Divided Dartmouth

When protestors at Dartmouth loudly disrupted an event for admitted students almost two weeks ago, they probably believed that they could draw attention to and begin to resolve recent incidents of homophobia, sexual assault, and racism on Dartmouth’s campus. Instead, their actions seem to have driven Dartmouth’s campus further apart, precipitating anonymous threats against the protestors on the student website, Bored at Baker. Dartmouth’s response—to replace classes with diversity programming for a day—was not effective, either. One day of discussion cannot resolve the problem that sparked the protests and responses to them. To make matters worse, Dartmouth has yet to announce how they will improve campus dialogue on diversity in the long run. Dartmouth should proactively promote campus discourse that stretches beyond just one day, instead of limping along from one reactionary response to the next.

While the tactics of the protestors were inappropriate, the issues they raised are very real. From the racist graffiti found in a dormitory in January to an alleged culture of sexual assault to the rabidly intolerant online responses to the protests, it is abundantly clear that Dartmouth is not always a safe place for every member of its community. A campus marked by division and mutual recrimination is a poor place for students to live and learn.

Dartmouth’s administration correctly realized that they needed to take action, but the decision to cancel classes sends the wrong message. Tolerance and celebration of diversity need to be reinforced and fostered throughout the year, but administrators have been silent on their plans for the future. The Dartmouth, the campus newspaper, has even speculated that the decision to cancel classes was an attempt to manage public relations more than it was a genuine effort to inspire reflection. Messages of togetherness cannot be neatly contained to a single day and then forgotten. If mutual respect cannot exist in the course of normal university operations, then these efforts are pointless. Dartmouth’s faculty, staff, and students need to be able to go about their daily lives and be accepting at the same time.

Students should seek to constructively engage with administrators and create ongoing programming that encourages an inclusive community. Shouting at admitted students, as the protestors did, fuels an atmosphere of mutual recrimination. It adds another difficulty to the already challenging task of addressing intolerance and hatred. Passionate but respectful student voices can help map out a way forward. The administration’s apparent reticence to create a comprehensive plan to promote diversity in light of these events needs to be met with a resolute effort to change policies, promote diversity, and encourage inclusion.

The recent events at Dartmouth should also inspire reflection at other universities—including Harvard. At this moment, the acrimony and division in Hanover may be far away from Cambridge, but the incidents at Dartmouth should remind Harvard of the value of community, inclusion, and student voice.