By your very presence here, Dartmouth itself will be changed, as well. This is as it should be." President Wright said this in his inauguration speech.
I have wanted to make an impact on Dartmouth. I quickly joined, and was elected President of the 2002 Class Council. We have tried to do a lot. We are trying to improve Orientation, plan the First Year Family Weekend, make the 'Shmen Guide, as well as work on numerous events ranging from a dance-a-thon to a golf tournament to a lip-synching competition.
That cannot even compare to what we, and when I say we I truly mean everyone who is enrolled here, now have the chance to accomplish given the recent initiative from the Trustees.
First of all, I don't want anybody to panic. I was walking around campus and I saw a lot of upset, confused and excited people. I heard people talking about the need to pull up GPAs so they can transfer. Go ahead and pull up your GPA, but please, everybody, calm down. The sky is not falling. Dartmouth College, is still and will always be "Dear Old Dartmouth." This being said, we certainly shouldn't lose our energy either.
Rather, we must put this energy that is on campus to good use and be a stronger community as a result of this. Basically, at the end of the day, we're all up here in the middle of nowhere (no disrespect to West Lebanon), together. Dartmouth is ours for the making.
We students have been challenged to re-imagine residential and social life on campus and consequently, the entire Dartmouth experience. The Trustees have allocated the money to make the ideas that we come up with realities. We must ask ourselves what we want out of Dartmouth.
Now is the time to get involved. I was incredibly impressed with the number of people who blitzed me asking what we can do. The answer is to make your opinion heard. There will probably never be as clear of a chance to shape our school.
We're all smart kids here, smart enough to realize that those people who are angriest, those people who are the loudest dissenters to the initiative, should be among the students who get most involved. It's easy to stand on the sidelines and whine. In the words of the great 1980s sage, Slash from Guns and Roses: "Get in the ring."
The formal discussions about how to achieve the proposals will not take place for a short while. In the meantime, during the informal discussions that are occuring; try to come up with something new, something better and something that will work. Make your opinions heard and your presence felt.
The Trustees have articulated goals we are striving for, but the challenge is in the means to those ends. I cannot stress enough how important it is for students to get involved at this juncture. The College is at a certain crossroads and we have a chance to do something about Dartmouth's future.
There is little that one can say about this topic without mentioning the current Greek system that is under attack. Fraternities and sororities are a part of our College's tradition. Those of you who have been reading The D recently are likely to recall biographies of Dartmouth grads whose fondest memories are from the Greek system.
The Greek system has its place here on campus, but it should certainly not be the only social option. Fraternities and sororities are not for all of us, but they are for some of us and should continue to play a role in Dartmouth's social life. Effort must be put into creating viable alternatives to diversify and not displace the Greek system.
We have been presented with a glorious opportunity. Let's not let this opportunity pass us by. Have a fun and safe Winter Carnival, but after that there is a lot of work for all of us to do together.
