Winter rush. No kegs. No taps. Fuel. Berry Library. McCulloch. Freshmen clusters.
These buzzwords float around campus because of the five-year old Student Life Initiative -- a heated issue unveiled by College President James Wright's administration in the days leading up to Winter Carnival 1999.
"It chipped away at the foundation of trust between the two bodies," former member of the Greek Steering Committee Maggie Shnayerson '03 told The Dartmouth.
The SLI "demonstrated that a gap exists between the attitude of administrators and students," Josh Marcuse '04 said.
Both Wright and Dean of the College James Larimore said that the announcement with guidelines for "the end of the Greek system as we know it" was ill timed, on the eve of one of the biggest party weekends of the school year.
They admitted that the timing of the SLI made students more critical of the administration's intentions, particularly in regard to its agenda for the fraternity and sorority system.
"People have looked back with some regret," Larimore said. "If people had to do it over they would have done things differently and been able to engage students more quickly as to what the Student Life Initiative was and what it wasn't."
Wright and Larimore said that 'conspiracy theorists' -- who have said that the SLI was proof that the administration was determined to eliminate the Greek system -- have been proven wrong.
Both Wright and Larimore said that they supported the Greek system and praised its leadership, philanthropy, programming and risk management.
"The Greek system today is much stronger than it was five years ago," Wright said.
Furthermore, Larimore said that the administration has spurned the most anti-Greek SLI recommendations.
In Jan. 2000, the Committee on Student Life recommended a complete review of the Greek system -- upon which the Board of Trustees would reconsider the existence of residence-based organizations at Dartmouth.
In the months following that recommendation, the College and Board of Trustees decided against setting a doomsday date for fraternities after receiving storms of student input, Larimore said.
Both Wright and Larimore expressed regret for the fact that the scope of SLI discussion has often been limited to its implications on the Greek system.
Larimore said that to date, the SLI is responsible for changes including improved social programming and spaces, a more competitive Undergraduate Advisor Program, and a more extensive freshman orientation program.
Future SLI plans include new residential clusters, dining facilities and an expansion of the student fitness facilities.
Even the less controversial aspect of the SLI has met a spectrum of responses.
Many students and alumni said that the SLI's social and residential agenda represented a sincere attempt to better student life beyond the classroom and the Greek system.
Others said that SLI programming -- particularly in regard to freshmen orientation -- has been genuine, but out of touch.
Orientation, for instance, "was a sincere effort by the administration but it was out of touch," Adam Shpeen '07 said. "It didn't expose the student body to what Dartmouth life is."
Still others said that SLI efforts have been downright insincere.
For example, Shnayerson said that she felt that the advent and continued funding towards the largely unpopular Fuel night club -- formally Poison Ivy -- in the basement of the Collis Center, was a blatant attempt for the administration to appeal to the next generation of prospective students and parents.
William Quirk '06 added that the SLI plan to boast residential cluster communities "was a horrendous idea."
"A focus on residential community doesn't get students to interact with the rest of campus," Quirk said. "It drains discourse away from the community."
