News
Two students wrote a letter to the editor of The Dartmouth this spring complaining about the newspaper's use of the phrase "white, Greek and politically moderate" to describe the majority of the student body.
The letter voiced the concerns of the growing number of students on campus who do not fit into those categories and are contributing to Dartmouth's changing image.
"If there is a preponderant image of Dartmouth, then it is a positive one," College spokesman Roland Adams said.
Dartmouth's image has been transformed from an all-male, mostly white institution to a coeducational institution that is balanced ethnically, Adams said.
Incoming students derive their images of Dartmouth from many different sources, one of which is the news media, Adams said.
But much of the media attention focused on the College over the years has been negative.
The worst and most damaging perceptions of the College have been detailed in "Rolling Stone" magazine, explored by television shows like "20/20" and discussed in "Time" magazine.
"There are different images of Dartmouth that are presented through the news media," Adams said.
The news portrays Dartmouth either as an intellectual institution or a party school, but can also show neutral images of the College, he said.
"I would hope that the kind of student selected for Dartmouth ... is intelligent enough to make" his or her own decision of Dartmouth, not one based on the news media, Adams added.
But gave at least one example of where the media has recently presented a very positive image of the College.
A New York Times article focused on the role of Dartmouth and Stanford University in setting exemplary grading standards that other institutions are attempting to implement.
"This is an elite academic institution," Adams said.
