At a college where the size of an office's budget is the best indicator of how important the administration considers it, I am disappointed, but not surprised, by the recent call by members of the student body to start budget cuts with the Office of Pluralism and Leadership.
OPAL is an organization that has consistently battled criticism since its inception. For years, its opponents have dismissed it as unnecessary, citing OPAL as an example of administrative waste. As students rush to give input before budget decisions are made, this anti-OPAL argument is arousing notice, particularly in light of the Student Assembly survey results. After reviewing the results, the Assembly recommended that OPAL "be scaled back" and "restructured," concluding that it affects only a small subset of the community. This recommendation, however, stems from a misunderstanding of OPAL's purpose.
OPAL's structure provides every traditionally underrepresented group at Dartmouth with an advisor who oversees that community's activities and needs. These faculty members serve as advisors for student groups, as counselors to students and as dedicated advocates to the administration. OPAL's mission is to produce global citizens and to "universalize diversity and leadership development" -- core values that embody the direction in which Dartmouth is headed.
Those who recommend scaling back OPAL "until it more effectively reaches out to campus as a whole" not only fail to recognize the far-reaching scope of its programming but also fail to consider why OPAL's principle function is to serve those specific communities it was created to represent. In the not- so-distant past, if students were targeted because of their race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, they turned to those communities, relying on them for support. It was left to individuals to cry "injustice," and the burden was placed on them to inform fellow students and administrators of the offensive nature of certain occurrences. Though their efforts reaped little success, these students persevered, even in the face of op-eds in The Dartmouth or disparaging articles in the The Dartmouth Review. The new Bias Incident Protocol, designed by OPAL in collaboration with the Office of Student Life, has created a campus-wide reporting system for such incidents. It gives victims of racism, sexism and bigotry a process to follow. Now, incidents such as racist or homophobic name-calling and sexual harassment -- previously dismissed by individuals as futile battles -- are reported to people who can help, thereby relieving the pressure unduly placed on victims and the communities that support them. Most importantly, these protocols allow students to be students rather than community crusaders.
I will be the first to admit that OPAL does not advertise its values and objectives as well as it could. However, it is foolish to think that all students do not feel its presence each day. Among OPAL's most well-known programs are the Diversity Peer and Leadership Program, the Leadership Development Program and Crossing the Line. What many do not realize is that OPAL also sponsors and supports every group on campus that confronts issues regarding cultural heritage, race, ethnicity, equity, socio-economic class, women, gender relations, sexual orientation and cross-community interaction. These organizations represent our dynamic student body and bring a vibrancy and multiculturalism that is difficult to find in New England.
In the Student Assembly survey, students placed a high priority on traditions such as the Homecoming bonfire and Winter Carnival. But what about other traditions? What about the lights on the Green during Diwali? Or Pow-Wow in the spring? What about the Afro-American Society's Variety Show? Or Consent Day during Sophomore Summer? Our predecessors may not recall these traditions, but they are traditions of our Dartmouth, none of which would be possible without OPAL's support.
OPAL is young; it has not had time to become truly institutionalized or deeply rooted in Dartmouth tradition. However, it is an integral part of who we are and where we, as a College, are going. Disproportionate cuts to OPAL's funding that decrease its effectiveness would have an overwhelmingly negative impact on the Dartmouth community and would undermine the tremendous strides we have made towards an inclusive and diverse campus. After all, to use President Wright's phrase, how can we remain "Forever New" if we only concern ourselves with the old?
