Dartmouth College has been quite a busy place during this past week. We witnessed the 100th Dartmouth night, a rain-drenched drubbing of Colgate and the familiar spectacle of freshman prancing and cavorting around a very large, very hot bonfire. We also watched the "Hell Night" video controversy unfold and experienced the expected rise in campus crime and alcohol-related problems. What is the common factor?
Tradition, both for better and for worse, is a central feature of Dartmouth. Clearly, Dartmouth should be, and is, proud of its strong, vibrant traditions which unite the Dartmouth experiences of many generations. However, we must not be afraid of ridding ourselves of hurtful, divisive or mean-spirited practices which receive some sort of sacred status, not by virtue of their beneficial influence on the college community or its individual members, but solely because they have been around for a long time and are embedded in the very fiber of Dartmouth due to institutional inertia.
Almost every day, there is another explanation for what are perceived as problems at Dartmouth. Without fail, these explanations are very simple: There is one bad apple spoiling Dartmouth's otherwise fruitful atmosphere. To many, the Greek system is the source of Dartmouth's problems. To others, drinking is the source of Dartmouth's problems. To others, the administration is the problem. And to even others, traditions are the source of Dartmouth's problems.
Yet, these "explanations" fail to persuade. Fraternities are not the source of Dartmouth's problems. Traditions are not the source of Dartmouth's problems. The administration is not the source of Dartmouth's problems. Drinking is not the source of Dartmouth's problems.
You are the source of Dartmouth's problems. Putting aside the question of an institutional identity apart from the sum of the experiences of each member, we recognize that a community is composed of members, and the actions of a community are the actions of its members. When we say that sexual assault is a problem, we understand that the problem is people sexually assaulting other people. When we say that alcohol abuse is a problem, we recognize that people are abusing alcohol. When we say that theft is a problem, we mean that there are people taking things that are not theirs to take.
When condemning certain traditions that existed in Dartmouth's past, there seems to be a mindset that the history of this institution is one of progress from the benighted past to the enlightened present.
The history of Dartmouth has been very male-oriented. Does this really surprise anyone? Should this be a shocker, given that women were not admitted as students until 1972? Let us give credit where credit is due. Perhaps this has not been done adequately in the past, but the Dartmouth Night speech by Otho Kerr, head of the Alumni Association, was ridiculous. Those who were listening heard him lavish praise entirely on women's sports and the justifiably great legacy they have provided during their time here. This recognition is very positive. The troubling aspect of his speech was the deliberately crafted ignorance of men's sports and their incredible Dartmouth legacy. If one were to write a parody of a speech in order to emphasize the condescending nature of such "enlightened" sexism, it would not differ much from Kerr's. Even if his intentions were positive, the end result was negative and divisive.
All need to take responsibility for the injustices that have been done in the name of tradition, or out of ignorance or while under the influence of alcohol. In recognizing that the actions of individuals and their behavior are the actions and behavior of the Dartmouth community, we also recognize that Dartmouth's future lies in the hands of its greatest asset, the men and women of Dartmouth.
