Abolishing Greek life was the most popular submission received online by the "Moving Dartmouth Forward" presidential steering committee, receiving more than 250 suggestions. Alumni comprised the vast majority of all respondents.
The committee, charged with giving the Board of Trustees recommendations on ending high-risk behavior, released a preliminary report summarizing the feedback collected online on Wednesday.
Other popular proposals included adding more alternative social spaces, harsher punishments for drinking, a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault and more stringent oversight and punishment for Greek houses.
The 1,673 individual online suggestions came from 1,600 individuals, including alumni, students, parents and faculty members.
Alumni, who submitted about 1,250 suggestions, comprised the vast majority of respondents, with about 1250 responses. Parents were the next biggest contributor to feedback, with more than 100 responses.
In contrast, students submitted about 50 recommendations. Earlier this summer,committee members sought student feedbackin academic classes, during lunch outside the Collis Center for Student Involvement and by reaching out to student organizations. This report solely counts the suggestions submitted online.
Many suggestions received — nearly 600 — pertained to the Greek system. Suggestions about drinking and sexual assault amassed more than 300 suggestions each. Proposals regarding inclusivity reaped just over 200 responses.
The overview reports that more 450 respondents view the Greek system as a problem, compared to about 100 respondents who thought the opposite. Just under 300 respondents thought drinking is a problem, and roughly the same amount said sexual assault is a problem.
Most suggestions regarding the Greek system, more than 250, pushed for total abolishment.Fewer than 100 respondents in this area advocated for preserving the Greek system. About 60 people suggested that houses go co-ed.
The data summarized Wednesday does not reflect suggestions the committee has amassed through other initiatives such as meetings with different campus groups and conference calls. Feedback has come from 1,650 emails, 53 alumni meetings and conference calls and 35 meetings with student groups.
The committee released an open letter to the Dartmouth community on July 29 announcing the conclusion of their feedback-gathering phase and summarizing the scope of their efforts so far. The committee will spend the rest of the summer meeting with national experts on high-risk behavior, the letter said.
In October the committee will present recommendations to CollegePresident Phil Hanlon and his leadership team. In November, Hanlon is set to present recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
The article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction appended (8/11/14):
The majority of those who submitted online recommendations did not advocate for the abolition of Greek life. Instead, the suggestion was the most popular one received.
