Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2006/04/21/a_letter_to_mclaughlin.php
Friday, April 21, 2006
Editor’s Note: The following letter was published by a “committee” of concerned students, announcing to then-President David McLaughlin their intention of addressing the wooden shanties which had polluted the Green for more than a year, in protest of apartheid in South Africa.
January 29, 1986
Dear President McLaughlin,
The Dartmouth Committee to Beautify the Green Before Winter Carnival (DCBGBWC) was formed on Friday, January 17, 1986. Its main purpose is to remove four unsightly “shanties” from the Green before Winter Carnival.
The DCBGBWC was not formed to address the conflict in South Africa, or College policies on investment. Further, the DCBGBWC firmly believes in everyone’s right to free speech; it does not believe, however, that the structures on the Green constitute an allowable protest. Indeed, Dean Shanahan himself said that he did not think there should be “any kind of construction on the Green.” The “shanties” weaken the College in more ways than just being an eyesore to the entire campus: they exacerbate the bad national press Dartmouth is already receiving, they confuse the student body, they create skepticism among devoted alumni, and they discourage prospectives when they visit the College.
Shanty removal will commence at 3 o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, January 21, 1986. The wood will be donated to Upper Valley charities to help provide fuel for heating stoves. Again, the members of the DCBGBWC are not trying to stifle debate on campus. We are merely picking trash up off the Green, and restoring pride and sparkle to the College we love so much.
Teresa Polenz ‘87
Frank Reichel ‘86
Deborah Stone ‘87