As on-line voting continues today in the student referendum that may determine the future of Dartmouth Dining Services, the College is experiencing something that most observers regard as rare at Dartmouth -- pure democracy, where students have a real opportunity to effect actual change.
The administration has said it will listen to student responses -- even if students vote to eliminate residential dining at the College as we know it.
But even if this were the case, it would represent a departure from the way important decisions are normally made at the College -- a process that Student Assembly President Jon Heavey '97 says has little regard for student opinion.
Heavey said he agrees with Trustee Susan Dentzer '77, who earlier this term told him the College is not a democracy. Rather, Heavey said he is convinced Dartmouth is a business that "is trying to perpetuate in today's market. To do so they feel that they don't want student input on certain issues."
"The power of real decisions is very snugly nestled away from the student body," Heavey said.
Heavey said he does not think the administration wants much student input on long-term projects because students will complain.
But he said he thinks the administration has definitely shown it is responsive to short-term student needs that can be accomplished in less than a four-year time frame.
"As I look around the campus I could point to a number of student initiatives which may be been resolved to the satisfaction of students," Dean of the College Lee Pelton said. "That suggests to me that students do have a vote on campus."
Pelton gave several recent examples of student initiatives that received administrative attention -- including the DDS referendum, "issues surrounding the education department," which was renewed for three years partly because of student demand, the annual Native American Pow Wow's movement back to the Green and the improvements which will be made to Kresge weight room.
Pelton said the College has responded to many proposals that have come to him through the Assembly or other student groups, such as the recent increase in the student activities fee and consideration of Assembly recommendations to the Committee On Standards.
He said not all things students ask for will be granted but he could not "think of a student request that won't be considered."
Case Dorkey '99, a member of the Assembly, said he thinks he has had great success interacting with administrators and getting them to listen to student suggestions.
He said one great victory was the DDS referendum -- which was formulated by the Assembly despite the fact an $800 minimum Declining Balance Account for all students "seemed like an irreversible decision."
Dorkey said the decision is "now up in the air because students had concerns."
He attributed much of the student success of the past year to Heavey, who has "fought to try to convey the strength of student concerns" and "won't take no for an answer."
Although Pelton pointed to many instances in the past year when students have had influence on the administration, he said he does not think this year has been any different in terms of student activism than past years.
Assembly President-elect Frode Eilertsen '99 said the influence he has seen students on campus exert has been from "grassroots movements," and he would like to see students consulted before issues arise.
"Students at Dartmouth are empowered, but it comes more from influence than genuine power," Dorkey said.
He said student power on campus is not institutional power, but rather is based on the ability to "persuade, confront and impact our opinions on the individuals who have the final decision."
"If you can convince them that the students really want something, that is a large part of the battle," Dorkey said.
He said students need to strengthen their voice and convince administrators that they represent student sentiment.
But Dorkey said he thinks students on campus should strive for more institutional power to factor into how the College is run and not just participate as a lobbying group. He mentioned more participation on College committees as a way to achieve this goal.
Students currently sit on about 11 of the College's approximately 25 standing committees.
Senior Associate Dean of the College Dan Nelson said he thinks students have an important role in influencing College decisions, especially through College committees.
He said most major decisions are made following a recommendation by a committee. "I don't think I can recall a single policy-recommending committee that didn't have student representatives," Nelson said.
Nelson said students need to realize they can have input in decisions, but not make the final decisions. "That is the role we all play," he said.
Students are being involved in many campus issues only because "we find out things after they have almost been totally decided and then have an outburst," Eilertsen said.
When decisions are being made by the College that affect the students, Eilertsen said he would like to see administrators and Trustees seek out student input.
But Nelson mentioned instances where students were consulted about recent significant issues.
He said discussions about the College alcohol policy have included students, as have talks about the way the College handles responses to sexual abuse, the Dartmouth Experience and the East Wheelock Program.
At Eilertsen's former school, the University of Oslo, Norway, he said the students have immense power. Students ran the bookstores, and "if we didn't like a book in the curriculum, we had the power to change it," Eilertsen said.
Pelton said students, administrators and faculty all have different perspectives on issues, and the student perspective is usually very short-term since there is complete turnover in the student body every four years.
"It was only three years ago when the College put $5.5 million into renovating Collis," he said. "There are students on this campus that that history has nothing to do with -- their perspective is more immediate."
He said people who have been at Dartmouth for several years point to Collis as an example of using resources to support students.
