To the Editor:
I have been attending Minimum Standards Review boards for many years as a participant and a review board member. Last term I attended the review for my own house. Last week I sat on the review boards for two other Coed Fraternity Sorority organizations. All of these review boards were chaired by Cassie Barnhardt.
I think the suggestion that the reviews have been 'more stringent' and that Ms. Barnhardt is somehow responsible for this is ridiculous. From what I have seen the reviews this year have been comparable to previous years in terms of the material covered and the expectations of the review board. Over the last decade I have seen expectations rise gradually from year to year but that is the stated purpose of Minimum Standards.
Ms. Barnhardt has not been at Dartmouth very long so she may bring a new perspective to the process (personally, I think this is a good thing). However, the review process is mapped out in writing and must follow a certain path no matter who is in charge. At each review I have observed that Ms. Barnhardt has a copy of the Minimum Standards booklet with her as she conducts the review. Every house also has a copy of this document.
Some aspects of the review are subjective; they have to be. Criteria like 'Leadership' cannot be quantified to the point of being measured with objective statistics. This is why review boards have advisors, students, and alumni trustees from other CFS houses. An organization that arrives at a review well prepared does not need to be concerned about subjective criteria because they are gathered around a table with peers as well as administrators.
