After a Winter term first shocked and then consumed by the Trustees' Social and Residential Life Initiative and its implications for the Greek system, a quieter Spring term brought with it continued Five Principles debate but also considerable campus news in other areas.
Dan Nelson served his last full term as Acting Dean of the College by continuing to chair the Initiative Task Force charged with soliciting ideas from the community. The Task Force passed along their proposals to the Trustee Steering Committee, which was announced last term and will prepare a recommendation for the full Board of Trustees.
The Student Assembly got to select two of four students to serve on the committee which also includes faculty members, administrators and alumni as well as Trustees Susan Dentzer '77 and Peter Fahey '68.
The Assembly selected Matthew K. Nelson '00 and students picked Meg Smoot '01 through a campus-wide election to fill the second seat. The Trustees selected Kyle Roderick '99 and Hillary Miller '02 as the final two undergraduates on the influential committee.
The Student Assembly sided with the Greeks in two major votes during the term. They passed a controversial resolution stating their belief that no changes to the Greek system be made without the system's consent and rejected many of the Working Groups' proposals for Greek reform including limiting the number of students who can live in each Greek house to five.
The College also announced a moratorium on new Greek house recognition after students expressed interest in forming a new sorority and coed house.
Alumni and brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity began the Dartmouth Action Network, a grass-roots organization to increase alumni and student voice in College decision-making. While not limited to the Initiative issue, the Action Network is strongly in favor of maintaining a single-sex Greek system and had made it their primary issue.
The Interfraternity Council also changed their rush rules for this fall, requiring houses to offer bids to at least a minimum number of rushees and encourages all rushees to rush at least four houses. IFC President Hondo Sen '00 told The Dartmouth the Five Principles "had some influence" on the guideline changes.
The ten weeks still left room for non-Initiative news as the academic year came to a close.
Hate mailings targeting various groups of students including homosexuals and Jews angered the campus. The cartoon-book mailings were sent anonymously to some campus leaders. The College later uncovered the sender but did not release the name or issue any punishment.
More students voted in this year's Assembly presidential election than in any of the past nine years, but Assembly president Dean Krishna '01 won with only 33 percent of the vote. Margaret Keucker '01 was elected vice-president.
The Trustees, however, turned down for the second time in three years an Assembly request for a student vote in Trustee elections.
Presidential candidate Bill Bradley spoke to students in a discussion meeting sponsored by The Dartmouth and Dartmouth College Radio. The former New Jersey senator and professional basketball player was the first candidate to come to the campus as part of the 2000 New Hampshire presidential primary.
Sean Busby '01 was arrested and charged for physically assaulting two male students in the South Fayerweather Residence Hall.
The College filled two administrative vacancies last term, appointing Acting Vice President and Treasurer Win Johnson '67 to the position permanently and naming Martin Redman, formerly of Carleton College, as the new Dean of Residential Life.
Construction of a new dormitory in the East Wheelock cluster began in April. The new building will add 80 beds to the Super Cluster and is scheduled to be completed by the Fall term of 2000.
