The Year in Review

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Rhetoric Returns

The study of rhetoric has had a long and eventful history at Dartmouth—that is, until its untimely death in 2005. The 1980s and 1990s saw Dartmouth’s historic Department of Speech decline, having been downgraded to the Office of Speech in 1979, and then suffering numerous resignations and retirements. By 1995, the office consisted of only one man: Professor Jim Kuypers. A staunch advocate of rhetoric’s centrality in a liberal education, Kuypers taught five classes a year and wrote five books over his decade at Dartmouth—but was never given tenure. Kuypers, along with support from faculty like future Provost Barry Scherr, consistently fought for recognition. Yet by 2005, the administration’s continued neglect finally forced his resignation. In his controversial farewell, Kuypers voiced frustration over meetings with Dartmouth’s higher-ups, labeling current Dean (and rumored Wright acolyte) Carol Folt “utterly ignorant of the role of rhetoric within a liberal arts tradition.”

Less than three years later, the College has suddenly and emphatically changed its tune. On Wednesday, January 30th, officials unveiled the new Institute of Writing and Rhetoric, proclaiming, “the ability to communicate ideas clearly and persuasively is an essential feature of a liberal arts education.” The Institute will eliminate exemptions from the Writing Requirement, ensuring that all future Dartmouth students take two courses. It will also “add two faculty positions in public speaking, introduce upper-level writing instruction in non-writing intensive disciplines, offer a wider array of [more sophisticated] writing courses...[and] expand student support services.” Dean Folt stated the program will “provide Dartmouth students with an exceptional opportunity to develop vital skills that will last them a lifetime.” Indeed, revitalizing rhetoric is an important step towards continuing Dartmouth’s decorated history in the liberal arts. Ironically, Folt led the charge against Professor Kuypers in 2005, when she “resolutely stated that...were she to have extra [resources], she would not give any to speech.” The Dartmouth Review is intrigued by Folt’s and the administration’s change of heart. But in the end, the Institute’s classes on rhetoric will bring new hope to a dying Dartmouth legacy. That’s good news for all of us.

American Council of Trustees Blasts Trustees

The President of the American Council of Trustees & Alumni, Anne D. Neal, issued a memo on July 30 in response to a request made by Frank Gado, Second Vice President of Dartmouth’s Association of Alumni, for an evaluation of the governance review process, which had not at that point been completed. Neal concluded:

“The stated purpose of the Dartmouth Governance Review is to examine best practices in the field. However, the Dartmouth governance structure—and, particularly, the conduct of the review itself—would appear to constitute a case study in ‘worst practices.’

“According to best practices, the President’s prominent role in the governance review process would be unacceptable at major corporations in America and most public universities. Moreover, the President’s substantial involvement in the Committee appears to be in clear violation of Dartmouth’s own conflict of interest policies.

“The direction of the current Governance Committee ‘study’ raises serious concerns. Already exerting de facto control over the appointment of Charter Trustees and the reappointment of all Trustees to a second term, the Governance Committee may now be considering eliminating the one source of independent oversight of the Board: the longstanding ability of the alumni to vote on half its membership. And far from being disinterested, the Governance Review is being sustained by the one person who stands to gain the most—the President—who will potentially hold the power to pick and choose every Trustee to whom he ostensibly reports.

“Far from modeling best practices, Dartmouth’s possible interest in creating a self- perpetuating board runs counter to growing federal and regulatory calls for transparency and independence—not to mention the desires of the thousands of alumni who have voted for independent oversight in the last four elections.”

The memo in its entirety is available online.

Association of Alumni Blasts Trustees

Immediately following the Board of Trustees’ decision to pack the Board with charter (board-selected) members, to the detriment of alumni representation, the Dartmouth Alumni Association’s Executive Committee issued a statement condemning the “trustee power-grab.” The release echoed the sentiments of an alumni poll taken in August in which 92% favored maintaining the parity between charter and alumni-elected trustees. The Committee also emphasized that they had been on record “consistently urging the Board of Trustees to maintain this historic balance.” The statement indicated the Executive Committee is consulting the law firm of Williams and Connolly about its legal options, as the Board’s decision “effectively wipes out” an 1891 agreement between the trustees and the Association.

Beta Returns

The Trustees of the Omega Alpha chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity recently reached an agreement with the College stating that the organization, derecognized in 1996, will be reinstated on campus in the fall. The Trustees also announced their intent to return as a chapter of Beta national instead of as a local fraternity, despite the fact that the Beta national organization has yet to grant re-recognition to the chapter. In addition, the Beta national charter has prohibited alcohol at every Beta physical plant. This fact, should the chapter be re-recognized nationally, will profoundly impact the fraternity’s social role on campus. Beta’s announced return abruptly created profound implications for Alpha Xi Delta sorority, which has rented out Beta’s Webster Ave. mansion for the past decade. AZD has been ordered to vacate the house by June, and while the sisters are “exploring other housing options,” the sorority potentially faces a autumn without a physical plant. Recent complaints bemoan the College’s dearth of “female-controlled social spaces,” a phrase so overused as to be a campus cliché. Nevertheless, the College must wait until the fall to accurately gauge Beta’s impact on the battle between the sexes at Dartmouth.

