To the Editor:
Voces Clamantium's posters said "Come and Question". In preparation for Yvette Schneider's visit the group repeatedly assured the Dartmouth Community her presence would create dialogue. Yet as soon as the questions got tough, the event was ended. Sure people got upset, started yelling, but that was AFTER Mrs. Schneider lied to the audience and AFTER Voces Clamantium ended the dialogue. Many of us in the audience decided to walk out at that moment because we realized that what we knew would happen did: there was no conversation.
Speaking of a conversation, I hope no one credits Voces Clamantium with creating a campus dialogue. Sure everyone has been talking, but all Voces did was hurt a group of people --my friends and people I call FAMILY-- enough that we could not remain silent. Therefore, WE the members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Straight-Allied Community CREATED the conversation. And, quite frankly, that infuriates me. This group's efforts to create an 'intellectual dialogue' about the validity of my LIFE robbed me of hours of sleep and study because I and many others were busy ensuring that a dialogue actually took place.
To this end I want to ask COSO: What are you going to do now that Voces Clamantium has let me and many others in the Dartmouth Community down. What are the ramifications for a student group that brings a speaker with a divisive and harmful message to our campus, claiming that there will be an open discourse, only to make no efforts to ensure that discourse and then to actually prevent it? We may believe in the freedom of speech, but what about the promise of an open dialogue Voces gave to the Dartmouth community? How will Voces Clamantium be held accountable to that promise.
