To the Editor:
Dartmouth boasts the most loyal and collegial alumni in the country. Much of this loyalty, and in fact the very experiences that created it, are a function of students freely seeking social and extracurricular options while at Dartmouth. Social experiences are not shaped by visions of Trustees choosing which social avenues must be encouraged and which should be discouraged. Rather, the College should be supportive of the social options that students naturally choose to create and pursue. For this I applaud President Wright's solicitation of students' visions of other desirable social options. However, unilateral overhauls of widely loved social institutions that many would argue were the most important and beneficial contributors to their Dartmouth experiences are inappropriate, and quite frankly, disrespectful of the memories so many Dartmouth alumni hold.
Thus, while I do support many of the President's new principles, I am deeply disturbed by what appears to be a heavy-handed policy to change a part of Dartmouth without regard for those who value it or for the positive contributions these institutions make.
While the various news articles, press releases and reports from campus paint at best a nebulous picture of the future of fraternities and sororities, it is quite clear that the administration is pursuing a policy with regards to the Greek system of social overhaul without significant, thoughtful consideration of both student and alumni input (as it is my understanding that the news has shocked the student body as well as countless alumni). This is no way to run a college, nor is it a way to promote a dynamic, creative and healthy social system.
I would suggest that the College continue to collect opinions from Dartmouth's many constituencies about how the social landscape of Dartmouth could be improved. From there, the College should freely nurture, promote and fund new social options. And the College should suggest ways to improve existing social outlets. Thereafter, let the students choose for themselves how they want to socialize, the institutions they want to support and how they might want to change them. Surely, if your vision for Dartmouth is so compelling, simply communicate what it is. With the intellect of the Dartmouth student body, such a vision will develop independently, without legislation, without intervention, if it is in fact the right choice for Dartmouth and what the members of the Dartmouth Community want.
Any other course is disrespectful of the minds, rights and desires of Dartmouth students and alumni, as well as of the institutions that have contributed so positively to so many for over 150 years.