sarah Lewis perhaps best expresses this "sky is falling" mentality in her comments (New York Times, January 24, 1986, p. 1) on her Dartmouth lineage and her apparently overwhelming feelings of shame on attending the College in this era of anti-shanty sledgehammer wielders. While I personally find the ideology and behavior of the"new right" at Dartmouth repugnant and marginally worthy of intellectual scrutiny, it is these very people who have suffered the most from their deeds: Certainly the actions of a radical minority should not drag the rest of the Dartmouth community into the gutter.

I fail to understand why campus complacency and conformity of thought and action is the dream of so many undergraduates and alumni. I'm sure that the Dartmouth of today is a far more diverse and stimulating institution than it was during the heyday of the Indian symbol and Bob Blackman's football machine. It seems obvious to me that, despite the current appeal of behaving like a Chicken Little, recent events and the attendant publicity will ultimately serve to strengthen, not weaken, the College.

Questa, N.M.

Divestment, Shanties, etc.

The scores of letters in the previous two issues on the shanties and their destruction evade the main issue. Yes, the form of protest in one case, without violence, building the shanties on public space; in the other, with violence and the potential for serious harm to people, destroying the shanties is important. But form is not what centrally distinguishes the acts. The central issue is the purpose behind the acts. In the first instance it is to focus attention on Dartmouth's profiting from apartheid; in the second to "beautify the Green," which means, in effect, to add another layer of immunity of boardroom decisions. Keep the Green clean, keep the investment policy behind closed doors, out of public scrutiny! This is to view the cleanup action in the best possible light. Viewed in dimmer light, it was mean-spirited and racist.

Of course, all are privileged to disagree with the argument for divestment. Then let us debate that.

New Haven, Conn.

My heartfelt thanks to Dorothy Foley for writing about the events of late at the College. Her article in the April issue of the Alumni Magazine explains clearly the confusion surrounding the sit-ins, the shanties, the destruction, and the political extremism surrounding the divest issue.

While I have received a vast supply of letters from the current Dartmouth administration istration concerning the problem, all of it has been extremely ambiguous. President McLaughlin's correspondence is necessary, but falls far short of reasonable explanations. Nor does it offer any possible solutions. Perhaps the intent is to confuse and mollify the alumni.

No one is happy with the current activities at the College. I am not my father is not and my godfather is certainly not. The current administration seems only interested in maintaining the status quo. It is obvious some changes are needed.

vote with the extreme conservatives just to show our discontent?

It is very sad that during all this silliness the academic careers of some students are being hindered by disciplinary action. I find the entire matter oddly perverse.

Beverly Hills, Calif.

I have a next-door neighbor who, despite my protests, continues to own an interest in a real estate company which leases property to a local massage parlor (at a pretty good rate, I understand).

I think I'll build an outhouse on his front lawn. (He's a wimp and wouldn't protest.)

If the other neighbors try to tear it down, I'll have them arrested. I've got my rights, you know.

Shelton, Conn.

Peering retrospectively out of my wellprotected sand castle on the beach, I see the source of the frustrating events described in the Alumni Magazine letters and national press: the decision to make Dartmouth coeducational.

Fernandina Beach, Fla.

My sentiments about the divestment vs. anti-divestment controversy are summed up in an editorial I wrote for my paper, TheRutland Herald, saying:

"The key issue in the (trustee) campaign was divestment but in the background was the more or less chronic turmoil among Dartmouth old boys about discard of the Indian symbol and coeducation.

"As for the issue of bias in handing out discipline to students on opposite sides of the divestment question, conservatives thought anti-divestment students, the cappus shanty-bashers, were treated more severely for infractions of college rules than were pro-divestment students, who briefly occupied the Tower Room of Baker Library.

"The argument on the conservative side, represented by right-wing Review staffers, equated a destructive act the smashing of shanties on the Green with what were essentially nondestructive acts by divestment partisans.

"When Review staffers took the law into their own hands and destroyed the shanties, they moved into administration territory and exceeded the bounds of peaceful protest. If the administration had not acted forcefully against the shanty-bashers, prodivestment students might have been encouraged to take destructive measures against the Review staffers. A raid on the Review offices for example . . .

