To the Editor:
I was highly disturbed to see the annual report of the Committee on Standards. In it, two students caught cheating were separated from the college, while a rapist was suspended for nine months.
The college seems to have a policy similar to that of the military -- "Violating a sacred code of honor won't be tolerated. But violating your fellow students... well... we certainly don't encourage it, but we won't ruin your future because of it."
Messages like this do encourage rape by reducing its importance in the eyes of the community, and in the eyes of its perpetuators. This report made it perfectly apparent that the safety of female Dartmouth students is seen as a secondary concern to the honor and academic reputation of the college. It dramatically demonstrates the priorities and hypocrisy of the Committee on Standards, and, by association, Dartmouth College and all of its administration.
When raping a fellow student is less of a dishonor than cheating in an organic chemistry course, it shows how far Dartmouth needs to go before it can be seen as a healthy and safe place for women.
It seems that Dartmouth is hoping to create another generation of powerful men who see violence against women as unimportant. It makes me wonder how many of the administrators belong to that group.
