Educational Independence
The Dartmouth Greek system exists best on this campus as a largely independent learning and growing experience for many students. These organizations provide an important environment for exercising and improving leadership skills -- but right now, this system is under extensive review.
By the end of Winter term, a group of 25 people, including four independent students and nine Greek representatives, will be making recommendations about Dartmouth's Greek system. This committee, in any action that it may take or recommend, must go beyond the meaningless and harmful gestures of symbolism. In its past actions, the College has demonstrated that it is not above impeding on houses' independence without warrant. The removal of bars from fraternities this summer is an example of such unproductive destructiveness. This act did nothing but remind students and alumni that the administration is able to make changes -- even those which generate near-zero positive return -- with or without the student body's consent.
This still-forming committee should keep the following essential principle -- just as important as any of those outlined in the Initiative -- in mind: all student organizations should maintain as much power of self-governance as possible. Unless interference is going to have greater positive effect for the entire campus than its negative, independence-eroding effects, it must not happen.
Strike Out
NBC's recent decision to give its affiliates the option of airing baseball playoffs during the first Presidential debate was a disgraceful move for the network. Until now, there has rightly been no question that a debate between the candidates for America's highest office preempts other programming -- whatever that programming may be. It is too important an event-- akin to a 'special report' when there is a national emergency -- for the networks to provide anything less than universal coverage. Pundits might argue that NBC can't afford to risk losing more viewers to cable, but the networks are losing viewership because of a failure to innovate, not because they cover important political events. And to what degree has TV news media contributed to political apathy by decreasing their overall campaign coverage -- most notably in the case of the party conventions this summer? It is a major network's responsibility to help create an informed constituency. NBC must stop allowing their journalistic standards to decline in the name of ratings.
