Maintaining Our Independence

President Sian Beilock, after meeting with the trustees, announced to students on October 18 that Dartmouth would reject the Trump administration’s demands in exchange for federal funding benefits. The compact would have addressed a number of academic and social issues, including gender identity and international student enrollment. Beilock was the last Ivy League president to announce this decision.

While I have in prior editorials argued for President Beilock to resist the trends of her peers in the Ivy League, this decision is a prudent one that prioritizes the interests of the College. Under no circumstance should Beilock wield her power as College president to engage in political battles on the national stage; her job is to promote the interests of the students, faculty, and alumni, not Washington’s. Until now, she has shielded Dartmouth from any unnecessary confrontations with the Trump administration. At this point, however, it is a well-calculated move to reject Trump’s offer.

Dartmouth must stand for its own independence. We at The Review believe wholeheartedly that outside forces must not tell our students or faculty how to think. It does not matter that we happen to agree with most, if not all, of Trump’s demands. As Beilock wrote to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, entering into such an agreement with the government, irrespective of the terms or the incumbent party, threatens the mission of an institution of higher education.

I worry, of course, that a future progressive administration could adopt this same policy and force its sinister dogmas upon us. For conservatives such as myself and readers of The Review, it might seem correct now to praise Trump for finally attempting to correct the problems that have pervaded our College for decades. