For the past year, the Dartmouth community has grappled with the Student Life Initiative. As the Trustees come to campus and begin the task of actually deciding where the Initiative should take this college, they must keep in mind the responsibilities they have to the Dartmouth community:
While the early proclamations and promises of the Initiative nearly guaranteed sweeping, dramatic reforms, the Trustees should not feel compelled to make such changes just for the sake of fulfilling their earlier boldness. If incremental change and gradual testing of new ideas now seem appropriate, then the Trustees should act in that manner.
In reviewing their options, the Trustees have more than ample information to consider. They have been presented with a myriad of reports, surveys and other forms of community reaction to the Initiative. The Trustees must listen to these opinions, since the Dartmouth community knows best how to improve itself.
In making their decisions, the Trustees must also look beyond image and do what is best for the College. We all know that national media coverage does not fully reflect the Dartmouth experience. Dartmouth College has always been an entity of its own, with its own unique culture. Decisions should not be influenced by national trends but instead be made because they best serve this particular campus.
While the Trustees should focus on making solid choices, those decisions should not be hasty ones. Dartmouth's social life encompasses many complex issues which must be sufficiently analyzed.
But the time for extensive review behind closed doors has passed. As the Trustees make decisions, the community should be informed every step along the way so all aspects of the College can best prepare for whatever changes the Board prescribes.
