As I spent my summer in Northampton, Mass.,
a city renowned for its feminist movement
and hippie culture, I came to understand the
magnitude of sexism Dartmouth. "It's all about
peace and love," the locals said, and there was
no talk of "...that's what she said!"
At Dartmouth, few escape the social and cultural
domination of males. Most freshmen depend
on frat brothers to satisfy their social needs, and
the male-directed distribution of alcohol leads to
a skewed power hierarchy. In a frat basement,
women are often looked at as prey, and pong
becomes a mating ritual in which guys are fully
in control. Women continue to complain about being
disrespected by guys or used in unacceptable
ways. I find it difficult to pin down what causes our
social dynamics, but I do believe that our history
as the second-to-last Ivy to accept women plays
an integral part. Its legacy remains.
In contrast to Dartmouth, I'd say that women
rule Northampton. Smith College is a women's
college, and the majority of its faculty, including
the president, is female. The radical aspects of
feminism in Northampton may stem from the
fact that a surprisingly large chunk of the college's
student body, as well as faculty, is homosexual.
There is simply no space for male dominance. In
the past, students have gone as far as trying to
oust all male professors.
I can't say that I prefer Smith's extreme female
dominance over Dartmouth's male dominance,
but it still strikes me that the gender dynamics
of these colleges vary so greatly. While it's
quite logical that women are in charge at Smith,
since they comprise 100 percent of the student
body, it is illogical to me how much power men
at Dartmouth have over women, despite their
equality in numbers.
Although sexism at Dartmouth garnered
more attention last year, the problem remains
unresolved. Some of the suggestions centered
around alternative social spaces. Although I
support the idea of neutral hang-out spots, I
believe the issue has much deeper roots. It's not
about availability -- it's about attitudes. If we're
ever going to find a middle ground between the
male dominance at Dartmouth and the radical
feminism at Smith, we need to integrate the two
sexes in discussions of how we perceive each
other, and, more importantly, how we wish to
be perceived. Through dialogue, guys will learn
that many women like playing pong -- without
the intention of getting laid after the game.
Sexist attitudes change as we learn to question
our own values, and knowledge is the only weapon
against intolerance, ignorance and disrespect. If
Dartmouth is to change, we need to teach our
students some basic manners about living in a
co-ed world. This form of education already exists,
but it is limited to a small number of students. It's
called Women's and Gender Studies.
I believe Women's and Gender Studies is one
of the most important and eye-opening programs
at Dartmouth. My respect for male students in
WGST classes is immeasurable, and they are,
by far, some of the most intelligent males I've
encountered at Dartmouth. They have what many
other guys seem to lack -- that is, a basic understanding
of the complex relationships between
genders, as well as the construction of genders.
Although most of these students come to class
with an already-strong interest in gender and
equality, I am certain that WGST courses would
benefit less aware students just as much, if not
more. I can't think of anything more fundamental
than learning how to coexist in a Dartmouth world
without offending, hurting and disrespecting each
other. Only by recognizing that the gender gaps
found at Dartmouth are constructs that can be
broken are we able to overcome sexist attitudes
caused by internalized stereotypes.
Because of the current campus climate and
the small size of the WGST program, it is highly
unlikely that all students will sign up for a WGST
class sometime during their Dartmouth career.
This sad truth leads me to believe that the College
ought to play a larger role in educating its student
body socially, and not merely academically. If we
are forced to go through alcohol education upon
arriving at Dartmouth, why not go through some
common-sense education on good manners,
including respect for the opposite sex?
I fret for my freshman sisters when I see
them walk around campus just like I did merely
a year ago. I hope they know better than many
women before them, and that future generations
of daughters of Dartmouth don't have to learn
their lessons the hard way. In fact, I hope they
don't have to learn them at all.
