Students and administrators reacted to a series of racially-charged incidents Fall term, a fervor that took place while key leadership positions in the College's two primary diversity groups -- the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity -- remained vacant. Controversies, such as a Dartmouth Review cover depicting an Indian holding a scalp, attracted national media attention and elicited strong responses from administrators and campus leaders.
ACCUSATIONS LEVIED
While rumors and reports of racist acts had lingered on campus for much of Fall term, the Native American Council's Nov. 20 advertisement in The Dartmouth enumerated incidents under the headline "A Chronology of Racism, Fall 2006." The two-page ad drew campus attention to the acts themselves and the sentiments of many Native American students. It cited acts such as The Dartmouth Review's sale of apparel featuring the discontinued Indian mascot logo, and that paper's subsequent rebuffing of protesters; the disruption of a Columbus Day drum circle by intoxicated fraternity pledges; a crew formal in which some attendees were dressed in stereotypical Native American garb and the distribution of shirts during Homecoming weekend depicting the Holy Cross mascot fellating the Dartmouth Indian.
The ad condemned those who "perpetrate racist acts" and contended that all individuals must oppose racism and "uphold community." The communication, "An Open Letter to the Dartmouth Community," indicted perpetrators of the recent incidents, those "who have failed to speak or act" in defense of social justice, and even the President, the trustees, the provost, the dean of faculty and the dean of the College "who failed to respond swiftly and visibly by denouncing these acts."
The communication also contended that Native Americans alone determine whether they have been offended and that the denigration of Native Americans is a racist abuse of power.
The ad linked racism against Native Americans to other forms of discrimination. "We all have a stake in this issue -- women, Blacks, Latinos, the GLBT community, the working class and ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD CONSCIENCE," the ad read.
THE ADMINISTRATION REACTS
The same day as the ad appeared, College president James Wright and Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson's sent BlitzMail messages to the entire campus that emphasized the seriousness of these racial issues, sympathized with the Native American community and affirmed administrative support for offended minorities.
Wright's Nov. 20 letter to students condemned and apologized for the racist and sexist acts that a group of Native American students had brought to his attention in a recent meeting. In his letter, he called racial taunting unacceptable and harmful to all.
"Unfortunately, Dartmouth is not immune to the prejudices, ignorance, or racism of the larger society. These have no acceptable place there or at Dartmouth, where we have higher aspirations for our community and share closer bonds of responsibility to one another," Wright wrote. "When any one individual or group is singled out to be demeaned or diminished, the entire community is the victim, and we all should share in the response."
Wright acknowledged that while free speech is a right, it "is not a right exclusively maintained for the use of the mean and the foolish." He added that "it is the worst form of arrogance for anyone to insist that they will continue to offend on the basis of a 'right' to do so.
In a Nov. 28 BlitzMail message, Wright informed the Dartmouth community about an incident where non-Dartmouth individuals in a vehicle taunted a student driving around campus. Nelson, two days later, issued an update to all students that four Vermont high school students admitted to committing the drive-by threat, and that he would contact the school's principal.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, Wright acknowledged that he rarely sends BlitzMail messages to the entire campus beyond his regular updates each term, but that based on his meeting with upset Native American students, he believed that the overall situation warranted communication to the student body.
"I think the letter sent out wasn't common and shouldn't be common," Wright said, assuring that such letters will not become regular. "It was a response to a situation that had been festering some time ... I don't think you should necessary look to have your e-mail boxes filled with messages from me, but if there is an opportunity to try to share some concerns and ideas with each other, I certainly will do so in the future."
EVENTS COME DURING DEAN VACANCIES
The series of events arose during a term when key diversity-related dean positions were left vacant, due to the departures of OPAL dean Tommy Lee Woon and of Ozzie Harris, special assistant to the president for institutional diversity and equity.
Wright maintained that Fall term's tensions can't be blamed on the vacancies, but acknowledged that it is difficult to know what would have happened had Woon and Harris been on campus.
"I would not want to understate the role that the deans or OPAL had, nor understate the role that Tommy Lee Woon played in the past whenever there were issues like this on campus," Wright said. "We miss colleagues like that but this didn't happen because of the absence of one or two people."
Likewise, while Wright acknowledged that Student Body President Tim Andreadis '07, whose campaign platform centered on minority rights and sexual abuse issues, played a "positive role in confronting these issues," he believes that the reaction to the incidents was more deeply rooted in the campus culture and sentiments of the student body.
"It's a mistake to look to any one or two people," Wright said. "I don't think that Dartmouth students aren't capable of addressing what needs to be addressed unless they have a single person telling them what to do."
REVIEW COVER PUBLISHED
Campus tensions escalated further after The Dartmouth Review published an issue whose cover and editorial content were widely viewed as offensive toward Native Americans. Amidst disapproval of the cover, which depicted a Native American warrior holding a scalp with the caption "The Natives are Getting Restless," a group of students organized a "Rally Against Hatred," a widely-attended demonstration on the last day of classes.
The commotion over The Review's issue increased the scope of the tensions. Even before print copies of the edition circulated, waves of angry e-mails regarding the cover image filled students' inboxes. The issue both enraged the vocal group of minority activists and angered students who had previously been indifferent about the term's racial tensions. The attendance of several hundred Dartmouth community members at the rally reflected the fervor that characterized the close of Fall term. While the rally was student-organized, several professors and administrators, including Wright and Nelson, gave speeches.
Editors of The Review failed to anticipate the outcry that would follow the controversial, as Editor-in-Chief Dan Linsalata '07 explained in his Dec. 2 letter responding to the rally and general commotion about the Nov. 28 issue. Linsalata defended his editorial content but expressed regret about the "feelings of offense within Dartmouth" that the cover may have caused.
While many who disapproved of the cover saw it as an attack on Native American students as a group, Linsalata maintained that The Review's "criticisms are leveled entirely at the actions of the NAD organization, particularly its leadership, and not Native American students at large."
He continued that the image "was intended to be a hyperbolic, tongue-in-cheek commentary upon the reactions to events this term by the self-styled leadership of Dartmouth's Native American community." The extent of the reaction, however, was "wholly unanticipated."
But a few days later, two other editors of The Review, Nicholas Desai '08 and Emily Ghods-Esfahani '09, issued an outright apology for the cover, stating that it "distracted from the serious journalism The Dartmouth Review has been publishing, not least in the articles that came after the cover."
Their letter also revealed that there had been reservations among the newspaper's staff as to the appropriateness of the cover image.
CONTROVERSIES SPOTLIGHTED
The overall situation made headlines, as national media outlets reported on the turbulent racial climate that marked the term. Articles frequently portrayed Dartmouth in the context of its founding, as an institution dedicated to educating Native Americans.
Much debate also surrounded Athletic Director Josie Harper's apology for scheduling a Dec. 29 men's hockey tournament against the University of North Dakota "Fighting Sioux," as she believed it would cause "pain" among many Native American students. Private letters and telephone communications between Wright, UND president Charles Kupchella, and North Dakota governor John Hoeven '79 also garnered media attention.
Wright said the articles that negatively portray the College and question whether Dartmouth adheres to its founding mission overlook how hard administrators work to provide a sense of community for all students.
"I think that it's unfortunate that the national media runs these stories but these things did happen and it's fair for the national media to cover them."
