Letters to the EditorWrong Decision To the Editor: I have been accepted into Dartmouth with Early Decision. My sister, a sophomore at Northwestern University, rushed as a freshman and after she told me about her experiences, I knew that I wanted to rush. I chose Dartmouth partly because of the strong academics but partly because of its strong Greek system. Everyone I asked—my interviewer, my student tour guide, and various admissions officers—assured me that Dartmouth's Greek system would remain in the same state; otherwise I would not have applied early. Now that I have read some recent articles, I've become alarmed. I was already upset because I could not rush until sophomore year, and now I'm worried that I will not be able to join a sorority at all. I don't understand the administration's viewpoint. I'm an Asian female, and if I thought that all frats and sororities were racist and sexist, then I certainly wouldn't want to rush. But they're not, and I do. I just hope that I'll have the chance. Sincerely,
To the Editor: The latest editorial in the Review ('Never Trust Anyone Under 30,' TDR, 1/24/00) is an absolutely superb voicing of the problems inherent in the Student Life Initiative. You did an excellent job cutting through all of the inimical attempts of the administration to justify their paternalistic role by vague references to utopian notions of a perfect Dartmouth society. In reality they are merely attempting to create a frighteningly structured college that is not only contrary to the principles of freedom but would also have devastating effects on the formation of the individuals who attend this great institution. One can only hope that the Trustees read this editorial with an open mind and realize what they are actually doing. Unfortunately, that is unlikely to ever happen, but at least the Review is there to offer them a beacon of reason should they ever choose to see it. Thank you for sticking up for my rights and those of my fellow students. Sincerely,
To the Editor: I have seen the system of college 'fines' on undergraduates develop out of control during three sons' undergraduate experiences, including one son's experience at Dartmouth College ('Dartmouth's Extortion Racket,' TDR, 11/5/99). I have received threats of suspension for my sons if such fines, even those objected to, were not paid. To that extent, the system would be a species of extortion, especially if the fines are unlawful. If the undergraduate relationship to the College is governed by contract, it is doubtful such fines lawfully can be exacted. If New Hampshire's common law of contract is typical, a fine or penalty cannot be agreed to in contract and, to the extent the contract contains such a promise, it is voidable or void. Only 'damages' can be collected from a breach of contract, and these must be proven to have been caused by the breach. Conceivably, so-called 'liquidated damages' might be set up in advance (these can be agreed to, but only if the actual damages are very hard to calculate and the 'liquidated' amount bears a reasonable relationship to actual damages) but it is doubtful they could be sustained at the amounts mentioned in the article. The common law thus prevents the establishment of private systems of criminal punishment via the law of contract. Unless New Hampshire has enacted some form of so-called 'public-private' statute (which purports to permit private fines for proscribed activity, as in running a stop sign in a private shopping-mall parking lot), a simple contract case can be made out to establish a class to recover the fines back to the time the New Hampshire statute of limitations permits. The monetary aggregate the article mentions, and the aggregate amounts of other fines (not just parking and library) ought to be of considerable interest to a lawyer who specializes in, and is prepared to finance, a class-action lawsuit. Sincerely,
To the Editor: This letter concerns Jeffrey Hart's article on fraternities ('On the Fraternity Question,' TDR, 10/12/99). I was Class of 1938 and a Phi Delta Theta. There is one aspect Dr. Hart does not mention—in fact, it may not seem important, but it should at least be mentioned. If one joins a national fraternity, one can make friends in all parts of the land. I grew up in New England. In 1950 my company sent me to Texas, where I knew hardly anyone; I settled in San Antonio. One day I noted in the paper a notice that the local Phi Delta Theta fraternity was having their monthly lunch and all 'brothers' were invited. Through this group I made a number of good friends. Later, one of these friends and myself were able to have a couple of mutually advantageous business arrangements. But I wish to stress that the main advantage was to make friends. The first example of this came years before, when a sister-in-law came from Ohio to Boston. Through her sorority group she made several lasting friendships. Sincerely,
