Nearly two weeks after members of Theta Delta Chi fraternity allegedly harassed a group of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority members at the back door of the fraternity's physical plant, College administrators are sifting through the details of the event as they discuss possible disciplinary action and issues of education and awareness to effect long-term change.
"At this point we're still in the process of gathering information," Director of Undergraduate Judicial Affairs April Thompson said. "Different members of each organization have been having conversations with Judicial Affairs and others."
Thompson added that the office does not discuss the details of ongoing investigations.
Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson shifted the focus from possible disciplinary action to broader issues raised by the incident.
"First of all, our primary concerns are seldom disciplinary issues," he said. "Our primary concerns are the quality of students' experiences at Dartmouth and having a safe environment that's conducive to getting the most out of Dartmouth. That being said, if it turns out that in connection with whatever happened between these two organizations, there was a violation of College policy, then we'd address those with the normal disciplinary measures."
Nelson also cautioned students against making assumptions about the event without "being informed of all the facts" as he noted that the incident and the questions it has raised are part of "a terribly important issue."
Both he and Thompson pointed to the programs already in place to address gender issues -- such as the Center for Women and Gender and various events and forums held to provoke discussion about male-female interactions -- as they considered how the administration will go about handling the incident and its campus-wide reaction.
"For a long time the College has devoted resources to helping Dartmouth students learn about differences and similarities and communications and interactions between men and women," Nelson said. "But there's always more to be done. I'm particularly interested, personally, in having men who work at the College work with male students to discuss issues of masculinity and gender relations."
Leah Prescott, director of the Sexual Abuse Awareness Program, also advocated a single-sex male forum.
"What I would challenge or encourage students to do is to think about having a space where a large group of men could get together, and not just the usual players who always go to these panels," she said.
Assistant Director of the Women and Gender Center Megan Fallon said she hopes to increase dialogue among student leaders in order to "make some sort of sustainable change."
Fallon also considered the possibility of "creating some sort of [written] standards for the men and women of Dartmouth to abide by," which students would sign during "an event like Consent Day."
"There's also been talk of ways for [Coed, Fraternity and Sorority administration] to hold people accountable," Fallon said. "For example, if something were to happen in the basement of a fraternity -- or a sorority -- where someone felt like they were treated inappropriately, there would be a course of action that CFS would have to take with the house, not just with the individual."
The administrators differed on whether gender relations at Dartmouth are worse than elsewhere and why such a disparity might exist. Prescott and Fallon each contended that Dartmouth, with its short history of coeducation, exacerbates more general societal problems.
"I think Dartmouth has an intensity that's a little different from other institutions and has a history of having this double standard with women," Fallon said. "I do think it's a problem on Dartmouth's campus and it doesn't matter if Dartmouth is not unique, Dartmouth should set a better standard. We're an Ivy League institution. Just because other campuses may not be equal doesn't mean we can't be."
Nelson maintained that Dartmouth is only one of many colleges and communities struggling with gender issues, although he acknowledged that Dartmouth's history as a primarily male institution, until the advent of coeducation in 1972, may play a role in male-female interactions today.
"I think every college and university in the country has its own specific history and I think the dynamics of gender relations are different," he said. "Certainly there's kind of a difference in history and that can play out in the contemporary life of a community ... [but] issues of how men and women interact with one another, understand one another, respect one another -- those are larger community, social issues that are not specific to any particular institution."
"I'm really reluctant to make broad pronouncements about whether gender relations are good or bad at Dartmouth because we're a community comprised of 4,400 undergraduates," Nelson continued. "There are lots of things that take place between men and women at Dartmouth that are really wonderful and there are certainly ways we can do better."
