Candidates in the upcoming trustee election have used the word "independent" to describe the manner in which they will serve on the Board of Trustees. However, there is a distinct difference between saying one is independent and actually demonstrating that independence.
Petition trustee candidate Stephen Smith '88 told The Dartmouth in January, "I'm running to be an independent. ... I'm running to be Stephen Smith and be my own man." In his candidate statement on the Vox the Vote website, Smith pledges to serve as "your independent trustee."
The only other candidate who has sunk major resources into the campaign or says he plans to is Sandy Alderson '69, who was forthcoming about where he plans to get his mailing list -- from pro-constitution group Dartmouth Alumni for Common Sense, an admittedly biased organization -- and how he plans to fundraise. When asked about his approach to fundraising and his access to coveted alumni mailing lists, Smith has been evasive. How is Smith getting his campaign funds?
Voting in this election starts at the beginning of next month. This community deserves to know the source of funding for each candidate so that all voters can make an informed assessment of his independence. How did Smith have the capability to send an alumni-wide mailing? Smith told The Dartmouth that he alone is responsible for his mailing. Did he somehow generate a list of all alumni?
Being reliant on resources of others does not disqualify a candidate from being independent. But at the very least, Smith must be forthcoming on these matters.
In response to The Dartmouth's attempts to interview with him -- like it did with each candidate -- for more than a week, Smith sent e-mails to The Dartmouth, one of which attacks the motives of the questions. "It is disturbing how quick some are to assume that a black man who comes forward to offer his vision for the College can't possibly be thinking or speaking for himself," he wrote. These questions are not about the color of his skin.
Voters should not conflate independence with being a petition candidate. A blind willingness to follow the College would be problematic, but independence from the will of the administration does not demonstrate outright independence. Smith's veiled approach makes it seem like he has something to hide.
