Dartmouth's administration has focused on issues pertaining to the quality of student life in recent years, and has addressed the Greek system and facility improvement during a time of significant policy formation.
The controversial Student Life Initiative, conceived in 1995 as a means for improving social options on campus, has significantly altered coed, fraternity and sorority life. The SLI resulted in the prohibition of permanent taps, stricter keg regulations, Winter term rush and a moratorium on new single-sex houses, although some of the policies suggested in its wake currently undergoing reversal.
Despite many protests against these changes from the Greek community, College President James Wright said in a January 2004 interview that he has "never tried to impose regulations on the Greek system," and that the purpose of the initiative was "to make Greek life stronger."
A major concern of the Board of Trustees and the Student Life Initiative is the condition of sorority and fraternity physical plants across campus. The College has set aside $500,000 in loans per house for renovations. These loans will be available for repayment at low interest over the next 10 years.
Although the College has requested some specific improvements, such as the creation of wheelchair accessible spaces in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is not legally entitled to enforce these changes.
The loan program has been met with mixed reactions from students, though the suggestions of the Board and desires of the house are sometimes in agreement. Chi Gamma Epsilon is currently undergoing renovations encouraged by the College.
"We have to install a fire escape on the third floor to make sure our house is up to fire code. Also, the basement is going to be handicap accessible and have a women's bathroom. The College certainly didn't mandate that we renovate our basement and do other construction, but obviously they have been very supportive of these changes," Chi Gam president Russell D'Souza '07 said.
This past June, the Board of Trustees lifted its moratorium on the creation of additional single-sex, selective and residential organizations. The 2001 ban placed on the establishment of new Greek houses was one of the more significant restrictions imposed after the SLI report.
President Wright, along with many Greek leaders, suggested that this reversal reflects positively upon progress made by Greek institutions over the past few years.
"I think one of the success stories of the Initiative over the last few years has been the way that CFS organizations by in large, with their alumni leadership and their nationals where appropriate, have really stepped up and have ... tried to play a more responsible role in the community," he said in a June 2005 interview with the Dartmouth.
Another policy change occurred last spring when the College moved fraternity and sorority rush to the fall of sophomore year. Following the SLI report, rush had been moved to sophomore winter, a shift many Greek houses decried.
The administration is also making budget and policy alterations with regard to student life that do not involve the CFS system.
Provost Barry Scherr, the College's chief academic officer and consultant on academic integrity, has assisted in bringing the administration and student body together to examine potential new measures.
Scherr chairs the Student Budget Advisory Committee, an organization composed of students and faculty that discusses the allocation of the budget. The committee recently proposed the extended library hours, effective this fall.
"The committee is one important way that we can obtain feedback from students," Scherr said.
The new construction taking place across campus, the majority of which will be completed by fall 2006, is also part of quality of life initiatives taken by the College in recent years. Plans include the construction of new residence halls, the eventual destruction of Gerry and Bradley halls, the construction of new math and interdisciplinary centers and the expansion of Alumni Gym to include a better swimming pool, better equipped fitness center and improved ventilation.
Wright's tenure has been marked by a focus on increasing diversity on campus. According to a five-year report, the College is more diverse now than it has ever been.
"I think it has become a more welcoming and tolerant place, but we continue to have work to do," Wright said.
Wright is the 16th president in the College's Wheelock succession. He received his Ph.D from the University of Wisconsin and joined the Dartmouth history department in 1969. He became a full professor in 1980 and subsequently served as dean of the faculty from 1989 until 1997, when he was appointed acting provost and later provost. Wright was elected President in April 1998.
Susan DeBevoise Wright, the president's wife, spent many years as an advisor to students. She remains an important presence at the College and now directs the Montgomery endowment, bringing visiting scholars to campus to teach and engage with students each term.
The Board of Trustees consists of the President of the College, the Governor of New Hampshire and 15 others. The Board of Trustees will increase its membership by six seats within the next decade. The Board is currently chaired by William Neukom '64, chair of Seattle law firm Preston, Gates and Ellis and former Microsoft executive vice president for law and corporate affairs. Neukom was appointed to the Board in 1996. He is credited with giving the largest contribution to an academic program in the College's history when he established an institute of computational science last year.
