To the Editor:
As a member of the Greek Life Steering Committee, I can say that I am pleased to see Professor Randy Testa resign from the committee. From his rudeness to other members of the committee to his melodramatic soliloquies, Professor Testa served as an impediment to the progress of the committee. A key component to any committee is the willingness of its members to compromise. While every other member of the committee seems willing to discuss and compromise on all aspects of the Greek system, Professor Testa gave the impression that he would only be satisfied with total prohibition of alcohol on campus. Testa based his opinions on his distorted images of Dartmouth social life and the Harvard study of so-called "binge drinking." He appears to believe that all Dartmouth students do is sleep, drink, and perhaps go to class. At the heart of his problems with the Greek system is pong. He even claimed at one point that alumni came back almost solely to play pong (this was during a discussion of how older students' drinking habits influence younger students). This is, of course, a ridiculous idea, but it is one of many distorted images he has. As far as the Harvard study that serves as the basis of his beliefs, if one actually looks at the methodology and assumptions of the study, he will find that "binge drinking" statistics are grossly inflated and should lose all meaning. Beyond the dogmatic approach he brought to the committee discussions, Professor Testa refused to listen to and respect others' opinions. He often interrupted those who disagreed with him and even walked out of one meeting when someone disagreed with him. I seriously think if he were ever in charge of anything, he would have all those who disagreed with him purged. He says in Wednesday's article in The Dartmouth that he doesn't believe that the College is serious about reforming alcohol behavior. I do not think he was serious about being a respectful, productive member of the committee. When the utopian agenda he brought to the committee was legitimately critiqued, he quit.
