More than 300 students packed 105 Dartmouth Hall to discuss and question the Social Science Council's recommendation to abolish the education department.
About 40 of the students present pelted Associate Dean of the Faculty George Wolford with criticisms of the council's decision, questions about the future and praise for the beleaugered department.
The Social Science Council, comprised of the chairs of eight academic departments, recommended the department be eliminated, citing administrative problems and a lack of high quality programs within the department. Wolford does not serve on the council.
A vote of the entire faculty of arts and sciences is required to abolish a department. Wolford said such a vote will not occur until Fall term at the earliest.
Students spoke out in favor of retaining the department and against the department's decisions for about an hour and a half.
David Kramer '96 said, "We are committed to the department, and the department is committed to us."
Throughout the discussion, students asked Wolford to explain why the deparment is being abolished.
"Just give me one reason. I beg you," a student said. "Give me a reason."
"Are we just going to hear vagaries?" another student said. "You haven't given us one reason."
Wolford cited "structural difficulties within the department" and "issues of personnel we are not liberty to talk about" as reasons for abolishing the department.
A student responded, "You should have enough respect for all of us to give us quality answers."
Some students attacked Wolford, saying the council, of which he is not a member, never considered student opinion.
"You have a sketchy understanding of Dartmouth," a student said. "Aside from the 50 people you talked to three years ago, you haven't talked to any students."
Wolford said the recommendation to abolish the department was not a financial decision. But students mentioned remarks Economics Chair Nancy Marion made earlier this week.
Marion told The Dartmouth, "If you can't fund everything, you should take the bottom 10 percent to use those funds to do better programs."
Matt McGill '96 said, "Already you've got chairs of other departments divying up the cut."
Noah Goldberg '96 said the College has made the education department weak.
"You say there aren't enough people in the program, but that's because you say you're getting rid of it every three years," Goldberg said.
"It is like holding someone's head under the water and saying 'he's not breathing. He must be dead,'" Goldberg continued.
Wolford told the crowd that the popular education classes will continue to be offered.
"We would like to preserve those in the liberal arts curriculum," he said.
Wolford said students would probably be able to become certified to teach in public schools during a transfer term at another college, like Harvard, or after graduation if the department were eliminated.
One student asked Wolford, "How many other departments are sending students to Harvard?"
The student said the council's vote shows its condescension for the education department.
"You need to give the same respect to teachers as you do for lawyers and doctors," a male student said.
One female senior said, "You are ashamed I am going into teaching."
Wolford, whose wife is an elementary school teacher, said teaching is an admirable occupation.
But some students questioned this statement.
Kate Shanahan '96 said, "How can you sit up there and tell me the profession I'd give my life for is laughable?"
Bill Coswell '61, a teacher from Hanover High School who earned his teacher certification at Dartmouth also spoke out against the council's recommendation.
"Lots of the training I got I owe to that program," he said.
Coswell quoted former College President John Sloan Dickey, who said "Our main business here is learning."
"We should be expanding the program, we should be creating an education major and we should be creating more teachers for this world," Coswell said.
Wolford said the role of teacher certification in the marketplace is changing.
"Certification is going through a changing role," he said. "None of these private schools require certification."
Wolford said inner-city public schools are so desparate for good teachers that they will hire Dartmouth graduates even without certification.
But some participants of the certification program said they have no intention to teach in private schools. Others said Wolford's remark about private shools shows the College's snobbery.
"I don't know what that says about Dartmouth," a female student said. "Dartmouth students are qualified to teach only in private schools?"
"This is a tragic example of elitism at Dartmouth," another student said. "I feel like someone's trying to sell me a car here."
Anne Jones '97, who organized the discussion, said, "I was pleased to see the number of students who came out."
"I think the emotion we saw tonight speaks so loudly," she said.
After the discussion, Anna Kontos '96 said, "I felt excited to be suppported by the students. It shows who values education here is the students."
Kate Shanahan '96 said the discussion was "so cathartic for us. But this is only the first step."
