Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2002/11/27/week_in_review.php
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
Tabard Responds
On Saturday, November 9, a sexual assault occurred during the early morning hours in the basement of the Tabard House on Webster Avenue. The victim, a female student, fought her male assailant, who fled the scene. The assault occurred in the house following the Tabard's 'Global Jam' dance party.
Earlier this week, the College informed undergraduates via e-mail that Hanover Police had connected a Dartmouth student to the assault, although police did not release his name or provide any further details. No charges have been filed and the investigation is still ongoing.
The Tabard took out a full-page advertisement in the Daily Dartmouth to address the issue. Members expressed their sense of 'sadness, anger, and resolve' and said that house members would wear blue armbands as 'a sign of unity in the fight against sexual violence.' For a sexual assault that occurred in the basement of a quasi-Greek house, campus reaction has been surprisingly muted. If the attack had occurred in a fraternity instead of the Greek equivalent of the Women's Resource Center, the outcry would likely have been much more vocal.
Red Light, Green Light
Americans have become used to the color-coding of our daily activities. We have acclimated ourselves to living under a state of yellow 'terror alert,' for example. Now, another color can be added to describe life at Dartmouth—red. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, recently issued color codes for college campuses nationwide to rate their commitment to free speech. Under this system, a 'green rating' means that free speech is nominally protected, 'yellow' means that speech restrictions are possible, and 'red' indicates the suppression of free speech. Dartmouth was ranked red by FIRE for a 'distressingly weak appreciation for the centrality of free, unfettered expression to the very mission of an institution of higher learning.'
Jay Matthews, education columnist for The Washington Post, recently wrote on what he terms 'the perils of campus candor,' detailing various cases nationwide where students have been censured or otherwise reprimanded for expressing their views by zealous administrators. Among the more outrageous suppressions of free speech that FIRE has taken up include a student at Central Michigan University who was forced to remove a flag and eagle from his door for being 'too political and too controversial.' In another example of extreme campus suppression, the speech code of the University of Maryland-College Park outlaws ''jesting' or 'kidding' about sex or gender specific traits' as well as the 'licking of lips or teeth' and 'holding or eating food provocatively.'
The Ivy League fares dismally when it comes to the color rating system of FIRE. Of the Ancient Eight, only Yale earned a 'green' light, for its adoption of the 1975 Woodward Committee policy offering stringent protection of free speech. While the Yale administration has not always been even-handed in its enforcement of the Woodward policy, at the very least a codified institutional commitment exists to the protection of freedom of expression. The University of Pennsylvania was rated 'yellow' and the other six Ivies: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and, of course, Dartmouth, were rated 'red.'
As chief evidence for their rating, FIRE cites a May 2001 address by Dean Larimore on the subject of the Dartmouth Indian nickname. 'It is hard to understand why some want still to insist that their 'right' to do what they want trumps the rights, feelings, and considerations of others,' Larimore said. This speech code policy of President Wright's is in direct contradiction of Dartmouth's own 'Freedom of Expression and Dissent' policy in the Student Handbook, declaring that the College 'prizes and defends the right of free speech' and 'fosters and protects the right of individuals to express dissent.'
It is one thing to publicly repudiate this commitment to free speech and make public what the College has done quietly in practice. Bob Jones University in South Carolina, a private institution, has won praise from FIRE for making public its policy of banning anti-religious expression: they acknowledge their sacrifice of freedom expression in the academy in exchange for uniformity of voiced opinion. However, leaving this policy of suppressing free speech 'unadvertised,' as the Dartmouth administration does, is quite another.
Indians Defeat Cornell
Dartmouth stomped the Big Red on Nov. 16 in Thompson Arena. The Indians pulled ahead 3-1 after a strong second period and then managed to hang on with some help from the referee as Cornell dominated the third. After two empty-netters, the final ended up 5-2, but the score was not indicative of the closeness of the game. Cornell appeared to tie the game at 3-3 late in the third period but the referee ruled the net had come off its moorings before the puck crossed the line. Dartmouth improved to 3-3-0 (2-2-0 in ECAC), while #9 Cornell lost its first game of the year to fall to 4-1-0 (3-1-0). Dartmouth extended its unbeaten streak against Cornell to eight games (7-0-1), a streak that will be put on the line when the team makes the return trip to Ithaca in the second half of the season.
