LETTERS

Animal Behavior

It is unfortunate that the immaturity of youth finds its epitome in college fraternity life. But it is inexcusable that the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine would glorify such behavior by gracing its pages with Chris Miller's article "Son of Animal House" [September]. The mentality that accepts, encourages and extols such degenerate "youthful exuberance" has no place at Dartmouth.

While this thinking persists and thrives in our modern-day society, it is not justifiable by the recounting of latter-day successes of young men who finally grew up. One would think that Dartmouth educators hope to instill in their students a sense of social responsibility, obligation to one's fellow man, morality and lawfulness. But it is a sorry comment on our times that even after a Dartmouth education, men continue to glorify the empty, hedonistic and immoral behavior for which Dartmouth's fraternities so notoriously stand.

I find it pathetic that one could justify four years of "Bacchanalian" debauchery and the broken lives it engenders along the way by asserting that it is a way "to get a lifetime's worth of rude, rebellious and disreputable behavior out of your system." Furthermore, such behavior is not "normal and healthy" but is immoral and totally irresponsible. It paves the way for many of the ills that plague our society and fill its hospitals.

Durham, North Carolina

Printing the "Son of Animal House" article in the Alumni Magazine constitutes nothing less than an administrative wink and smile regarding the abuse of alcohol at Dartmouth.

Several years ago, a drunken Dartmouth student crashed his vehicle into the car of friends of ours, a couple driving home with their three small children. He changed their lives forever.

Glorifying the "antics" of these college boys endangers the whole Dartmouth community. Nomoreirresponsible journalism, please!

Durham, North Carolina

If it had gotten through to me back in the sixties how loathsome the behavior of a good chunk of the student body had become (as described by Chris Miller '63), I would be quite a few thousand bucks richer, and the College that much poorer. Who wants to subsidize that kind of recipient? Back in the thirties we certainly did some pretty dumb things, and I personally don't recall being a very zealous seeker of learning. But we weren't animals.

It has now finally gotten through to me that I no longer identify with Dartmouth College (sorry, I mean University), after 55 straight years of obediently paying my annual dues and then some. The scrofulous Review and that self-elected "Hopkins" bunch have nothing to do with it. (I am liberal enough that the picture of Freedman being chummy with Rehnquist really turns me off.) It's just an accumulation of changes.

Since I have always hated to waste our trees, would you kindly cut off the Alumni Magazine, and that other literature from Hanover. All except the class newsletter. From now on. Disown me. I will miss only the obituaries.

Arlington, Virginia

A Beer Is a Beer

Way to go, Chris Miller. Although I never joined a sorority or co-ed house at Dartmouth, I'm backing your attitude and point of view.

I was in Pizza Hut the other day with my mother and brother and commented on how grim the salad bar was. Minutes later the waiter approached and asked me if I went to Dartmouth.

"Yeah, I graduated in '86." He, a '93 it turns out, had heard me say "grim" and presumed I was one of the herd. (I live in Buffalo now, as in Bills and Bisons, and in lots of "herds.")

Dartmouth is still with me, reflected in my continued unconscious use of words like "rally, awesome, mega-, boot, tool," and of course, "grim." Dartmouth is with me in other ways. As a first-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student, I was mysteriously assigned to the Alcohol and Social Behavior Lab.

The point is, I enjoy being part of the sometimes grim Dartmouth tribe. Part of what makes it fun is talking to other tribesfolk who understand concepts like "rallying to go out." Al- though I often resented the sexism of the fraternity system, I can finally see the positive side of all their muscle flexing. Also, Chris Miller reminds the socially conscious, sensitive, questioning and concerned adults among us that sometimes (as Freud put it) a cigar is just a cigar, or (as I put it) a beer is just a brewskie. And, sometimes, it still tastes damn good ... to chug.

Buffalo, New York

My September issue arrived!

I drew a deep breath. I expected articles etc. about how well our Col- lege is getting on.

author (never saw "Animal House" as I hardly venture near a movie theater) for me, please. It really wasn't like that 56 years ago but my imagination of how it was this year was enough drive for me to read it over again.

I have one question directed to you: what did you refer to when you stated "he turns to muckraking"?

An old alumnus goes back to dreaming. I am satisfied and happy that you published that article.

Virginia Beach, Virginia

We meant he was raking up muck, asthe author's photo clearly shows.—Ed.

Trustee Mailings

I was astounded to read in the Summer 1989 issue in the article titled "The College" (page 4), the following:

"The College reportedly spent about $45,000 for mailings . .

