Students called for greater transparency regarding acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears' decision not to be considered for permanent deanship in a letter sent to campus on Tuesday morning. The letter's eight writers also appealed for increased diversity in the selection committee that will hire the new dean. Six hundred and two students had signed the electronic letter as of 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday.
Four hundred and five students had signed the letter as of 4 a.m. on Tuesday.
The writers, who wrote that the letter was an "appeal for greater transparency regarding the circumstances surrounding [Spears'] decision to opt out of the applicant pool for permanent deanship," called Spears an "invaluable force" in the College administration and a student advisor "second-to-none."
The letter praised Spears for her approximately three-year tenure at the College, citing her work as the director of the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and the initiatives she spearheaded while acting as dean.
The letter also questioned the composition of the 10-person search committee. The membership of the committee, which is chaired by Dean of the Faculty Michael Mastanduno and consists of administrators, faculty members and students, is "still less than satisfactory," the letter stated. The search committee does not accommodate non-Greek students, students from minority groups or students from "across the sexuality spectrum," according to the letter.
Spears "continually advocated for underrepresented communities" during her time at Dartmouth, while undertaking initiatives such as the restructuring of the administration and the establishment of the First-Year Scholarship Enrichment Program, the letter states.
The circumstances surrounding Spears' refusal to seek the permanent position are "hazy," the letter stated.
Anise Vance '11, Katie Lindsay '11, Justin Varilek '11, Amrita Sankar '12, Aryana Jacobs '11, Angelo Carino '11, Sebastian DeLuca '14 and Antonio Brown '11 were the primary signatories of the letter.
