Letters to the Editor

Friday, October 7, 2005

Memories of 25 Years

Sir—

Congratulations on 25 years of outstanding reporting! In 1981, I wrote Dinesh D'Souza about the controversial new journal published by conservative Dartmouth students. He thoughtfully offered me a free subscription, since I was the loyal daughter of an alumnus of 1914—F. Derby Hall.

I have followed the adventures of the Review during that quarter-century—the infamous biting of Ben Hart by a College administrator, the outrageous shanties on the College green, President Freedman's shocking reaction to the Hitler quote placed in the masthead by a disgruntled student, the appearance of Review staffers on "60 Minutes," music professor William Cole and his obscenity-laced lectures and the Review's loyalty to the Indian symbol.

I must commend you for the June 2 issue with the list of Dartmouth alumni who died in wartime. My father was a sergeant with the 3rd Pioneer Infantry and came through the First World War unscathed. Sadly, his roommate and best friend, Ralph Kelsey, was killed. I was touched to see his name on that honored list. My dad kept a photo of Ralph on his dresser the rest of his life.

I fully expect the Review to flourish another quarter-century and provide its readers with a breath of fresh air from Hanover.

Mrs. Robert M. Shanklin

Religion's Role In Academia

Sir—

I read with much interest your Interview with Rev. Richard Crocker, Chaplain and Associate Dean of the Tucker Foundation in Dartmouth College. I particularly note the sentence:

"If there is a mistake being made, I think it is from an intellectual, educational perspective, in paying too little attention to religion."

I write as one who at one part of my ministry served as a Chaplain and Professor of Religion in a college. My observation is that the people in the decision-making areas of the college curriculum start with an assumption that is inaccurate, namely, that all religions are the same and merely expressions of one common religion.

Fellow faculty, the students themselves, and the parents of the students would ask me: How can you teach religion? Isn't that indoctrination? Isn't that telling people what to believe?

Perhaps this is precisely the kind of thing they experienced in their own religious education. It wasn't education, it was indoctrination, and they were given one answer to each question, and there was no discussion.

When I was a freshman at Dartmouth, my English professor gave us his definition of religion: Religion is man's search for God. I carried that definition with me for about five years. As a young graduate of Dartmouth I received as a gift a copy of the newly published Revised Standard Version of the Bible. I began to read it with great interest, and like most people, I began with Genesis. In the third chapter I read that God was looking for Adam, not Adam for God. Adam and Eve were hiding in the bushes.

What I realized then is that the professor was wrong. Many religions may indeed be an account of man's search for God, but in the Judeo-Christian tradition we encounter the story of God's search for us. God asked: "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9, RSV). I think God knew exactly where Adam was. The question is meant for us: Do we know where we are? Do we know what we are about?

In a word, we do not teach religion. That would be indoctrination. We teach not religion; we teach about religion. I've had Protestants, Catholics, Jews, agnostics, and atheists in my classes. My quizzes were always objective and multiple choice, like: How many books are in the Old Testament? (a) 5, (b) 166, (c) 27, (d) 39, (e) none of the above. You may think that's too simple. You'd be surprised how many college-educated people can't give the right answer to that.

Then I would ask for a term paper on their own faith: Get a copy of the official creed of your religion. Write a paper, using your skills of analysis and writing that you have learned in this college for the past few years, showing your understanding of your own faith. You will be graded, not on the content of your paper, because that is your faith, and no one can or ought to tell you what to believe. You will be graded on how well you use your tools of research and how well you express yourself. After all, you came to this college to learn, specifically, to learn to learn and to learn to think. What you get out of this course about religion will be determined by what you put into it.

Now, today religion is front-page news. Why is there conflict in Ireland between Protestants and Catholics? Why is there conflict in the Holy Land between Muslims and Jews? Why is there ethnocide in Southern Sudan? Why are so many of the terrorists Muslims? If we come at these questions with the assumption that all religions are the same, we will be hopelessly confused.

I could go on and on. Let me close with this one observation. Someone says to me: "My religion teaches us all to love each other," yet he/she is attacking me from a religious point-of-view that shows no love. I don't argue, I simply ask: "Can you show me in your holy book where it says that we are to love one another?" This is what I get in reply: "Well, err, ugh, I don't really know much about my religion."

Ignorance isn't going to get us anywhere. We're got to realize exactly what Rev. Crocker said: our educational institutions have paid too little attention to religion.

Rev. Richard H. Petersen '50

When Angry Tabards Attack

Sir—

I am sure you [Managing Editor Kale Bongers '07] must be very very proud of your article in the Review about Meleia [Willis-Starbuck '07, see TDR 8/26/05]'s death. In fact, you must be very proud that your article has stirred "things up" and made people upset and angry. Aren't you? Im [sic] sure you are and that just proves why you are not and never will be a complete human being. You are a sensationalist, racist, coward bastard.

What makes me especially sick is that you chose to write about Meleia a month after she died in order to be able to express your racist sentiments and then run home to mommy and daddy. Ohhh, poor little baby kale [sic] ALWAYS does this doesn't he? Writes some inane offensive piece of s*** at the end of term and then runs away. COWARD. AT least stand up for your racism. But, I digress—the issue at hand is your irresponsible journalism and your attempt to muddle the name of a truly beautiful girl that was tragically murdered.

HOW F***ING DARE YOU report that Meleia called to ask for a gun when that is completely unsubstantiated? Is that because you think—oh of course that fact is true, of course thats[sic] what happens, I mean it makes sense doesn't it? Well, the only reason it makes sense to you is because it fits neatly into your stereotypes of black people. OF COURSE THE BLACK GIRL CALLED FOR A GUN AND BACKUP—I MEAN THATS WHAT THEY DO, RIGHT?

Also, it sickens me that a young talented woman who was your classmate was murdered and all you can do is see she's black and liberal and write some s*** to question her character and state that she "may" have been responsible for her own death. I love this line esp: "Yet even such hindsight cannot distract from the central issue.." Interesting, because this whole article is distracting from the central issue.

You make me sick. Go run home now that [the] term is over and no one can adequately respond to your bulls***.

ps. You better believe if I do see you on campus I WILL call you out very publicly and violate all your neat rules of politeness and decency. If you write s***, you're gonna [sic] get s***.

Sarah Q. Chaudry '07

The Editors Repond: Despite many angry letters in response to Kale Bongers's 8/26/05 article, "Willis-Starbuck '07 Killed in Berkeley," we stand by our story and its factual accuracy.

The facts reported correspond with those reported by the Berkeley Police Department and the District Attorney's Office which state that Willis-Starbuck asked Christopher Hollis over the phone to bring a gun, after which she was tragically shot and killed. Hollis, 22, has since been arrested and charged with murder.

In memory of Meleia Willis-Starbuck, the Review has made a donation to the Meleia Willis-Starbuck Memorial Fund. The fund supports Berkeley High School graduates pursuing careers in social justice.

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