The following is a story about making a mistake, a big mistake. And what we learned as a result. When we arrived at Smith College last fall for a party, we were looking forward to a fun social night. It turned out much differently. We had been drinking pretty heavily since we got to Smith and over the course of the night we became looser and more adventurous. By the time the night was over we had taken a grandfather clock worth eight thousand dollars.
Sounds pretty funny? Not at all. We returned the clock to Smith and thought it would be forgotten, but it was just beginning. The morning after we returned the clock the Hanover police came to talk to us. We were certain that we were going to be kicked out of school and thrown in jail. We thought we were going to lose everything we had worked so hard for all our lives. Every time the phone rang, with every knock on the door, we thought it was the police coming to take us away. And by all rights, it could have been. What we had done warranted arrest. It warranted a trial. It warranted a prison sentence. We never knew much about the criminal law system, and here we were learning firsthand. Believe us, it's something you don't want to go through.
We found out through the police that extensive damage had been done to the clock. The next day we met with an attorney to discuss the best way to handle this whole thing and to set things right. We were really scared. Here we were, two college students that had too much to drink and really messed up. And yet it was so much more serious than that. We hadn't thrown a brick through someone's window or taken a street sign. What we did was so much worse that it boggled our minds. We had committed grand larceny. We spoke with Smith through our attorney and eventually came to an agreement. As a result we are dealing with some pretty weighty consequences.
After going through all this, we have learned a very important lesson: a hasty decision can have a dramatic impact on one's life. We had worked very hard throughout our lives to get to Dartmouth and a careless decision made while clouded with alcohol almost took it all away. What seems funny and like a good thing to do while drunk can end up seriously affecting one's future. I thank God that things turned out like they did for us. Common sense can be your best friend, but you have to allow it. College is a place to explore and grow and learn. We thought it was a place to go crazy and push our inhibitions. After all, we were just college kids and we'll never have this time again. The problem is, this attitude will get you in trouble and make you do things you would not ordinarily do.
This whole situation has brought to us a new appreciation of being at Dartmouth. It has also taught us what it means to be Dartmouth students. Responsibility, integrity, and common sense are no longer catch-phrases to which we give lip service. They have become real to us, and we hold them high. Don't think that things are going to be okay. Think about how much you drink. Think about what you are doing. We hope our mistakes can prevent yours in the future. Learn from us and think about the repercussions of your actions.
