Student Body President Noah Riner '06 sent a strong Christian message this past Tuesday in a Convocation speech that represented the first encounter between many in the Class of 2009 and the College's values. While Eleazer Wheelock founded Dartmouth in 1769 to bring Christianity to Native Americans, Dartmouth has more recently eschewed this goal in favor of providing a balanced, secular and inclusive education to its students. Each successive class of freshmen has been welcomed into an environment where freedom of speech, expression and belief are valued parts of the educational process. While Riner has the same freedoms as all students, his speech gave the misleading impression that Dartmouth today is closer to Wheelock's vision than to its current ideals.
Riner initially cautioned the Class of 2009 that a Dartmouth degree is not sufficient to build character. He gave examples of Dartmouth alumni who had failed tests of character as well as more general examples of the harmful behavior that followed Hurricane Katrina. Up until this point, Riner's topic was appropriate in its theme of building character out of the classroom. Extracurricular activities and service are an integral part of the Dartmouth experience and are embraced by the majority of the community, as can be seen in both the recent Katrina Help efforts and in more longstanding service efforts.
The problem with Riner's speech was his insinuation that turning to Jesus is the only way to find character. Indeed, Jesus was the only positive example of character Riner offered. While many of the ideas Jesus exemplified and his followers espoused stretch across faiths, statements such as, "Jesus is a good example of character, but he's also much more than that. He is the solution to flawed people like corrupt Dartmouth alums, looters, and me," and, "the problem is me; the solution is God's love: Jesus on the cross, for us," are explicitly Christian and, as such, managed to alienate many in the audience regardless of their faiths.
A college is a place where all ideas are examined critically in a forum that invites discussion and debate. Riner had every right, as a member of a community that values the freedom of speech, to speak freely about what matters to him. The forum he chose, however, was inappropriate. By preaching his faith from a commandeered pulpit, Riner weakened the more important message of his speech -- the need to develop personal character while at Dartmouth.