What I gather from this is that the College spent this sum to help insure that an incumbent member of the Board of Trustees would be reelected.

I seems to me that such an expenditure is out of order. To appropriate moneys from the presumed operating funds of the College for such a purpose is without merit.

Eleazar Wheelock, Daniel Webster, and Ernest M. Hopkins wouldn't like it.

Rochester, New York

Heroic Spinoff

Place the name of John Henderson '82 at the top of the list when compiling those Dartmouth alumni deserving special recognition. Rob Eshman '82's fine article on Henderson's work with the Cambodian refugees in Thailand ["Henderson the Beach," Sum- mer] made me understand more fully what commitment really means. I'm pleased that mention was made of John Rassias of the language departments for his role as a mentor. There are obviously good things happening at Dartmouth with wonderful spinoffs.

Milford, Connecticut

Thinking in Harmony

It is good news that Dartmouth has become a place where someone like Professor Jamshed Bharucha gets on with his work. The piece on the man in the September issue, "Music and the Mind," must be the most interesting thing I have ever read in the Alumni Magazine, and that's although I'd quarrel with Professor Bharucha on this and that.

Tesuque, New Mexico

Course Overload

It appears that Dartmouth offers about 400 courses too many. One course for every six students should cover all the ground a small university and medium-sized college can afford to offer. One for 3.6 is the ratio I get now for Dartmouth.

I notice one topic last year had one student senior majoring in it. The impression of a non-academic can easily be that far too many courses in Socio-Histo-Econo areas are available, and that "Voodoo" must be an appropriate adjective.

The awesome cost of tuition and its rate of increase demands controls. The bureaucracy in higher education rivals that in government and health care. It is evident that excessive departments, faculty, and administrative hierarchy have combined to gang up on the policy-making bodies in U.S. colleges and universities. The opinion I get is that a slimming at Dartmouth would go a long way toward stabilizing student costs and softening alumni and student dissension.

A side effect could well be better publicity.

Hamilton, Massachusetts

It should be noted that fewer than halfof the courses listed in the official guide areoffered during any particular term.— Ed.

Mail Gall

At first I was puzzled when I saw the envelope addressed to Ellen Isaacs— Class of '53. That was a memorable year for me—the year I entered elementary school.

Then curiosity took over and I opened the envelope. I should have stuck with the puzzled and curious. Out came a folded piece of paper with the Dartmouth '53 entitled "An Invitation to the Women of the Class of 1953." I should have thrown it away then, since I am not a woman of the class of '53; I am a woman who is married to a man of the class of '53. But no, I read on. And as I read I felt as if I was being pulled back in time. I was invited to create and produce an original Dartmouth-oriented square for a Dartmouth quilt to be auctioned off at the 40th Reunion. Coincidental with receiving this invitation, I read an article in the August 7 issue of The New Yorker entitled "Slave Quilts."

Quilting was an important aspect in the lives of many American slaves. And Don Goss's exclamation that "No husband would dare not bid on it" screamed to me of mastership and condescension.

I am a member of a class of 1969 (not Dartmouth)—yet there is certainly more of a difference than 16 years between the quilters and me.

Silver Spring, Maryland

Hidden Letters?

Is it really plausible that there were so few "To the Editor" letters on your desk that you could barely fill up parts of seven columns in the September issue? And do you really expect us to believe that one or two of those letters didn't even criticize the faculty, students, or administrators! And not one single letter on the Indian symbol?

I think it is time your staff confesses to hiding letters before they reach your desk!

Wilder, Vermont

When the editor announced a while agothat he was sick of Indian letters andwould only print arguments about theDartmouth Review that he hadn't seendozens of times, he had no idea that he wastaking major business from the PostalService.Ed.

Drinking Is Dangerous

Chris Miller's "Animal House" article in the Alumni Magazine is, in my opinion, not only an injustice to the fraternities on our campus but also a reflection of the fact that Miller, a graduate in the class of 1963, has been away from our campus for a very long time. What Miller does not understand is the positive tranformation which has gone on within the fraternal, sororal and coed organizations at Dartmouth during the past decade, and more importantiy, the changes in society's attitude toward alcohol and risk-taking behavior on campuses nationwide.

