To the Editor:
In response to the Matthew Welander and J. Brooks Weaver letter printed on Aug. 12, 1996, ["Connecting Lack of Social Options with Poor Academic Performance is Preposterous," The Dartmouth] we offer these few words. It is no wonder to me how the notion of a social life affecting an academic life can be brought to the forefront of minority life at Dartmouth with my fellow students thinking as they do.
Yesterday, at the Programming Board Community Dinner, Dean Pelton talked about students often reaching conclusions without knowing, or we feel, without caring, to know all of the facts and circumstances.
Now, neither Welander nor Weaver attended the meeting which they so easily criticize, nor have we heard of them approaching anyone about the actual content of the meeting. They have concocted "preposterous" ideas without being informed. This is, for lack of a better word, ignorant.
Minority students are some of the most insightful, hard-working students at Dartmouth. Contrary to what some may think, life is not broken up into nice little segments that can be removed and added when convenient. Life is all-consuming, each moment and thought tightly intertwined with the next.
The whole purpose of the discussion was to talk about our Dartmouth experiences, what in this complex place affects us and why, and how we can work together to help each other get through this terribly challenging time. If we say that our social lives affect our academic lives, they do.
We're not making excuses, as Welander and Weaver have insinuated. We are thinking about life and trying to live the best way we know how. We are not concerned with what other students find "preposterous." We were concerned about our daily spirits and our educations.
