My former roommate, Brandon Ecoffey '06, is a Lakota Indian from Pine Ridge, S. D. His close friend, Skyler White Temple, belongs to the comparable Dakota religion and grew up on a similar reservation in North Dakota. Brandon and Skyler came from a culture that is incomparably different from the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where I grew up. Listening to their stories and observing their experience in Hanover freshman year, I realized the magnitude of the Dartmouth community's failure effectively to integrate diversity into this campus. At the end of freshman year, Skyler transferred to the University of Washington because the challenge of assimilating Dartmouth's culture was too great. Brandon, having seen several friends leave Hanover prematurely, continues as a sophomore to meet Dartmouth's challenges. He often expresses his frustration with Dartmouth's failure to understand the sensitive cultural issues that American Indians present to the community.
One afternoon in November last year, Skyler, Brandon and I were sitting quietly watching ESPN when Brandon said, "Hey Skyler, did you know that Paul is an atheist?" Skyler jumped out of his deep concentration on the show, whirling around in his seat and giving me a quizzical look. I suddenly felt that I was in a very contentious situation. It was my instinct to assume that Skyler would see my beliefs as a direct insult to his religion. Skyler paused for a few seconds, shook his head, and then asked, "Paul, you're an atheist?" I confirmed and readied myself for attack as Skyler sat quietly. In the uneasiness of silence I decided bravely to begin the battle and inquired, "Skyler, do you know what atheism is?" Skyler performed another rendition of his whirling around in his seat maneuver that made me brace myself, and said "No," with such apparent conviction that I felt silly asking the question. I tried to explain to Skyler that I do not subscribe to any type of organized religion and I do not believe that God exists. At this point, Skyler nodded his head, contemplating this foreign viewpoint. Although I did not yet fully realize it, by meeting his questions with terse answers I was giving Skyler the opportunity to rise well above my cynicism and demonstrate to me the power of tolerance. As soon as I relaxed, Skyler said, "Well Paul, let me ask you one question in that case. How do you explain how we came to be here, how the earth was made and humans began to live on it?" Again, I foolishly leaped into attack, confidently explaining the scientific support for evolution and the Big Bang.
Skyler sat in silence for several minutes as I finished my explanation. As I wondered whether I was going to have to defend myself further, I also slowly comprehended that maybe my presentation of my views to Skyler was insensitive. So far in the conversation, I had failed to even think about Skyler's life in an environment that places chief emphasis on religion and spirituality. As I was deep in my thoughts, Skyler said, "Yeah, you know I can kind of see how that evolution thing works." It soon became apparent to me that Skyler's ability to sympathize and even recognize the potential validity of my views demonstrated his willingness to explore beyond the homogeneity of North Dakota and appreciate Dartmouth's diversity. Skyler taught me an invaluable lesson about the personal strength that religious tolerance requires.
After Skyler left that afternoon, I began to wonder how I would have behaved in his position. I realized that my initial fixation with supporting my own beliefs blinded me from the opportunity to ask him about his thoughts concerning humanity's origin. Thankfully, I have since had many chances to overcome my obsession with my own stance and learn more about the Lakota and Dakota tribes. Additionally, after witnessing Skyler's tolerance, I have been alert to the amount of ethnic interaction that Brandon and his friends are exposed to here at Dartmouth. The disappointing truth is that while this college has gone to great lengths to provide strong support groups for marginalized students, a byproduct of this effort is insuperable segregation. Both Brandon and Skyler spent the vast majority of their freshman year at the Native American affinity house, a place that they were introduced to as prospectives during the Dartmouth Pow-Wow (a Dimensions program for Native American students). Furthermore, Brandon and Skyler did not enter the campus as most of the incoming freshman class does. Instead of participating in Dartmouth Outing Club trips, Brandon and Skyler both chose to start their freshman year with the Native American Studies Program's retreat. Although support for marginalized groups on campus is essential, it is worthless if it promotes isolation and inhibits interaction. The college does not put enough effort into promoting communication between the various ethnicities represented on campus. In the absence of effort, the purpose of a diverse student body is lost.
