To the Dartmouth Class of 2006: you will soon understand what makes this place so special. Sometime between now and Thanksgiving break you will likely discover the Dartmouth spirit. If history is any indication, you may also find that same Dartmouth spirit under attack by persons attempting to change the essence of our College, to make us more similar to our competitor schools. Someone will need to stand up to these paternalistic influences, to preserve the uniqueness of Dartmouth. As the most energetic class on campus, this burden will likely fall to you.
First, a few words about what qualities make Dartmouth so special. Nearly everyone at the College accepts that Dartmouth is unique in the world of higher education. Few would challenge that this greatness stems from our departure from the typical notions of what a university should be. We call ourselves a College in part because of a community spirit we enjoy that is not present in our peer institutions. But what are the specific values that characterize the Dartmouth ethos?
The Dartmouth spirit combines the rugged individualism of the nearby populace with the spirit of community of our small town. It espouses the "Live Free or Die" mantra of New Hampshire. It is one that emphasizes healthy risk-taking, within the context of community-building activities. Most notably, students achieve a balance between work and play. The spirit I have seen rejects encroachments upon civil liberties, no matter how well-intentioned, as antithetical to our notions of personal responsibility. In essence, it is the freedom to take risks. Our strong school spirit is a result of this attitude.
This spirit manifests itself in countless ways. Sometime during Fall term you will feel its power. DOC Trips epitomize this spirit, and I strongly recommend that you participate in them. You will be grouped with random strangers with whom you have nothing in common, except admission to Dartmouth. You will be sent into the woods far from civilization and the warmth of breadsticks from EBAs. Yet by the end of your trip you will be much closer with your trippees and may form some lasting friendships. This combination of community spirit, freedom, a hint of danger and healthy risk-taking, which DOC Trips exhibit, is the essence of Dartmouth.
At Homecoming, you will build the bonfire and then revel around it. The bonfire also exemplifies values we hold dear: teamwork and communal celebration. Last year, there was some talk about canceling the event, due to the insurance risk it posed. Luckily, the administration backed down after student outrage was augmented by the prospect of reduced donations from unhappy alumni. The event took place, albeit in modified form.
The local rope swing was not so fortunate. Attached to a tree about 60 feet tall on the bank of the Connecticut River, there used to be a swing which was a source of good clean fun for countless Dartmouth students. It was another Dartmouth institution that prompted healthy risk-taking and fostered a sense of community. It too was recently judged to be a liability and was chopped down. In fairness, it was the town that took this action, not the College. But had the College wanted to preserve the social option, arrangements could have been made; the precedent for the purchase of town land by the College is well-established. There was no student protest in advance, and so the result was one fewer attractive non-alcoholic social option.
Though my interpretation is a commonly shared one, I do not hold the definitive definition of what values comprise the Dartmouth spirit. I am no more qualified to make such a judgment that you are. I may have spent more time here, but you enjoy a fresh look, and your perspective is no less important than mine. Therefore, you should examine Dartmouth and formulate your own definition if necessary. Though I think most people would agree with many of the principles I have outlined, some would dissent from them. I encourage you to approach Dartmouth with the energy and open-mindedness it deserves, so you can formulate your own Dartmouth spirit if necessary.
The Dartmouth spirit, as I define it, is under attack. The recent changes are broader than simply making it more difficult to have fun: civil liberties have been imperiled. A fiat was recently handed down by the administration: all dorms will be locked. Student opinion was strongly against the measure, but we were told we must do this to mimic other schools. This is precisely the attitude you will have to fight. Dartmouth's uniqueness is an asset, not a problem waiting to be remedied. I understand and appreciate the difficulties this uniqueness may pose for those who underwrite Dartmouth's insurance, but we should not let economic constraints be determinative when activities central to the Dartmouth spirit are at stake.
Your privacy is at risk. If you find you don't like Safety and Security monitoring your actions 24 hours a day, you no longer have the refuge of off-campus or privately owned housing. The administration has recently decided, by decree, that privately owned houses are subject to walk-through searches by Safety and Security. The emphasis on community and responsibility I see in the Dartmouth spirit is fundamentally incompatible with this Big Brother monitoring system. Again, I urge you to fight this paternalistic influence.
Through the Student Life Initiative and other recent administrative actions, it has become clear that parties are attempting to sacrifice part of Dartmouth's uniqueness in an effort to emulate our competitor schools, most notably our friends in Cambridge. The upperclassmen have already become jaded by the inevitability of this process, so it falls to you, the idealistic and dynamic Class of 2006, to reverse the trend.
I apologize for the negative tone of this piece. I love Dartmouth -- at least what's left of it -- and I write with a highly critical pen because it saddens me to see far-removed Trustees dictate change in our lives with little meaningful student input. Our College has little institutional memory and so I hope that by writing about how things once were, you can fight to preserve our common values more effectively. I urge you to contribute to those activities that further this spirit, like DOC Trips and building the bonfire. I also implore you to reject encroachments upon this Dartmouth spirit, irrespective of what our competitor schools are doing. In the past, decrees from the administration have been reversed or modified only after massive student protests. For your personal freedom and for the greater Dartmouth ethos, I urge you to continue the fight against these nefarious influences. Apathy is acquiescence.
