To the Editor:
In "An Old Tradition Failed" (September 27, The Dartmouth), Joseph Asch '79 laments the existence of some dorms dedicated to freshmen and sophomores. The inference is made that President Wright has made a decision to quarantine these students in an effort to break the spoken history handed down from upperclassmen and thereby allow for the continuation of "Dartmouth's downhill slide." This is an unfair statement. I do not believe that President Wright sees the important traditions as conflicting with the realities of today or the needs for the future. If indeed sophomores and juniors feel there is a "stunning lack of continuity" or if students "don't know the name of the kids in the room next to" theirs then one might argue that each class needs its own dorm complex. If other universities have substandard freshman dorms meriting the name of "the Zoo" or "the Pit," the answer for these other schools is to provide better living space and a minimum standard for dormitory rooms. Personally, I fail to see how co-mingling upperclassmen would improve a dorm's image as physically being a pit.
Personally, I enjoyed living in South Mass with all classes represented. It worked well for me as it did for the columnist. I too share in fond memories. My new Dartmouth student is in a dorm with upper-classmen. Other freshmen are in the freshmen exclusive Choates while others are in the desirable East Wheelock complex. There are many needs and challenges which the ORL continues to address. There are many good reasons why the college seeks to provide multiple options for our current students. I see no reason to impugn President Wright, his motivations or to suggest that Dartmouth is on a downhill slide. At a recent club event, an alumnus of my era asked if Dartmouth was still a fun place. Immediately the recent grads became animated in support of their college and their experience. The important core traditions continue to have importance and merit while evolving to meet the current needs of today's students.
