Get Rid of Frills Like the Skiway
THIS COLLEGE IS A paradise. Expensive furniture in the lounges, annual bonfires to dance around, outdoor skating in the winter, the Ivy League's only ski resort—Dartmouth even has its very own mountain with its very own giant log cabin, for crying out loud. If it weren't for studying and mud season, it would be very hard to distinguish Hanover from Heaven.
Which is exactly my point: with so much expen- sive fan stuff to do, there is little time for studying. This magazine has in recent issues published statistics showing a marked decline in the amount of time students spend studying. They're too busy! There's too much else to do!
Our misguided counterpart below mumbles about "well-roundedness" and the educational benefits of riding a chairlift. Then he claims that smart kids won't apply to Dartmouth unless they can get cable TV in their dorms. Well, here's a scary thought: talk to most Dartmouth students and they will tell you that academic reputation is the chief reason they applied. When you ask them what's special about the College besides reputation they mention small class size, the ability to meet with professors one on one, the Dartmouth Plan, the opportunities for research as an undergraduate. The Skiway usually comes pretty far down the list.
The sobering fact is, Dartmouth no longer can afford both the frills and the substance. The costs of higher education continue to soar at a time when tuitions are being kept closer to the inflation rate. The current administration must pick its priorities, and academic programs should be chief among them. Money-losing frills like the Ravine Lodge and the Skiway should be jettisoned.
Will it be downhill for the Skiway?