Presidential search continues

Chairman of Dartmouth’s Board Charles “Ed” Haldeman ’69 recently appointed Trustee Al Mulley ’70 to head the search for Dartmouth’s seventeenth president. Those comprising Mulley’s committee will be named in June, after which the trustees will garner community input and develop a statement of leadership criteria that the ideal president should display.

Haldeman stated he and Mulley will “be working together to ensure the search is as open and inclusive as possible while also taking the necessary steps to respect the confidentiality of candidates... The Board believes that it is critical that all Dartmouth constituencies have an opportunity to provide their input during this initial stage of the search. We will meet with community members on campus and in locations beyond Hanover and establish a web site to collect comments and suggestions for the committee’s consideration.” Haldeman went on to say, “A presidential search, once fully launched, normally takes six to nine months to complete a comprehensive identification process to attract top candidates.” The Dartmouth Review waits with bated breath.

Frost Transcribed

Robert Frost ’96 lovers now have more text to pore over in their free time. From the late 40s until the 1966 Frost gave periodical lectures for Dartmouth students in the “Great Issues” series of classes. President Dickey instituted the classes, which focused on current world events. Seniors were required to take a “Great Issues” class in order to graduate. Twenty of Frost’s lectures were captured on film and stored in the Rauner Special Collections Library. James Sitar ’01, a graduate student at Boston University, has transcribed all twenty lectures as part of his dissertation. Sitar writes that in the lectures Frost “uses poems by other poets—ranging from Shakespeare and Christopher Smart to Coventry Patmore and Walt Whitman—as well as some of his own to illustrate poetry’s unrivaled power to give voice to the human spirit.” Yet Frost stayed true to the focus of the classes and used poetry to comment on politics and other current news including the end of the second world war, the space race, and McCarthyism, amongst other topics. The first lecture to be published is coming out in the journal Literary Imagination and is entitled “Sometimes It Seems as If.” In the lecture Frost comments that there are two ways to take life: as a joke—or as poetry.

Gu Gone, Provost and Professor Reminisce

Baker Library is finally, happily bald again. After many months of having to navigate through a minefield of hair, bookish Dartmouth students can finally visit the stacks without fear of becoming entangled in mass of grim and questionably obtained human hair. Not everyone, however, is glad to see the exhibit go. Provost of the College Berry Scherr was saddened, to say the least, by the intolerance displayed by the Dartmouth community: “I continue to believe that the Dartmouth community can embrace art at the Hood Museum as well as in unexpected places on campus, be it in Baker Library, in front of McNutt, or near Sherman House. While I certainly don’t expect everyone to like every piece, I do have confidence that the discourse around art will be informed and respectful.” In addition, art history professor Mary Coffey was dismayed at the students’ inability to ‘get it,’ informing us of the golden rule of public art: “Controversy is always the sign of good public art.” If that is the case, you are holding the gold standard for public art at Dartmouth in your hands.

Gays and Blacks Fight Evil

Hoping to stimulate communications between the gay and black communities at Dartmouth, music professor Steve Swayne talked at Cutter-Shabazz during PRIDE week about his experiences as a gay, black, religious man. During his presentation, titled “Invisible Identities: Exploring Race and Sexuality,” Swayne spoke about how gay and black communities should not oppose each other, striving to have their voices heard in the greater community. Swayne suggested each group try to understand the other. Student reactions to Swayne’s suggestions were positive, with many students agreeing he addressed the correct issues: an admittedly tough bar to clear given he chose the presentation himself.

The event, organized by the Office of Black Student Advising, the Afro-American Society and the organizers of PRIDE week, was a collaborative attempt to solidify the relationship between black and gay students. When we asked participants of PRIDE week if this “relationship” between the black and gay student groups on campus was homosexual or heterosexual, one participant responded “that’s what she said.” Professor Swayne’s presentation was typical of the many others put on during PRIDE week, a week promoting gay awareness among students.

PRIDE week ended with the perfect flourish: a dance party at Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Where else?

New Dean of the College a Scholar of Hanging Out

Thomas M. Crady has been named the new Dean of the College. Dean Crady was formerly the vice president of student services at Grinell College in Iowa. He will take over his post from Dean Nelson, who has been the Acting Dean of the College since 2006.

Crady was chosen from a shortlist of four candidates who were being considered for the position. After one of the candidates dropped out of the contest, Crady was given the job. The individual who dropped out was the College’s first choice, and Crady was chosen only after that person turned down the job.

Crady’s received his doctorate from Iowa State. His doctoral dissertation was titled “Written and Unwritten Rules: The Use of Alcohol by Fraternities: A Study of One College.” Grinell does not have a fraternity system, and Crady admits that the findings in his dissertation may not apply to Dartmouth. He does assert, however, that binge drinking is a problem on college campuses, and he plans to emphasize that view in his role as an administrator at Dartmouth.

Wright Calls on Sophomore Summer to Get Weird

In a recent address to Dartmouth Faculty, President James Wright outlined possible changes to a unique Dartmouth tradition: sophomore summer. Though no committee has been set up to explore changes, Wright outlined some possibilities in his speech: “for example, could we schedule classes differently, including three week intensive units? Could we provide for three course credit courses-providing for intensive work in a field of study? Could we take fuller advantage of professional school faculty teaching in summer courses? Could we include during the summer a focus on themes that address the great issues of the day and provide opportunities for students to consider how they can develop as leaders?” We might add: Could we uncancel Tubestock?

The Year in Review

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