There was a time when discrimination was the rule at Dartmouth. Admission here was contingent upon being male and white, and once you got in, many social organizations were only open to people of the same religion. Now, of course, we think those were pretty senseless rules.
That's what the Trustees told us in 1964, when they adopted the College's Equal Opportunity policy. Their statement says Dartmouth won't discriminate based on several factors, including gender, race and disability. And in 1985, they decided Dartmouth won't discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, which is one step further than most state governments are willing to go.
Then the Trustees got bold and said the College won't discriminate in its programs and organizations. That includes just about every aspect of Dartmouth. It's a sweeping statement, and it intentionally includes everyone because that's what education is all about: including everyone's viewpoint, despite differing beliefs.
Step back for a moment and compare the College today to Dartmouth 25 years ago. There's a noticeable improvement. A couple changes that naysayers said would ruin the school -- inviting women to study and learn alongside men, and making our classrooms look like America instead of the white snow of Hanover -- have given Dartmouth some of the spice that provokes thought, and banished some of the conformity.
It is amazing to see what one simple statement can actually do.
But Dartmouth's policy also means if you're on Webster Avenue, you can join any house, because they are Dartmouth organizations and they can't discriminate. It means senior societies are open to men and women of all nationalities, colors, races and abilities, because they are Dartmouth organizations so they can't discriminate. That policy also means if you're interested in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, you can join because it's a Dartmouth program, so it can't discriminate.
Right now, that's not the case. Most social organizations on and off Webster Avenue are single-sex, as defined by their constitutions. Most senior societies are single-sex too. Gay men and lesbian women -- and bisexual people -- can't join ROTC if they've openly discussed their sexual practices.
It looks like discrimination is back.
Which wouldn't be such a bad thing if we could just go to the Trustees and say, "Hey, here's a discrepancy so let's fix it." We can't do that because lately, the Trustees have said again and again that they don't want to hear about equal opportunity anymore.
The first sign that the Trustees were retreating from guaranteeing equal opportunity came last year, when the women's softball team saw discrimination in the way the College spent its athletic dollars. They pointed this out to the Trustees, who refused to intervene to stand up for equality. Then the softball players filed a federal complaint, and suddenly the money became available.
The retreat continued last fall, when the Trustees said they would not examine the single-sex Greek system. Their excuse was that the existence of Greek houses has been a hot issue for decades now, and it will be in the future, so they shouldn't speak out on it. They declined to stand up for their own policy.
And then this spring, they said ROTC could stay, but admitted it violated the equal opportunity rule.
It's time Dartmouth took a closer look at guaranteeing equal opportunity. The current policy is undeniably idealistic -- but why shouldn't we err on the side of including everyone? If we can't do that anymore, we should say it outright, instead of chipping away at such a noble principle.
Sticking with the current policy means the Trustees have a lot of work to do. They'll have to defend themselves to alumni who are simply uninformed about what Dartmouth and the world is like today. Some of the sacred establishments here will have to adjust.
It means student will have to endure some painful changes, like watching the houses we belong to and the organizations we participate in change or cease to exist.
The price is worth it. Look at how far Dartmouth has come, and imagine how far it can go. If we embrace the current policy, the Class of 2019 won't be able to imagine Dartmouth as a place where socializing was single-sex and where sexual orientation was something the College and the government said you couldn't discuss. It may be a long way off, but if we stick to what we've started, it can be achieved.