Dartmouth has been very concerned about the dangers associated with alcohol abuse. We know that acute alcohol intoxication can be dangerous and possibly lethal. Two years ago, at a sister institution, a freshman died after a fraternity initiation. Miller minimizes the significance of the risk associated with abusive drinking. His attitude is that becoming intoxicated is okay if there is a brother or sister in the vicinity who might help out. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In some incidents peers are around but they are unequipped to identify and handle an acute medical emergency.

Over the past decade Dartmouth has worked hard to minimize abusive drinking. We are glad to be able to report that recent studies show the number of students drinking daily or nearly every day to have decreased significantly since our first institutional study in 1977. Dartmouth has devel- oped a model educational program which includes an Alcohol and Other Drugs Program Coordinator; an out- reach facilitator for programs in resdence halls, coed, fraternal and sororal organizations, and other student groups; alcohol peer educators; and educational materials for student-ath- letes, undergraduate peer advisors, and other student leaders. Many student organizations including fraternities now do successful alcohol-free programming and some, including eight of the nine sororities, use no alcohol at their events. In addition, the College has done a great deal to identify alcohol abusers among students and try to help these students control their problem before it causes significant difficulty. Over the past three years, 26 undergraduates have entered in hospital treatment programs for alcohol and other drug abuse. Most of these students have been able to return to the College after the treatment and continue their academic careers. The College has even introduced a support program for students who are in "recovery" while they are undergraduates.

In a similar uninformed way, Chris Miller misled his readers about relationships between males and females on our campus. Sexism has been a problem here as it is on other campuses. Again, however, Dartmouth, and specifically some of the fraternal, sororal, and coed organizations, have worked to educate students about inter-gender issues and relationships. Most Greek houses sponsor educational programs on how to promote healthy relationships, as well as how to avoid unhealthy relationships which may lead to sexual abuse and/or date/ acquaintance rape. In addition, a Minimum Standards document sets behavioral standards for contemporary fraternal organizations and brings alleged violators before a review board of student peers and college deans to judicate violations of organizational and community standards. Students work very hard to meet and pass "Minimum Standards Reviews" which are conducted each term.

Chris Miller is a selective learner. His week back on campus was spent mostly in a few Greek organizations. It is too bad that he did not take the time and effort to see the rest of Dartmouth. You miss a lot trying to view the campus from the basement of a fraternity. It is not a very good way to learn what is really going on at Dartmouth today.

College Health Service

Seeing Red

With communism in such disarray- all around the world and with its failures becoming more apparent, it would be interesting to see what, if any, is the effect on the Dartmouth faculty. There are several self-described communists. It would be most enlightening to hear from one or more of them as to their continued faith or their loss of it.

Kansas City, Missouri

Some people thought the essay by the writer of "Animal House" had set back Dartmouth's evolution.

STATEMENT of ownership, management and circulation (required by 39 U.S.C. 3685). 1. Title of publication: Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. (Publication no. 148-560). 2. Date of filing: October 2, 1989. 3. Frequency of issue: September through Summer with combined Winter issue. A. Number of issues published annually: 9. B. Annual subscription price: $18.00. 4. Location of known office of publication: 4 West Wheelock Street, Hanover, NH 03755. 5. Location of the headquarters or general business office of the publishers: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755. 6. Names and addresses of publisher, editor, and managing editor Publisher: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755; Editor: Jay Heinrichs; 4 West Wheelock Street, Hanover, NH 03755; Managing Editor: Lee Michaelides, 4 West Wheelock Street, Hanover, NH 03755. 7. Owner (if owned by a corporation, its name and address must be stated and also immediately thereunder the names and addresses of stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and addresses of the individual owners must be given. If owned by a partnership or other unincorporated firm, its name and address, as well as that of each individual must be given): Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755. 8. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: none. 9. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for Federal income tax purposes have not changed during the preceding 12 months. 10. Extent and nature of circulation: Average no. copies each issue Single issue during preceding nearest to 12 months filing date. A. Total no. copies printed (net press run) B. Paid circulation 1. Sales through dealers, and car- riers street vendors, and counter sales. 2. Mail subscriptions. C. Total paid circulation. D. Free distribution by mail, carrier, or other means. Samples, complimentary, and other free copies. E. Total distribution (sum of C and D). F. Copies Not Distributed 1. Office use, leftover, unaccounted for, spoiled after printing. 2. Return from news agents. G. Total (sum of E and F should equal net press run shown in A) 44,447 40 41,211 41,251 2,727 43,978 469 0 44,447 44,300 40 42,764 42,804 1,083 43,887 413 0 44,300 I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. —JAY HEINRICHS, Editor