"Evidently the conservatives would prefer their college student body to shun controversy and concentrate on producing a better football team.

"Looking on the brighter side, despite all of the alumni resentment and frustration about changes at the college on the hill, financial support has never been stronger. That's the way it should be."

Rutland, Vt.

S elf-Aggrand izement

Isn't it sad that a once very cohesive family has become so splintered? The recent events and problems at Dartmouth say something about the parochialism of academe's thinking.

Where was the forethought regarding the Indian controversy? Our mascot should have been respectfully retained and promoted in good taste within the Ivy. Such action would have produced far less pique (if any) to the sachems than the continuous dispute which has been broadcast from sea to shining sea as a result of the actions of those professing to be sensitive to the feelings of American Indians.

Have those who seem to need a cause for self-aggrandizement used the Indian for their torch? That action is far more disrespectful than when we Indian lovers used the Indian to exemplify spirit, courage, and loyalty. And our cause never left the campus, except on occasional weekends.

Let's put the Indian back on campus and control its use so that we all can be proud of the symbol, including our American Indian brothers. Let's put out the torch and eliminate all the ink that the do-gooders have created and continue to promote.

Demanding divestment against apartheid may be just one more way to embrace an issue and stir the pot to gain group attention rather than to contribute to solving a problem that concerns most of us. It might be more effective to hold our position and protest at the annual meetings.

Did the shanty builders ever stop to think that when Dartmouth sells, there is a buyer in the wings? A recent look at divested issues, over a period of time, indicates that values rose as a result of divestment to produce additional capital for those companies.

Maybe it is all just a bad dream. Those who cared for the Indian and caused all this controversy really did not care. Those who cared about apartheid and caused all this dissension really cared for little else than self-aggrandizement by being tied to a cause.

One day Dartmouth will again be a College managed by the President, his officers, and the trustees, rather than by the students and faculty and their causes. Perhaps when that day comes, action taken at Dartmouth supporting causes will bring positive results and proud comments. We will not be apologizing for our school's news coverage, splintered constituency, lack of spirit, and athletic accomplishments. Where is the excellence that we are asked to support and build?

Boston, Mass.

Let's Bind the Wounds

To two great young Jewish women. Right on! Don't let them bring you down! You have risen above the unfriendly skies of chauvinism and bigotry and are better for it while your assailants never had it and never will. All women, whether black, white, brown, yellow, Protestant, or Catholic, and including my daughter, have been harassed or hazed to some extent at Dartmouth. Too bad, guys, that you feel threatened by girls. What will you do if you are threatened by Russian infantrymen? Don't tell me, I know. You'll run up to Canada.

I instruct you, Mara Rudman and Lisa Leffert, to paraphrase General McAuliffe's reply to the krauts at Bastogne for these creeps, "Nuts to you, stormtroopers!"

I will not be a hypocrite. I am in favor of the return of a proper and respected Indian symbol. My father, Harry A. Ward '09, Thayer '10, had a beautifully carved Indian head cane, So I know the tradition goes back that far at least. His favorite author as a boy and even in later life was James Fenimore Cooper, and I would hazard a guess about his reaons for attending Dartmouth after graduation from Lynn Classical High School, which would be the curriculum established at the Thayer School by General Thayer, a pioneer in civil engineering in America, as well as a graduate of West Point and the founder of modern West Point; the presence of Bobby Fletcher as Dean of Thayer, and, I strongly suspect, his love for things pertaining to the Eastern Indian tribes. . . .

Finally, what I am trying to say, which is a lot easier to say for myself because of the two girls mentioned above, is that the College is the most important thing that we all share: the fellowship, the sistership, the beauty of the campus. Let's rise, join hands and sing the "Twilight Song," "Dartmouth Undying," and "Men of Dartmouth," bind the wounds and stop the bleeding.

If we symbol-lovers must forsake it, then let it be. Let us gracefully become truly the Last of the Mohicans.

Again, girls, thanks for making clear to many of us, I hope, what we are about or should be about.

Sarasota, Fla.

Message from the Future

I awakened on a recent morning to hear my computer whirring away and to find on its screen a disturbing message that I felt should be passed on to the Dartmouth community.

