To the Editor:
I read Matthew Stembridge's philippic with some interest ["Student Representation of Assembly Degradation," The Dartmouth, May 29]. Difficile est saturam non scribere. It astonishes me to no end that such a sensible proposal would merit such a vituperative response. Let me discuss a few points:
a) Since when have such elementary security precautions (which are undertaken, by the way, by virtually every campus in the U.S.) become so controversial? It is plain common sense to lock one's house door. I cannot believe that a majority of students would seriously oppose this.
I understand if big burly macho men are not afraid of intruders. If I were I woman, though, it would make me slightly queasy to know that a perfect stranger could enter and leave my dorm at will. This is a sufficient reason in and of itself to support the measure.
b) Stembridge's conception of representative government is a bit peculiar. Representatives are not primarily mouthpieces for the majority, nor should they be. If this were the case, why bother with representatives at all? You may just as well have everything decided by referenda.
To put it in simplest terms: Representatives have a mandate to act in the best interest of the ones who elected them, no more and no less. Precisely because we elected them, they must resist giving in to majority opinion, for they were singled out because there was something exceptional about them, something that made them stand out from the crowd, something that convinced us that, indeed, this person is worthy of elective office. It is this exceptionalism that we elect, with the hope that it will enable him or her to make sounder decisions than we could. We may not always agree with them, but we can rest assured that they were made with our best interests at heart.
Bearing this in mind, I think it is fair to say the Student Assembly acted in the best interest of the community. They deserve at least a modicum of respect for the energy, time and patently good sense they put into this and other proposals.
On a more personal note, I understand that it is de rigeur here at Dartmouth to constantly denigrate the work of the Assembly while one personally remains uninvolved. That is vulgar behavior, really, and unworthy of Dartmouth students.
