In the midst of recent arguments at Dartmouth over drinking rights and the origin of intelligent life lies a disturbing and critical issue that is, for the most part, ignored by the undergraduate body -- the widening gaps between socioeconomic classes in America, as seen in the Upper Valley.
Class issues between Dartmouth and the Upper Valley have bothered me since my arrival in Hanover three years ago, but after reading last Friday's issue of the Dartmouth Mirror, I felt now was an appropriate time to point out the problem to my fellow students. One junior is quoted in a column entitled "Steph's So Dartmouth" (Feb. 25) as using "one of her classic lines like 'She looked like she was from West Leb -- like one of those randos you see milling around Wal-Mart or something.'" While I appreciate the humor of the column -- making fun of campus slang -- and I don't believe the speaker meant to offend anybody, I am bothered that students here feel comfortable publishing such elitist, unkind commentary about the surrounding community.
The "town versus gown" dilemma is by no means a new one, and it is not unique to Dartmouth. For those of you unfamiliar with this concept, I am talking about the tensions between a wealthy educational institution -- a prep school or college -- and the less-wealthy community in which said institution is located. As the child of two boarding school teachers in rural Pennsylvania, these tensions have been a part of my daily life since I started kindergarten in the local public school system. I went to public school through the end of eighth grade, and I vividly remember the last few months with my classmates who, when they realized I was leaving them to go to the "snotty prep school on the hill," started treating me like I had a contagious disease.
The divide between town and gown is based on money and education, and it's a scary one. The numbers aren't difficult to decipher -- the average Dartmouth student has more money and education than the average young adult in West Leb and we all know it. But money does not give one person the right to declare his or her superiority over another. Just because one person drives a late-model SUV with vanity plates does not mean he or she is a better person than the girl in the next lane over who drives a beat-up Chevy pickup with a Dale Earnhardt sticker. It's also important to remember that assumptions work both ways -- those people at whom you look down your noses in Wal-Mart have plenty of negative opinions about you, too.
Dartmouth students have a reputation in the Upper Valley as rich, stuck-up kids who think they're better than everyone else. And the sad thing is, many on campus seem oblivious to the fact that Dartmouth has earned that reputation. I constantly hear derisive comments about "white trash," "hicks" or "rednecks" made by Dartmouth students and in light of the prevalent attitude it is no wonder people think we're snobs. Dartmouth students come from a diverse range of economic backgrounds, but unfortunately the "rich kid" stereotype blindly affects everyone. Every day I watch people take the wealth and opportunities laid before them for granted while simultaneously viewing themselves as superior to those less fortunate.
Class issues have long been a problem in America, and they aren't improving. I'm not insisting that Dartmouth students go buy guns at Wal-Mart and turn on the Daytona 500, but I do believe that everyone could make a better attempt to understand and accept those who are different in terms of social class. It should happen within the student body as well -- Dartmouth students come from a wide range of economic backgrounds, and that fact is often overlooked. Diversity has as much to do with money and education as it does with skin color.
There will always be haves and have-nots, but the gap in between doesn't have to be so bitter. People are going to stereotype us as snotty rich kids as long as we treat them like lower forms of life than our Ivy-league selves. Dartmouth owes a lot to the Upper Valley and its inhabitants -- note the sheer number of Upper Valley residents who work on our campus and with whom we interact on a daily basis. If we don't acknowledge and respect everyone in this community, the town versus gown divide will only get worse. And that is disappointing state of affairs for everyone involved.
