Most students hope the College spends their tuition on paying professors and funding research, but in 2002 Dartmouth spent the equivalent of two years' tuition on lobbying. However, rather than working for legislation in Dartmouth's favor, Dartmouth's lobbyists primarily keep their fingers on the pulse of the New Hampshire state legislature.
In 2002, the College spent over $80,000 on lobbying at the federal and state levels, according to Dartmouth's most recently available tax forms.
Thomas Rath '67 lobbies for, among other interests, the College. Dartmouth employs his Concord, N.H., firm, which specializes in government relations and has represented many schools, according to its web site.
Another member of his firm, Anne McLane Kuster '78, also lobbies for Dartmouth, according to the New Hampshire Department of State's list of lobbyists.
Rath downplayed the College's attempts to influence legislation, emphasizing that his main role was gathering information.
The College has, however, lobbied for changing the size of its Board of Trustees, retaining grants to New Hampshire medical students and issuing bonds to finance scholarships.
According to Roland Adams, the College's director of media relations, Dartmouth also reviews legislation pertaining to alcohol regulation. Other issues of importance at the state level include labor and employment laws, property taxes and financial aid.
"Most times we're not in a position of asking for something. We just want to be aware of legislation that could affect the way the College operates," Rath said.
Keeping tabs of alcohol consumption laws is just one example of the lobbyists' activities, but Dartmouth usually defers to state decisions on these matters instead of lobbying for changes students might like to see.
"The College tends to let the state make its own judgment," Rath said.
If legislation looks as if it has implications for Dartmouth, Rath and the other lobbyists forward it to the Office of General Counsel for further scrutiny.
Rath said that most of the legislation passes without much dissent, as finding a legislator sympathetic to Dartmouth's needs is not difficult with several Dartmouth graduates in the state legislature.
David Hess '64, who knew Rath as a student, is one such legislator. Hess co-sponsored the 2003 bill allowing the College to amend its charter. The bill "flew through without any controversy," he said.
Hess said that legislators view Dartmouth as a disconnected aloof island of liberalism in New Hampshire. But Rath noted that the state takes a pro-Dartmouth stance on most issues.
New Hampshire, founded nearly 20 years after Dartmouth, thinks the College is a "great asset," Rath said.
Dartmouth also interacts with the legislature by providing it with relevant information from College experts. The Rockefeller Center's Policy Research Shop allows undergraduates to research public policy issues, such as education and the environment, and present results to legislators and policymakers.
At the federal level, Dartmouth is represented by higher education interest groups that take positions on issues including financial aid, research funding, immigration and intellectual property. The $80,000 of lobbying expenses listed on the 2002 tax form does not include dues paid to these groups but does include the cost of mailing letters and paying the lobbyists.
Locally, Sandra Hoeh, Dartmouth's director of community relations, said she deals with the town of Hanover, but doesn't consider herself a lobbyist. According to Adams, she serves as the principal point of contact for communication with officials in Hanover and surrounding communities.
