To the Editor:
Contrary to some letters to the editor that I've read in the last week, Stephen Smith '88's election was not a referendum on the leadership of College President James Wright but a reflection of the bitter partisanship that has seeped its way into recent trustee races.
Certain alumni and students (the Hanover Institute, the Phrygian Secret Society and the trustees who refused participation in the drafting of a new constitution, among others) seem to have an emotional and financial investment in stoking divisiveness and negativity at Dartmouth. With hollow, tired rhetoric, they rail against political correctness, a mythical speech code, "insider" governance and the Student Life Initiative. The president embodies their fear of change, and he illogically and unfairly remains their primary target. The outcomes of trustee elections, new alumni constitutions and even athletic contests are framed as administrative failures and illicit calls for the president's resignation. These have proven to be effective rallying tactics, but they ultimately restrict constructive discourse among students and alumni.
Moderate voices may not be as outspoken in alumni matters, but the future and vibrancy of Dartmouth concerns us all. On its Board of Trustees, and in its larger alumni body, the College needs stewards, not ideologues.
