College students like to have fun. As a general rule, each one of us likes to play sports, watch movies, go for walks and dance. Basically, we like to spend time talking, laughing and exploring new ideas, not to mention just relaxing with some friends. Face it, Dartmouth College is a social institution above all. Even in academic life we learn best cooperatively; how many people would rather take a big lecture class in Cook Auditorium than a seminar in Silsby? But, as we all know all too well, this College sorely hurts for places where we can go on a weekend night to dance or talk or relax.
We have nowhere for a student organization to hold a culture night for all of us to enjoy; we have no- where to go have coffee and talk after midnight; we have altogether too few places where students of age can go to drink in a responsible manner; we have nowhere for a class council to hold a dance without booking a room terms in advance. Altogether, our social life is totally reliant on the generosity of the houses of the Coed, Fraternity and Sorority system, whose members open their doors to give all students somewhere to dance and relax. Really, without CFS parties, we would pretty much be reduced to blitz and calling EBA's as our only social contact.
What do these houses get in return? Mostly just accusations of impropriety and safety and security walk-throughs. The debate over the alcohol policy is best left to another columnist, but suffice it to say the current social scene is not healthy. There are few non-Greek social options on any given day or night, and this is a direct result of the limited budgets and resources of student organizations and the Collis Center administrators. We all can see that the resource in greatest demand is space.
This term, the Student Assembly is submitting a report to Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson, to be passed on to the Trustee Committee on Student Affairs, on the need for student social and programming space on campus. Although the details of their recommendations have not yet been released, the report is the culmination of the Assembly's work last year, when countless hours were spent asking students and student organizations what sort of spaces they wanted and what sort they needed, to make life at Dartmouth better for them and the classes to follow. For the administration and the Trustees to ignore this report and proposal would be tragic, as it represents the wishes of a united Dartmouth and as its recommendations are designed to allow the creation of a more vibrant, united community.
In his inaugural address, President of the College James Wright spoke of a College with a "heritage of providing a comprehensive experience outside of the classroom." He then promised to "expand more our social and residential choices and opportunities." To me, listening on the radio from my room, that sounded like another way of saying "Over the last few years we have ripped down your student spaces and turned them into libraries, under-funded your student organizations and blamed the results on the Greek system, and we have finally realized we need to do better."
Please, don't construe my sarcasm as any sort of disbelief. Wright has already shown that he does realize that our College has a problem with a lack of student social and programming space. By supporting ventures such as the Collis Coffeehouse, which opened last night, and the renovations to create a real billiards room and movie theater, he has extended his hand. It is now time for the Student Assembly, student organizations and individuals to accept his hand. We must work together to rally support amongst administrators and trustees to make the serious, substantive changes in our social options, starting with breaking ground for a Webster Hall replacement.