The hockey team returns to action this weekend when they host Yale on Friday and Princeton on Saturday at Thompson Arena. Be sure to bring your tennis balls on Saturday to throw at Princeton's goalie after the first goal.
Scalped
In football news, the Indians lost close one against Brown last on Nov. 16 at Memorial Field.
The Bears scored twice in the first quarter, creating deficit the Indians could not overcome. Dartmouth mounted a comeback in the second quarter, but a botched extra point and a failed two-point conversion left the Indians trailing by two at the half. During the second half, both teams scored, though another missed extra-point attempt left the Indians down by three, and they were not able to make up the deficit. The final score was 21-18.
The game did include some bright spots. Quarterback Brian Mann '02 ended the game just over 100 yards shy of Dartmouth's single-season passing record. Wide receiver Jay Barnard '04 caught his 70th pass of the season. If tight end Casey Cramer '04 catches six more passes, the duo will be the first pair of players in the Ivy League to catch seventy passes each in a single season in two decades.
This marks the fifth time this year Dartmouth has lost by less than a touchdown. Dartmouth now stands 3-6 and 2-4 in the Ivy League. The Indians will finish their season next week at Princeton.
The game marked the Bears' first win of the season. They are now 1-8, 1-5 Ivy.
Good Riddance: Atkinson Resigns
The president of the University of California system, Richard C. Atkinson, announced that he will retire from his post effective next October. Atkinson, 73, had held the post since 1995 and is stepping down in order to let his 'grandchildren see more of their grandfather.' He has gained renown during his seven-year tenure for his adamant support of affirmative action despite decisions by the UC Regents and state law prohibiting the use of race or gender in admissions decisions. Instead, Atkinson sought to further the use of 'comprehensive review' in admissions that focus on socioeconomic status as well as academic performance. More recently, Atkinson prompted a change in the format of the SAT after he asked faculty to consider dropping its use. In response, College Board officials added an essay and dropped the analogies section in an effort to make the test more reflective of students' overall achievement in high school. With an expected enrollment increase of forty percent over the next few years, Mr. Atkinson's successor will have a full plate.
Torch 'em
The high-stakes world of college debating heated up this past week, when members of University of Pennsylvania parliamentary debate team allegedly assaulted their Princeton opponents at a debate meet.
The assault occurred on the Penn campus, where students from all over the country had converged for a parliamentary debate tournament. According to the Daily Pennsylvanian, tempers were already running higher than usual after two Penn students barged in on the sleeping Princeton team and began flicking the lights on and off. The two groups 'exchanged words'—no doubt a lot of them—and 'started going at it.'
The Pennsylvania students left, but returned at four in the morning with three of their debate team cronies. Armed with a can of motor oil, they poured oil on Princeton sophomore John Brantl, began kicking him, and made him promise never to return to the campus again. One of the assailants was smoking a cigarette and threatened to torch the Princeton students.
Campus police diffused the conflict before anyone was roasted.
The Dartmouth Parliamentary team was not in attendance at the debate. According to master debaters on campus, though emotions often run high at forensic meets, a physical attack like the one at Penn is unusual.
Troubles Brewin' in Eugene
The Oregon Commentator, a conservative newspaper at the University of Oregon, along with other campus publications, has been 'branded.' At the University of Oregon, a new policy has been put into effect forcing all publications produced by University programs and programs of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO), to bear the new school logo. After January 1, publications must include the new logo, a big letter 'O' that replaced the old interlocking 'U' and 'O' in July of this year.
There are guidelines specifying the logo color and size. Moreover, the 'O' must be larger than the logo of the group producing the publication. Critics of the policy claim that not only is it an infringement upon free speech, but it is not in the interest of the university for every student publication to bear the logo.
'Does the University really want to tacitly endorse all that is written in the Student Insurgent [another publication] or the Commentator?' the Commentator asks.
The policy, which is unpopular with many student organizations, was primarily the work of Allan Price, Vice President for University Advancement.
Not On My Turf
Ken Hatfield, the football coach at Rice University, apologized recently for comments he made in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Mr. Hatfield is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an organization whose 'sexual purity' policy includes the claim that 'neither heterosexual acts outside of marriage nor any homosexual act constitute an alternative lifestyle acceptable to God.' If a player did come out to him, Hatfield said that he would ask the student-athlete: 'What happened? What changed since we recruited you? When did this come about?' The article also says that Hatfield 'would think hard' about kicking a gay player off of the football team, but probably wouldn't do it.
