Students in Women's and Gender Studies 80, "Feminist Theory and Methodology," posted a petition online over the weekend conveying their frustration with what they perceive to be the College's anti-feminist culture. The petition advocates for a culture and community at Dartmouth that promotes "integrity, responsibility and consideration." The petition also argues that the College has resisted the need for a cohesive community and does not uphold the "Principle of Community," which discourages sexism, racism, homophobia, prejudice and violence. Students at the College "rape, are raped and are taught to accept that sexual violence is a facet of our campus," according to the petition. To create a greater sense of community at the College, the petition suggests that the administration institute a required sex and sexuality seminar for all first-year students, renovate all social spaces to make them safer environments and enforce zero-tolerance violence policies. As of press time, approximately 560 people had signed the petition. Members of the class will present their proposals to senior administrators on Monday.
Yale University announced on Thursday that renowned psychologist and current Yale Provost Peter Salovey will replace Richard Levin as the university's president, The New York Times reported. A former graduate student at Yale, Salovey has a long history of working at the university, having held positions including psychology professor, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and dean of Yale College. Levin said that Salovey will need to address the growth of online education and revive postponed projects. Salovey said he plans to manage these issues by reaching out to the community and making the university's educational opportunities more accessible, The Times reported.
In an opinion piece for PBS, English and women's and gender studies professor and The Op-Ed Project co-founder Colleen Boggs suggested that the United States should further invest in foreign language education. Boggs argues that such an effort would aid United States diplomatic efforts and help transform Americans into global citizens. Boggs said that language can improve direct communication with local politicians and populations and referenced the success of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens' work in Libya.