The message, which was like a voice out of the future, went this way: "It is now the year 2090 by the old count. By the new count it is the year ten. Since The Rebirth, our society has already produced a dozen books about those cultural disasters of one hundred years ago, when the academic world lost, massively, its intellect, and man, the paradoxical human being, became man the predictable scientific object. But our writers today are stimulated not so much by an awareness the psychic damage that occurred in that dark period as by a nagging curiosity concerning what might have prompted an entire generation of the 'intellectual elite' to plunge over a cliff into the darkness, proclaiming all the way to the bottom that they had found the light."

Reaching to turn off the computer, I saw a cursor blinking ruminatively at the lefthand margin of the screen as though it were about to introduce some further thought. It bothers me still to realize that in flipping off the power I may have interrupted something informative, or even crucial. But on the other hand, one questions what more there might have been that could have added meaningfully to what already had been said.

Santa Fe, N.M.

Successful Program

I appreciated the article (May 1986) by Peter Mandel discussing "Native Americans at Dartmouth." I hope that its reporting of the Native American program's successes will finally put to rest both the program's critics and those who would wish to see the Indian symbol reinstated.

The excellence of the Dartmouth Native American Studies Department is known and appreciated throughout the national academic community and should be a source of pride to alumni. In addition, as the article made clear, the program is providing consistent opportunity for qualified Native American individuals to succeed in a quality academic environment. How unfortunate it would be should that opportunity be shut off or curtailed.

One way the opportunity would be harmed would be the reintroduction of the Indian symbol. It is a symbol both to Dartmouth alumni and to Native American people. To some in the first group it represents the Dartmouth tradition of pride, courage, and spirit. To some in the second group it represents an American tradition of racial mockery and subjugation. Somebody has to give.

I view it as a sign of enlightenment that the Dartmouth community chose to eliminate a symbol viewed negatively by a particular group. In doing so, it helped open the Dartmouth experience to a wider audience. Undoubtedly, the decision was instrumental in helping attract quality Native American students to Dartmouth the ones whose success you profiled.

In this era of public controversy over the College's investment strategies, disciplinary practices, and football coaches, we should be proud of Dartmouth's achievement with the Native American Studies program.

Minneapolis, Minn.

The Original Immigrants

It helps my perspective to remember that the "Native Americans" are immigrants too. Their forebears came across the Bering land bridge probably 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, so their tenancy is 30 to 60 times as long as that of Mayflower tribes a mere wink of an eye in the history of the human race.

Los Altos, Calif.

The Indian Symbol

I read with great interest the article in the May issue entitled "Native Americans at Dartmouth." The records speak well for these alumni and the administrators of the program. It is my hope that they can be the means of healing one of the divisions that has been troubling other alumni. I refer, of course, to the Indian symbol controversy.

Have these Native American alumni, who are most intimately concerned, ever been polled about their feelings about the symbol? Do they feel insulted or degraded by its use? I sincerely hope that all Dartmouth alumni would agree with me that if some of our fellow alumni feel in any way denigrated by the Indian symbol, then the controversy over it should cease. On the other hand, if our Indian alumni favor or are even indifferent to the use of the Indian symbol, then it should be reinstated with due ceremony and recollection of the proud heritage that it represents.

At the same time, perhaps we could ascertain the feelings of our Native American alumni about "Eleazar Wheelock," "Wah- Hoo-Wah" and the Hovey Grill murals, though I am not ready to submit to their judgment on those matters as different issues are involved.

Haretown, N.J.

I've been receiving the Alumni Magazine for three years, and it has been discouraging (not to mention boring) to read the same letters over and over again concerning the Indian symbol. It is especially disappointing to see so many older alumni who seem to feel that the Indian symbol was the most important part of their Dartmouth experience. It makes me wonder . . . the graduates of one of the finest colleges in this country place that much importance on their memories of cheering for a football team? Is that all you got out of Dartmouth?

To the members of the Class of 1986 who caused a disturbance at graduation: Whenyou demonstrate, do it with dignity.

Hollywood, Calif.

A suggestion to those who wish to retain the Native American as the Dartmouth symbol:

Demonstrate your respect for Native Americans and break the vicious circle of broken promises. Creating a fund that will provide tuition, housing, and all fees for all past, present, and future Native American Dartmouth students is an opportunity to contribute towards future understanding. Please see Alumni Magazine's May issue for the article by Peter Mandel, "Native Americans at Dartmouth."