Rice University President Malcolm Gillis has since told The Chronicle that Hatfield's views 'represent neither Rice University policy nor practice' and that Rice 'is very, very proud of being a very, very inclusive university.' In his apology, Hatfield said that while he has 'personal views on the subject,' he 'can and will follow the university's nondiscrimination policy sincerely and completely.'
Fight Speech with More Speech
Prof. Peter Kirstein of St. Xavier University has been sanctioned by the school's administration, reports the Chicago Tribune, for sending a vitriolic email to an Air Force Academy cadet. The cadet had e-mailed Kirstein for assistance in promoting an academic discussion at the academy. Kirstein responded,
'You are a disgrace to this country and I am furious you would even think I would support you and your aggressive baby-killing tactics of collateral damage. Help you recruit? Who, top guns to rein death and destruction upon nonwhite peoples throughout the world?
'You are worse than the snipers. You are imperialists who are turning the whole damn world against us.'
Kirstein has been 'relieved of his teaching responsibilities' for the current semester and officially reprimanded. Faculty will review his record at the university during the spring term. Some conservatives, including Stanley Kurtz of the National Review, disagree with St. Xavier's handling of the matter:
'The best way to combat Kirstein's outrageous statements is by making arguments and issuing condemnations, not by banning him from the classroom. True, the case against punishment is not iron-clad. Professor Kirstein's outrageous letter did violate the standards of professionalism promulgated by the American Association of University Professors. It would be perfectly fair to take Kirstein's actions into account in a tenure decision, and a teacher who grievously and persistently insulted his students in class could not be allowed to continue with impunity. But in a case like this, while punishment may not be categorically illegitimate, it is nonetheless best to act on the principle that the best remedy for offensive speech is more speech.'
An Army of One at Columbia
Columbia University's president, Lee Bollinger, has finally decided to allow the Army to recruit at the University's law school, in violation, he says, of his own deep moral convictions (and everyone else's, if he is to be believed). Bollinger cited the damage that would result from the loss of 70% of its federal funding if the University refused to allow the Army on campus. Thus, Bollinger bravely and courageously abandoned his deep principles.
Would it be too much for this smarmy little demon to say anything nice, anything at all, about the men and women who put their lives on the line so he can pontificate from his cozy tower?
No Matter How Hard They Try...
The University of Georgia was forced to reassure its students of their rights to free speech. The University apologized after an administrator prohibited constitutionally protected expression. In July an administrator in the Office of the Dean of Students, instructed all the fraternities on campus that 'no stars and bars flags/confederate flags can be seen from any house windows,' including the Georgia state flag.
When objections were raised, the administrator replied that any fraternity in violation of the ruling would be reported to the Inter-Fraternity Council. The administrator also replied that a display of any such flags would violate the school's diversity plan, which forbids exhibitions of Southern heritage.
One student informed the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education of this violation of constitutional rights. FIRE contacted the University: 'The University must not threaten them, either explicitly or implicitly for exercising those rights.'
Georgia recanted and deflected the blame: '[T]he expressive rights of students and student organizations are acknowledged and respected on campus.... We apologize if any actions by a staff member were perceived to be non-supportive of an organization's expressive rights.'
All's Well for Gen. Wells
A newly renovated statue of General William Wells was unveiled in Burlington, Vermont, on Veterans' Day, amid re-enactments of several Civil War battles. The statue stands in Battery Park, on the site that Union troops gathered before being sent south to Gettysburg 140 years ago. A copy of the statue looms over the battlefield at Gettysburg, where the men later fought under Gen. Wells, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor.
Boycott the Masters, Send Badges to Review
Martha Burk, the head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, has annoyed and threatened Augusta National in an attempt to force the club to admit female members. We at the Review feel that this is an egregious example of a private club being private. Thus, we call on all of our readers to boycott the Masters this year and to show their support for Miss Burk by mailing their Masters badges to:
The Editors
The Dartmouth Review
PO Box 343
Hanover, NH 03755
We particularly urge anyone with full-access badges to take advantage of this chance to show their opposition to this evil golf club.