The Men's Discussion Group, a monthly forum organized to discuss issues of masculinity at Dartmouth, met for the first time on Monday in what organizers hope will become a popular event.
The group, which consisted of about 30 people, was organized by Dr. Mark Reed, director of counseling and human development, and Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson. More than half of the participants were faculty, and about one-third were female.
A similar group created 10 years ago met for two years before gradually "fizzling out," Nelson said, partially due to tension over whether it should study the issues or take action.
In creating this new group, Reed and Nelson hoped to restart this discussion of masculinity in a new and open forum.
"In the past couple years I've been more and more reminded of how important it is for a place like Dartmouth to give focus to issues of masculinity," Nelson said in his introduction.
The first discussion focused on an article by Jason Laker, dean of campus life at St. John's College in Minnesota, entitled "Bad Dogs: Rethinking our Engagement of Male Students." The article asserts that authorities often tell young males who act in hateful or disruptive ways that their behavior is "bad," or that they are "bad dogs," rather than try to understand the root cause of the behavior.
"He will not 'get it' unless we stop using the behavioral modification 'bad dog' approach and instead really focus on listening to and engaging our male students in challenge and support," Laker said in his article.
The group then began an energetic discussion about both the article itself and the larger issues of masculinity and gender in society today. The debate touched on the definition of manliness, whether anyone is truly "good" or "bad" and how to prevent disruptive or dangerous behavior.
One participant, a member of Mentors Against Violence, suggested that the new mandatory sexual assault awareness programming organized by groups including the Inter-Fraternity Council is an example of breaking away from the "bad dog" approach. Because this programming comes partially from within the fraternities, participants are less likely to feel it is an outside imposition, the student said.
Other students spoke passionately about their experiences on campus and their personal interpretations of the article.
Reed viewed the discussion as a success.
"It seemed like the conversation could have gone on for a very long time," he said.
