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Last night's fireside chat mainly focused on multiculturalism at Dartmouth and the D-Plan -- two issues that many students and administrators felt had been ignored by the steering committee recommendations.
The event, which was attended by College Provost Susan Prager and Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia along with approximately 25 students and administrators, saw Dartmouth community members criticize the lack of continuity at the College and the need for greater interaction among diverse students on campus.
Multiculturalism and gender
Members of the Dartmouth community criticized the lack of interaction at the College among students of different races, color, gender and sexual orientation.
"I feel that if people want to come to an Ivy League school and not learn about people different from them, then this is a perfect place to come," one student said.
Students expressed disappointment at the lack of a multicultural center at Dartmouth and felt the steering committee report had not sufficiently dealt with the World Cultures Initiative.
One student cited the multicultural center at Williams College as "physically representing that more people care."
Referring to Dartmouth as "backward," some students criticized the College's obsession with traditions.
"The main question of the CSLI is whether we are willing to change the fundamental basis of Dartmouth," one student said.
Students also argued for greater institutional support for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual community including a full-time staff and the need for greater interaction among students of diverse communities.
"There are so many people in this campus that feel like outsiders," one student remarked.
D-Plan
The D-Plan and the lack of continuity at Dartmouth also dominated yesterday's fireside chat.
Some students said the D-Plan made it difficult to form meaningful and lasting relationships with friends and faculty members.
"I think the D-Plan is horrible," one student said, adding that the steering committee report largely ignored the topic.
While students said they appreciated being able to participate in Dartmouth's off-campus programs and being able to find internships during the year because of the D-Plan, others said the plan makes the working of student organizations extremely difficult.
"In solving the D-Plan, you need to eliminate the reasons why it was created in the first place -- the housing crunch," one student said.
The Dartmouth community members stressed the need for guaranteed housing and student-choice in deciding which terms they want to remain on-campus and which room they can live in.
One student also mentioned how some people are also feeling threatened by the College's decisions to buy many off-campus houses and strongly encouraging people to live on-campus without giving them a valid reason.
Students and administrators also discussed the need for greater faculty involvement in the Student Life Initiative, with many arguing for social events with an academic dimension.