Riverside, Conn.

I have been consistent as a dismayed alumnus who has never really understood the reasons for abandoning the Indian symbol, and I have often rallied for the return of same. I have come to recognize that some sort of compromise might be reached in order to get this long-standing issue off dead center. Therefore I make the following suggestion:

That we keep the original artwork, or logo, and use it extensively. That we call ourselves the "Dartmouth Americans." It seems appropriate to me. We are a College with a national even international enrollment and alumni " 'round the girdled earth." We are one of America's oldest colleges. There is continuity and identity in the artwork and certainly a tribute to the NAD in that name. We need not change our colors green suits us fine.

Now I do recognize that there will be some who find the word "American" "offensive." There are some who find the word "God" offensive. But I have always said you can't please everybody. Bear in mind that the word "American" would also include our women, our Canadian hockey players, our Blacks and Hispanics. While it wouldn't please everybody, it might work as a trade- off if the adamant members of many camps understand trade-offs. What think the alumni, the students, the President, the Trustees, the Alumni Council, the faculty, the townspeople, the judiciary, the media, Bill Buckley, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Congress?

Wakefield, Mass.

For Foreign Study

"West Is Best" and "Science Will Lead the Way" seem to be the slogans of people pushing for a more "traditional" curriculum. Any limiting of the course of study along those lines would surely be a mistake. If anything has been learned in the emergence of America as a global power, it is that we learn nothing and get nowhere by pretending we already have all the answers. I am not trying to criticize science. I consider myself a scientist. My bachelor's degree at Dartmouth was in biology, and my master's at Yale was in forestry. I do mean to say that our science cannot be applied if we are ignorant of different historical, sociological, and economic contexts.

International development in particular is riddled with examples of good science that failed because of poor sociology. Why did the green revolution leave many peasant farmers even poorer? Because the scientists asked only the technical question of how can we produce more corn per hectare and did not think to venture into the sociological question of why the people were poor in the first place. Creating usable technology becomes a process of asking the right questions.

Sociology, then, is important. So are languages, especially non-western ones. For example, one of the first words one learns in Tagalog is pakikisama. There is no English equivalent; it roughly means ' getting along." The idea of pakikisama is much more important to Filipino culture than is our western idea of getting ahead. An American diplomat, development worker, or businessman in the Philippines who does not understand this and assumes Filipinos are motivated by the same Protestant work ethic we are is in for a shock.

Being able to deal with other cultures is important not only for those who go abroad. Asians and Catholic Latin Americans are the largest immigrant groups to the United States today and bring new challenges to our culture at home.

I applaud Dartmouth's efforts to help students understand more of the world through foreign study programs and nonwestern course offerings. We need to push ahead in these fields so we are not limited by the blunders of our own culture.

Cordon Isbela, Philippines

A Poetic Overview

I read of the College now and again, of the good news and bad, and I think back when I spent four years on the Hanover Plain to build upon learning, taught not to refrain from contrary views, finding, 10 and behold, that people can differ without losing hold, and that learning and wisdom, the answers we seek, are elusive as ever and may change next week.

We read of the shanties, opinions abound on who are the culprits, and how it should sound to condemn others' actions, on where they should go, on who is responsible and what they don't know. Of the College's leaders, and what they should do, or what they have done, and didn't think through, and the Faculty's role in guiding the College to fiscal strength and scholarly knowledge.

"The students are too active," or "not nearly enough/' though with uncertain futures we know how it's tough to weed through the quagmire on what they need do to truly believe they've been listened to.

Our alums are all over (in more ways than one), positions emphatic, some threaten the gun of "no more giving 'til conditions are met," as though it's the College who owes them the debt.

The anguish and problems are with us no doubt, to fine tune our knowledge, to learn all about our link with the world, and how we might view tomorrow's great crises and what we should do.

Dartmouth deserves credit for so much we've gained, the friendships and memories, and how we've been trained. Through good news and bad, approvals and pain, forever loyal we should always remain.

