Recently, we have become concerned by Tubestock T-shirts produced by a fraternity on campus that bear the image of a white man wearing a white tank top with a toothless smile, surrounded by the following message: "COME AS YOU ARE UNLESS YOU ARE WEST LEBANESE."
We find this message and image not only offensive as individuals, but embarrassing as Dartmouth students. These shirts clearly draw a line between the level of opportunity enjoyed by Dartmouth students and Hanover residents relative to the rest of the Upper Valley. The median household income in Hanover is $65,000. In West Lebanon, the median household income is $32,000.
What message are we conveying to employees of Dartmouth from West Lebanon who come to Hanover and work in many ways to contribute to and feel a part of this community? What should we tell children who participate in mentoring programs such as Big Brother/Big Sister, DREAM, Oxbow, or LEAD when they see these shirts on the Dartmouth campus?
Please do not misconstrue our message in this column. The lines of class drawn in the Upper Valley are not black and white between Hanover and West Lebanon or Dartmouth and the rest of the Upper Valley. In fact, the Dartmouth College community itself represents a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds and levels of opportunity, a fact that is often overlooked. About 40 percent of Dartmouth's student body receives financial aid, creating a community made up of a wide range of socio-economic circumstances.
One does not have to be from West Lebanon in order to take offense to these shirts or feel personally attacked. One only needs to know how it feels when they are unable to pay for next term's registration, participate in certain PE classes, take weekend trips, worry about how they are going to pay for their textbooks, paying back their loans when they graduate, or have to sacrifice studying time for the required work-study job in order to pay for their Dartmouth education. We hope that this column will help to point out how painful these stereotypes of our communities can be to all of us, no matter where we live.
Our time at Dartmouth is not a time to ignore the rest of the world and the lives of those who live in it. Until we as Dartmouth students, faculty, and administrators realize this, T-shirts like these will continue to be produced, and continue to hurt members of the Upper Valley community, as well as our own Dartmouth students and staff.
All of us, as members of a community that extends beyond the college, should feel hurt and offended by the thoughtless message printed on these shirts. Nevertheless, many students will still find the shirts funny and consider this column an overreaction. We are all entitled to our opinions and to display whatever messages we choose.
But we must also remember that our community is not separate from the Upper Valley community, and it is not possible to hold certain views in one context and act differently in another. Many members of the Upper Valley community already perceive Dartmouth students as privileged, self-righteous, and disrespectful. It would be unfortunate if we acted in ways that perpetuated this stereotype.
