To the Editor:
I've heard rumors that Dinesh D'Souza may come to speak at the College later this fall. Last spring, after I accepted an invitation to debate Mr. D'Souza, he found it impossible to come. At the time, I was told that one reason for this decision was that funds were not available to pay his fee.
I found it difficult to believe that Mr. D'Souza would not speak at his alma mater without a large sum of money. Since Newsweek reported last May that he had received around $174,000 in speaker fees for the year, it could hardly have been a matter of necessity.
On the other hand, I found it even harder to believe that Mr. D'Souza was unwilling to engage in open dialogue with a member of the Dartmouth faculty. In particular, I should have thought he would enjoy the chance to appear on the same platform with a student of Leo Strauss -- a philosopher whom Mr. D'Souza once praised very highly.
To set the record straight, I challenge Dinesh D'Souza to debate the following topic: "Resolved: Liberal Education is Alive and Well At Dartmouth." If more congenial, I'd be equally happy to debate the topic: "Resolved: Public Policy Can and Should Address the Environmental Causes of Racial Differences in Educational Attainment." My only request is that, if fees are involved, there be an equitable division between the debate participants, and that the timing procedures be mutually agreed upon.