Our alumni duties must continue still, to speak our minds freely, and expect others will, to disagree sharply, to express perceived rights, and to respect opposition from differing sights. For in crisis and challenge, consider how dear when reason replaces true anger and fear. The Forum is Dartmouth, the lessons are clear, with reasoned exchanges, solutions are near.

Kingston, N.H.

1819 Decision Still Stands

Apparently, dissident alumni recently persuaded a couple of New Hampshire State legislators to initiate a bill aimed at embarrassing the College administration and Trustees. Charging that the College had been unfair in its handling of student discipline, the proposed bill was aimed at denying Dartmouth the right to award degrees until it should pass accreditation requirements that are claimed to control all other New Hampshire institutions of higher education.

Ignorant of Dartmouth and certainly of American history, these hapless politicians have fallen afoul of a basic 1819 decision. In the famous Dartmouth College Case, Chief Justice of the United States John Marshall maintained that the College charter was a "contract" and that states were forbidden by the Constitution (Art. I, Sec. 10) "to pass any law impairing the obligation of contracts." In our case, Dartmouth was here before the State existed, so don't try to change the rules in 1819 or 1986!

Daniel Webster, who successfully defended Dartmouth before the Supreme Court glancing at the College's opponents, some of whom were alumni said, in part: "when I see my alma mater surrounded, like Caesar in the senate house, by those who are reiterating stab upon stab, I would not for this right hand, have her turn to me and say at tu quoque mi fili and thou too my son!"

Eaton, N.H.

Praise for Ruggers

On behalf of the Dartmouth alumni in Northern California, prticularly those with the good fortune to participate first hand, I write to convey the sense of pride and admiration we shared in watching the Dartmouth ruggers compete for the national collegiate title recently held on the Monterey Peninsula. It was one of those occasions which rekindles that emotional conviction for the College.

A number of alumni who understand the challenges for the DRFC in getting to Monterey were genuinely impressed by the maturity and responsibility displayed by these fine, young men. There is real appreciation for what it takes to organize and administer the rugby program at the College, and this year's success is a real achievement. The officers of the Club deserve substantial praise.

Special mention must be made of the contribution of Coach Guy Smith. While the skills and fitness which he has succeeded in developing in the Club were impressive, it was the sense of teamwork and winning spirit which were the hallmark of this year's team. He is to be congratulated.

Of most significance, however, was the performance of Dartmouth in the championship match. I'm not sure any of us will ever get over beating Cal-Berkeley on the field but not taking home the trophy. It was courage. It was determination. But mostly it was great open-field tackling. What a sensation to see the guys in green jerseys, deep in their opponents' territory throughout the second half, pressing for the winning try down to the final whistle. They really won the hearts of the crowd at Monterey.

I had the good fortune in 1976 to be part of the first Dartmouth side to play in the Monterey tourney. I remember then we turned a few heads. Since then the DRFC has visited California on numerous occasions. It has become a special occasion for alumni out here to meet these Dartmouth athletes and support them in competing with the more prominent rugby sides on the West Coast.

The showing of the DRFC in 1986 was a milestone. Dartmouth earned the chance to play for the National Championship. For those of us who watched, for those who read about it in the magazines and papers, and for those who shared the experience with friends who could not be there, these fellows gave us reason to be proud of our College.

San Francisco, Calif.

A Different Support

With the 1986 Alumni Fund Campaign drawing to a close, many alumni, who continue to revere and love the institution we have known as Dartmouth, are agonizing over the decision as to what level of unrestricted support is appropriate in view of the trends of the past decade and the disturbing events those trends have generated in the recent past.

his dilemma arises out of sheer frustration in having any impact whatever in doing something about the appalling negativism toward the activities of the College as evidenced by the outside media, letters to the Alumni Magazine, The Review, and discussions with alumni in general and classmates in particular.

Few wish to withhold support; yet, on the other hand, many are finding abhorrent the offering of support which essentially rewards and encourages the bad behavior of both the Administration and the Faculty. A positive alternative might be found in the creation of a separate, special purpose fund, restricted to the support of very visible programs oriented toward: (1) Improving the balance of both curricular and extra-curricular programs between traditional values of Western civilization and the expedient fads of the moment. (2) Counterbalancing the extreme positions of the Faculty as evidenced by their political activism and voting records. (3) Harnessing alumni activism and solidarity in support of the direction and implementation of Administration and Trustee decisions. (4) Providing an independent and objective facility to oversee, review, and assure principles of fairness and justice in a heightened atmosphere of discipline.

