To the Editor:
Despite recent criticism of inaction in the Student Assembly, the greatest problem with Dartmouth's student representative body is that it fails to accurately represent the interests of the student population. The show of support by Assembly members for locking dormitories in the wake of the incident in Streeter is evidence of this.
Part of Dartmouth's unique character lies in the sense of security created by our surroundings. Locking the residence halls would erode this sense of security and openness while creating a myriad of logistical problems with little gain.
If EBAs can find its way into the buildings over Carnival and Green Key, what makes the Office of Residential Life or the Student Assembly think that a Dartmouth student, resolved to do something revolting, would be any less successful?
In a continuing effort to make itself infinitely diverse, the Student Assembly has distanced itself from the core of the Dartmouth student population that it ought to be representing. The fact is that an informal poll on this issue taken in Thayer on an average evening would produce a drastically different result than a similar poll taken at an SA meeting. Perhaps this is a sign that a problem exists within the student government that is of greater importance than the issue of locked doors or problematic bathrooms.
If the Student Assembly's efforts to find direction are to bear fruit, the leadership of that organization must listen to the people whom they are supposed to represent. Locking dormitory doors would be undoubtedly unpopular and effect little change, but more importantly, this issue shows how far the SA still has to come in its positions to truly represent the Dartmouth student community.
