To the Editor:
In his Feb. 14 critique of student apathy at Dartmouth, "Adherence to Activism in the Face of Apathy," Sam Stein '04 is guilty of the very fault for which he rightly criticizes much of the student body; he condemns student disinterest but fails to acknowledge any viable alternatives or solutions. In fact, he goes so far as to write, "It's not even like the solutions are out there." While I do, for the most part, agree with his assertion that student apathy among much of the Dartmouth population is problematic, I disagree wholeheartedly with the pessimistic and ultimately unconstructive conclusions he draws.
As a past president of the Young Democrats group on which Mr. Stein focuses, I can attest to the frustration of limited student involvement on a regular basis. On the other hand, I can also attest to the incredible potential for student action that is manifest at particular moments. As he was not in Hanover in the fall of 2000 during the New Hampshire presidential primaries, allow me to recall the excitement generated then. As a co-chair of Bill Bradley's campaign team at Dartmouth, I can vouch for the scores of students who worked non-stop from 5 a.m. until after midnight supporting Sen. Bradley when he was here. That does not even include the scores who volunteered for Al Gore or those who demonstrated vocal support for the Republican candidates the following evening. The national press corps descended on Hanover for 48 hours and I, for one, think the published photos are ample evidence of Dartmouth students' potential for meaningful activism.
Unfortunately, not every term has the excitement of a presidential primary. Nonetheless, outlets exist for student action on this campus and students pursue them. Last spring hundreds of students gathered for a speak-out that led the trustees of the College to hold an emergency meeting with 300 interested activists. According to Josh Lozman '01, the volunteer coordinator at the Tucker Foundation, approximately 1200 students participate in ongoing Dartmouth community service programs each year; the number increases if one-time service opportunities are included. The Tucker Foundation and the Dickey Center send dozens of students to far reaches of the nation and the globe to participate in service and learning opportunities. Dartmouth students hold political internships during their off terms; many go on to jobs in the public sector. The Tucker Foundation is hosting a social justice lecture series this term. A small but important case in point: Thursday night the Tucker Foundation is sponsoring an open mic night of spoken word poetry at the Big Green Bean; it is dedicated to issues of social justice. The list goes on and on.
As a student activist and someone familiar with the history of activism and service at Dartmouth, I want to mention something that Mr. Stein fails to include in his critique: it often takes a galvanizing event or series of events to motivate student activism. Students are busy people with a lot on their minds. The conflict in Vietnam generated student protests in the '60s and '70s. Apartheid in South Africa did in the '80s. The anti-globalization movement, today's likely contender, has failed to drum up the kind of national and international support those movements did. So why does Mr. Stein expect that kind of activism at Dartmouth? I'm not sure, but I am confident that Dartmouth students will rise to the occasion when the time comes again. Until then, I urge Mr. Stein and all of those who criticize student apathy to take up their own challenge; I'll be at the Tucker Foundation waiting to sign people up when they're ready.