Such a fund could take the form of support for a series of professorial chairs, a new executive position within the Administration, and appropriate outside speakers and seminar programs, to suggest but a few possibilities.

This new Big Green Fund would give alumni who individually could not afford major programs a feeling of participation in a very realistic and meaningful way, introduce a healthy competition for use of funds, probably increase the total level of support overall, and in the process introduce a more balanced liberal arts education.

Vero Beach, Fla.

A Man to Emulate

Indian symbols, The Review, and shanties on the Green have all failed to make me write to you. These are just the ferment of issues at a living educational institution. What does impel me to write are the ethics and morals of Mike Stratton. His character (accurately portrayed by Willem Lange in the April '86 issue) is one we might all emulate. Although I have not seen him since graduation, my admiration for him has grown upon learning how he has spent the last 17 years. He has forgone a career accumulating his own net worth for one in which he is building the self-worth of others . . . especially those less fortunate than himself.

It seems to me that Dartmouth's stated purpose has always been to educate those who might have a significant positive impact on society. It also seems to me that Mike Stratton is the epitome of such a person.

Chicago, III.

Delightful Reading

It is refreshing to discover a flicker of light in the Alumni Magazine. In "A Man of Many Parts," in the May 1986 issue, we peer at the august figures of John Dickey, Thad Seymour, and A 1 Dickeron unencumbered by trousers. (Seriously, the whole article is a delight to read and reread.)

Wilder, Vt.

Over-Zealous Editing

To over-edit is human; to re-write Dickens is not divine. In my article on Bob Reich (May 1986), the recently departed editor of the Alumni Magazine, Douglas Greenwood, tidied up Mr. Bumble's grammar. Although the sentence was in quotes, he changed "The law is a ass" to "an ass." One is tempted to reply in kind.

Hanover, N.H.

ROTC's Value

I read and reread in your May 1986 issue the letter by A 1 Hormel '44, with his ridiculous sentence: "I'm not opposed to ROTC but think it's unimportant insofar as our defense structure is concerned."

We could not have won World War II without Reserve Officers. West Point graduates but 1,000 men a year. Our Navy could not have sailed and fought without Reserve Officers, and our Air Force would have been grounded. I led an Infantry regiment ashore at Utah Beach. It had 167 officers; 161 of them were Reserves.

Garrison, N.Y.

Success Story

This item may be of interest to Jersey City Program graduates.

Last summer, at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Baltimore, I ran into Maria Hamilton, the little girl who hung out at the Jersey City House for years.

Maria, now 19, recently graduated from Northwestern University and is a copy editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer. So, for those of you who ever wondered what happened to some of those inner city kids you tutored or whether it did any good, here's your answer.

Cambridge, Mass.

Peace Corps Service

The importance of public service is as alive today as at the start of the Peace Corps 25 years ago. Thanks to Laura Hammel for her lucid, comprehensive, and thoughtful piece in the April issue. Service is a part of the Dartmouth experience, and it would have been useful to note the total number of graduates who furthered their education as PCV's. No one made a stronger contribution than Charley "Doc" Dey '52, former Dean of the Tucker Foundation, who with wife and children took on an in-country reps job in the Philippines in the first years of the Peace Corps.

Boston, Mass.

Volleyball Neglected

I write to protest the lack of publicity or recognition given men's and women's varsity volleyball in any of the College publications, including The Dartmouth and the Alumni Magazine.

This past season, the men of Dartmouth compiled a superlative record of eight wins and two losses, entitling them to share the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title with MIT and come within a whit of the Ivy League championship. Both Neil Maher '86 and Tom Kinney '85 were first team All-Ivy selections, a fact which, incidentally, the DCAC newsletter on spring sports also failed to report.

Not only does the DCAC decline to fund men's and women's volleyball, but it won't even mention team or individual accomplishments in its regular reports to interested subscribers. 'Tis a shame.

San Francisco, Calif.

Some Dates Corrected

I am writing concerning an article in the May 1986 issue of the Dartmouth AlumniMagazine entitled "Back where it all began. A 1 McGuire at Dartmouth."