To the Editor: Regarding your review of the Worcester Hardcore and Metal Fest ('Death and Loathing at the Worcester Palladium,' TDR Online, www.dartreview.com), I am sick and tired of mindless lugnuts in the media playing straightedge up to be this nasty little gang of thugs. Of course some sXe'rs (sXe'rs=straightedgers) can be boneheads, just like anyone else. Does the media attack drunk people for being belligerent at shows? No, yet most of the violence I've ever seen at shows has almost exclusively involved intoxicated people. I have never once in my life seen or heard of a sXe'r beating someone up for drinking a beer or smoking a cigarette; this is anti-sXe propaganda, just like you're little tidbit on how sXe'rs don't have sex. OF COURSE WE HAVE SEX; how else would sXe'rs reproduce? Yes, some sXe'rs have adopted a 'no promiscuous sex' stance, but that's just it—some. The only thing sXe stands for is not drinking or smoking or doing drugs. There are other things associated with the culture, such as being vegetarian or vegan, and/or not sleeping around, but these are not the rules, nor do most sXe'rs adhere to all the things that can be associated with the straightedge movement. It's just another tool people use to downplay the whole ideology, 'Oh, they don't have sex! They're crazy! I like having sex, I'm not going to be straightedge.' I don't understand how or why the media chooses to slander such a positive idea. You can't tell me the world wouldn't be a better place if nobody smoked, drank, or did drugs, so why does the media choose to slam this idea when people choose not to? Is it guilt? What? And believe it or not there are sXe metalheads (case in point: me) so you can't pigeonhole people quite as easily as you make it seem from your oh-so-thought-provoking review of the metalfest. Sincerely,
To the Editor: Reader Robert Nordlander (Letters to the Editor, TDR, 10/12/99), in company with various cynical pundits and others, disparages the recent actions of the Kansas Board of Education on the teaching of evolution. (They recommend that it be taught as a theory and not as a proven fact.) He then extends his pique to the presidential candidates as a group, and more specifically to Texas governor George Bush for saying that children should be 'exposed to different theories about how the world started.' If Mr. Nordlander were better informed he would avoid the implication that anyone skeptical of the Darwinian theory of macroevolution must then buy the notion of the age of the Earth and its inhabitants at no more than 6,000 years (or in a 'flat Earth'). He would also understand that the staggering complexity of all life forms cannot be explained—much less objectively demonstrated—by undirected association of atoms in a random fashion, but rather demands the hand of a Master Designer; that a single DNA could not have been assembled by chance if the Universe were many times its accepted age of 15 billion or so years. Sincerely,
To the Editor: I am summarizing below several articles published in the press that provide an insight into the mindset and the political leaning of Governor George W. Bush. Albert Hunt reports in the Wall Street Journal of 4/1/99 that Governor Bush is opposed to affirmative action and supports 'affirmative access.' I am looking for a dictionary authored by William Jefferson Clinton for a definition of these terms. Micah Morrison writes in the Wall Street Journal of 9/28/99 that in 1990 Mr. George W. Bush realized substantial profit from a deal between Harken Oil Company, in which he was a director, and the government of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. According to Morrison, the deal may have been realized through political influence. Could this be the Texas version of Whitewater? Jim Yardley describes in the New York Times of 9/27/99 how Mr. George W. Bush obtained through political intervention a position as a pilot in the Air National Guard avoiding the draft in the Vietnam War. At least Mr. William Jefferson Clinton accomplished a similar fit through his own devices. Governor Bush denies any knowledge of political intervention on his behalf, just as President Clinton denied knowledge of improprieties in his administration. Frank Bruni reports in the New York Times of 10/6/99 that Governor Bush accused the GOP of stressing the economy over social problems and balancing the budget on the backs of the poor, as the Democrat politicians have been telling us all along. Governor Bush has thus borrowed the strategy of triangulation from President Clinton to distance himself from his party. Senator McCain has now joined him in these attacks on the Republican Party. All of the above lead me to the conclusion that Governor Bush is eminently qualified as a presidential candidate for the Democrat Party with Senator McCain as his running mate. The GOP establishment may have to shift its support to another candidate who does not have a questionable past, who pioneered comprehensive proposals for a downsized government and prosperity for all. That brings us to Steve Forbes, a man of exceptional intellect and personal integrity who has not attempted to deceive us with platitudes. Sincerely, |
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