"Our first event qualifies for course credit at Dartmouth College: trick pouring," Duffman announced at the Duff Beer bartending competition on "The Simpsons." Perpetuating the College's stereotype for being soaked in hops and malt, this reference offers another reminder of Dartmouth's reputation among Ivy rivals.
From the legacy of "Animal House," the 1978 cult classic that Dartmouth's frat house shenanigans inspired, to the national attention afforded The Dartmouth Review in the 1980s, relics of the Big Green's past endure as myths that paint a skewed picture of the College today. Simply put, Dartmouth has an image problem.
"In the great pantheon of Ivy stereotypes, Dartmouth kids often get the worst of it .... It's the one Ivy school, to be honest, that we've ever heard friends say they would never, ever consider attending," IvyGate blog blasphemously spouted in January 2007.
Without doubt, Dartmouth enjoys a reputation for providing an unsurpassed undergraduate education. And this will always lure hordes of student body presidents and decorated "mathletes" to Hanover.
However, myths about the College all too often overshadow its greatest selling points -- the academics, its "Camp Dartmouth" atmosphere and Pavilion cookies.
As prospective members of the Class of 2011 (oy) weigh their collegiate fate this month, they are looking for more than just an excellent school. They seek a fitting home for the next four years. Just as it did for many current students, the "conservative party school" reputation continues to give prospies pause about the Big Green, leaving the beloved College a misunderstood and underrated gem in the Ancient Eight.
Hands down, one of the most common questions I receive as an admissions office tour guide prods, "How much is Dartmouth really like 'Animal House'?"
After the May 2006 investigation of Alpha Delta fraternity, headlines reading "Police Raid Dartmouth's 'Animal House'" were plastered (no pun intended) across network television, national radio and newspapers, rekindling the College's association with the stereotype.
But there is a gaping divide between the College's reputation and reality. To be fair, Dartmouth is not the only victim of being falsely caricatured. Contrary to popular belief, not all Cornell students are miserable (only most).
Though Webster Avenue still dominates Hanover social life, the 1960s Greek life at the boys-only College depicted in the comedic masterpiece is a far cry from the fraternities and sororities of today. While the GPAs of Otter and Pinto matched their BACs, the Office of Residential Life reported last February that Greek-affiliated students averaged higher GPAs than unaffiliated students.
"If the College continues to focus on presenting what Dartmouth is today, and what it can be for future classes, I think we will continue to move away from some of the less favorable images the College has held in the past," S. Caroline Kerr '05, assistant director of admissions, explained to me to an interview.
Most students rightly consider the Greek system an asset to the College. Dartmouth knows how to have fun (take that, Bob Jones University). However, when the ghost of Flounder deters prospies, there is a problem.
And beyond the booze, the Big Green has been portrayed as an island of conservatism amid the liberal Ivies. With The Dartmouth Review, the campus' conservative minority makes its voice disproportionately loud. The controversial publication gave birth to two prominent right-wing ideologues, Dinesh D'Souza '83 and Laura Ingraham '85, helping to create the conservative aura around the College.
This persistent myth led IvyGate in January to brand the College as "more conservative than Princeton." The online encyclopedia About.com labels Dartmouth as the "most conservative" Ivy.
Despite the myth, filled with middle-class kids from New York and Boston, Dartmouth remains a solid "blue state."
Sure, Dartmouth may not be just as liberal as some of the other Ivies, but that does not say much. At Brown, students sport the same hairstyles as H-Croo -- except they dress that way all year round.
The Federal Election Committee reported in October 2004 that 45 Dartmouth faculty members donated to the Kerry campaign while only one shelled out cash for Bush. How can anyone call this conservative?
Why should Dartmouth's image even matter to students? Call it school spirit. Call it protecting the College's name. But when Dartmouth shakes the remnants of the "conservative party school" image, the College will be better off.