In the story reprinted from The ValleyNews, the writer stated that A1 McGuire's basketball coaching career began on December 3,1955. As a struggling freshman guard who couldn't go to his right and had no jump shot, I played for A1 McGuire during the 1954-55 season, his first at Dartmouth. A1, then, obviously started at Dartmouth prior to December 1955.

Also, Dave Gavitt, the current Big East Conference Commissioner, was referenced as a member of the Class of 1958. We would have been proud to include him among the '58s, but Dave was actually a member of the Class of'59.

New York, N.Y.

Question

Recent letters (Diane M. Hultgren '77, DAM May 1986, p 13; also one perhaps six months ago I can't find that issue) have argued to conclusions on the premise, in part, that a human fetus is "human" or a "human being," or a "person."

Before we concede that premise, a cultural much more than a biological question, shouldn't we also try to answer the question: "If, as some allege, abortion be murder, can a miscarriage be less than accidental homicide?"

Berkeley, Calif.

Baseball's Heyday

After six months in Florida I am catching up on my reading, starting with the November issue of the Alumni Magazine. In that 1985 issue there was an obituary concerning Carl Stanley '26. It stated that he was one of three Gloucester boys who played high school and college baseball together Solly Thurston '23, Danny Harris '25 and Carl '26.

There is more to the story than that. When, after coaching baseball at Dartmouth for 25 years, 1919-1944, Jeff Tesreau, the old Giants star, was asked to name an All-Dartmouth squad covering those years. He mentioned around 30 players.

Among them Solly Thurston '24, who captained the 1924 team, won the Barrett Cup as the outstanding senior, and sported a Phi Beta Kappa key. He was named for second base. At first base Jeff had Danny Harris '25. Both he and Solly were outstanding hitters. Carl Stanley '26 was named as one of five outfielders.

It is interesting that in one college generation, 1923-1926, 12 players were memtioned. One from 1923, four of us from 1924, five from 1925, and two from 1926. If to them were added the famous reversible battery of Mel Merritt '20 and Frankie Ross '21, who performed in 1921, the early years of the twenties had 14 representatives out of the 30.

If I am not mistaken, it was Carl's homer in 1926 that gave us the long-sought victory over Holy Cross, a college which regularly sent a player or two to the big leagues.

Gloucester and Dartmouth have every reason to be proud of those boys. Baseball at Dartmouth was at high tide in those years.

Melrose, Mass.

Green-Red Nostalgia

My wife Nancy and I toured New England last fall, for the turning of the leaves and ended up in Hanover visiting old friends. Therein lies a tale.

We arrived the night of the Princeton- Dartmouth football game, and the dining room at Hanover Inn was jam-packed with alumni, young and old. One chap stopped by our table, introduced himself, and asked what class I was.

"1928, Cornell."

"Cornell," he asked in some surprise. "What are you doing here?" "We're visiting old friends who live in Hanover."

"Wonderful town, Hanover," he said. "I was class of '26, and I came back here to retire."

" '26," I said. "That reminds me. Four of us drove up from Cornell for the '25 football game. You guys murdered us, 62-13. I'll never forget Tully, Sage, Lane, McPhail. Those four guys absolutely cremated us."

I must confess I was proud of myself, recalling their names, just like that. After all, they were on the opposing team, and this was 60 years ago!

"Yeah," he said. "I remember that game. They were great, all right. But how about the '23 game, in Ithaca, and that gang of yours who put us away and went on to win the national championship: Kaw, Pfann, Ramsey, Cassidy."

At that we threw our arms around each other and wept for the good old days.

Beverly Hills, Calif.

Health hazard

In light of the recent unprovoked attacks on female students by fellow male students at Dartmouth (one punched in the face, one shot), the College should print the following on admissions applications: "Warning to prospective female students: this college may be hazardous to your health." These incidents were both horrendously underpublicized. I feel that women, and their parents, have the right to know.

Norwich, Vt.

[The member of Theta Delta Chi who shot a femalestudent with a BB gun was expelled fromcollege. He also served a three-day jail sentenceand was fined $550 for reckless conduct and simple assault. Because of the incident, Theta DeltaChi fraternity has lost College recognition untilApril.]