I'm disappointed in The Dartmouth Editorial Board for embracing the upcoming unopposed elections of AoA executive committee members. While mudslinging and polarization may be byproducts of democracy, they cannot eclipse the value of healthy, democratic debate. The absence of petition candidates from this year's AoA elections, while causing less controversy, will only limit the ideas and opinions available to the Association.
--Kevin Niparko '12
I think it is perfectly fine that the AoA's current leadership will run unopposed. Why does the College need to be a politicized battleground, where we squabble and hector each other over every little issue and task that needs to get done? Since everything else in the United States is relatively democratic, can't Dartmouth just be an enclave of enlightened oligarchy (like most other schools)? The College should be an apolitical little bubble in the middle of nowhere that gives students the means to follow their own ideals and have a positive impact.
--Sam Buntz '11
The Editorial Board greets the lack of opposition with welcoming arms because it believes that calmer days will follow this "race." I reject the implicit value assumption in that argument. I do not think that debate -- even heated -- is a regretful byproduct of democracy, but rather the heart of it. The free exchange of ideas must lie in the center of every democratic system, or it is not really a democratic system at all.
--Peter Blair '12
If the unopposed candidacy means that the AoA will work in concert, then so be it -- the College could use the organization's help to get through the difficult financial situation and the upcoming leadership transition. However, I am concerned that bickering within the AoA will continue after the election.
--Tina Praprotnik '09
Alumni democracy died when the trustees -- upset that petition trustee candidates consistently trounced their favored nominees -- decided to pack the board with unelected members of their own choosing, thereby insulating themselves from pesky things like election outcomes. That the AoA leadership would run unopposed was a predictable outcome -- when you take away the meaning of democratic outcomes, you take away the value of participating.
--Nathan Bruschi '10
In the long term, I doubt that one year of unopposed elections will greatly affect the college or its implementation of "democracy." However, it saddens me to think that in some of Dartmouth's darkest hours, no one wants to step up and try to make a difference. During the presidential campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama said, "If you're going to be president, do it when it counts." Dartmouth alums should take this mantra to heart.
--Brian Solomon '11
In these challenging times, a quiet Association election may be just what the doctor ordered. There is a difference between competition being forbidden and competition simply not existing, so while it would be an unacceptable compromise of our values to forbid competition in favor of stability, a naturally occurring lack of competition at this juncture should be no cause for concern.
--Emily Johnson '12
The absence of petition candidates in this year's AoA elections just goes to show that the totalitarian regime that governs alumni politics at Dartmouth has sadly, finally succeeded in squashing any and all legitimate dissent.
--Christian Kiely '09
Perhaps the lack of opposition in this year's election for leadership of the Association of Alumni is a direct reflection of the highly democratic processes that occurred over the past couple of years. The lawsuit itself and the process of fighting the lawsuit were democratic actions. In recognition of the natural ebb and flow of politics, the opposition may merely be biding its time until another important issue arises.
--Blair Sullivan '10
