To the Editor:
As a proud alumna, I was thrilled to be back at Dartmouth this past weekend for my 11th consecutive Homecoming Bonfire. When I picked up The Dartmouth's Homecoming Edition, though, I was very disappointed by the Editorial Board's criticism of President Jim Yong Kim's choice of topic at the most recent Faculty Meeting ("Teachable Moment," Oct. 29). When I was a student, many of us who would have given an eye to have the College president make a speech to the entire faculty on the subjects of sexual assault or binge drinking. President Kim's oratorical style aside, sexual assault and binge drinking are incredibly pertinent issues to the Dartmouth community, and that is exactly what faculty members aremembers of the Dartmouth community. In fact, they are often the longest lasting group of individuals at a college or institution. They're there longer than students, than most student life professionals, even than many presidents. And current students may not realize that up until recently, faculty members at most colleges and universities also served the functions of deans, community directors and other student life professionals.
My guess is that in the face of budget cuts, which have consolidated many student life departments, more and more faculty members are filling mentoring roles as the inspiring adults with whom students have the most contact. And unless things have changed drastically in the past few years, last time I checked, faculty members also participate in the Committee on Standards which adjudicates sexual assault claims at Dartmouth. Additionally, I'm quite certain several faculty members have observed first-hand the fundamental impact that these issues have on their students, whether negatively impacting their ability to learn in the classroom or inspiring them to pursue a particular path of intellectual inquiry. A liberal arts education is designed to enable students to think critically and creatively about whatever the pressing issues are facing them as leaders in their communities when they leave Dartmouth. And it's the faculty who shapes and provides that liberal arts education. My guess is few of them would agree that these issues are not worth addressing. And none of them would want you to check your life experiences at the classroom door.
Lavinia M. Weizel 04
