Three years after its creation as a student organization dedicated to alcohol-free programming, the role of Asgard on campus is still controversial.
Some students question the viability of the organization, but Asgard members said they feel the organization still serves a significant need at Dartmouth.
Critics of Asgard said the organization does not have a large impact on the campus social scene.
"I haven't really felt [its presence] that much," Chad Sclove '97 said. "I am purely dry and a member of the Greek system, and I haven't felt the need for Asgard. I think it is good what Asgard offers. But it isn't necessarily for me."
Other students said Asgard's programs are popular, but the group has does not have enough alcohol-free programming.
"It has been successful in that its coffeehouses are popular. But I'm not sure it has met its goal of finding many social alternatives," said Garrett Gil de Rubio '96. Gil de Rubio, an undergraduate advisor in Butterfield, is not an Asgard member.
But Asgard's membership coordinator, Padraic Malinowski '97, said the organization is making an impact on campus.
"Our membership now stands at sixty and encompasses people of all four classes," he said. "The Programming Board and Health Services have recognized the popularity of Asgard events and granted us funding."
Asgard members said the organization provided them with a social group that did not revolve around alcohol.
"For people who don't drink it is hard to find a social group that a non-drinker would feel comfortable in," said Asgard member Linda Albers '95. "It is a welcoming environment."
Developing social alternatives
The idea behind Asgard's formation obviously appealed to students at the time of its formation, said Owen Gottlieb '95, a founding member of the organization.
Gottlieb said the group wanted to provide alternatives to the College's alcohol-based social life. "We didn't see any alternatives to a social life we weren't interested in," Gottlieb said. "The only way to change the situation was to provide alternatives."
Many Asgard residents live in Butterfield residence hall, which is the College's only substance free dormitory. But Asgard is not affiliated with the Butterfield affinity program.
Assistant Dean of Residential Life Alison Keefe said the Butterfield affinity program might be expanded "if there were a student need for it." But Asgard Secretary Scott Brady '95 said Asgard has currently has no plans to expand and would not lobby for the expansion of the Butterfield program.
Some students interviewed by The Dartmouth questioned whether Asgard even has a future on campus. But Programming Coordinator Linda Kennedy said Asgard would survive as long there was a demand.
"Part of the fun of being a student at Dartmouth is forming organizations that serve your own interest," Kennedy said. "Asgard was born because students were interested in that particular thing. If students wanted to go another way another time, that would be fine."
But Gottlieb said Asgard is a permanent student organization. "It is clear that Asgard is viable," he said "It has been around since the winter of 1992 and it is in for the long haul."
Public Perception
Brady said there are a number of misconceptions on campus about Asgard.
"A lot of people have the perception that people in Asgard are very anti-alcohol," Brady said. "That is not the case. There are people who drink and people who don't."
Gottlieb said he agreed with Brady's assessment. "I think student perception for the most part is not correct. People think Asgard is 'that prohibition thing.' "
Rose Hughes '95, who is not a member of Asgard, said students have negative images of the organization.
She said Asgard and the Programming Board serve similar programming purposes, but "there is a bad stereotype that has grown up around Asgard. I don't think the Programming Board has the bad connotations that Asgard does."
Brady said another constraint on the organization is "Asgard and Butterfield [Hall] are lumped together."
Gil de Rubio said Butterfield is looked down upon for being associated with Asgard.
"People have a very negative opinion of Butterfield not because it is substance free, but because it is associated with Asgard," he said. "The connection with Asgard has been a negative experience."
But Gottlieb said people who believe in this stigma speak out of ignorance. "I think it carries a stigma among people who are ignorant, but not for people who know what they are talking about," he said.
Sclove said some Butterfield members do drink.
"A lot of people live there and drink anyway," he said.
Though he said he thinks there is a place for substance free dormitories, Sclove said "I think part of college is learning to adjust and live with people you wouldn't normally live with. It seems kind of insular."
But Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia said there is diversity among the students in Butterfield. "There is a wide range of people who choose to live lives that are substance free," she said. "I don't see that one criterion as something that creates homogeneity."
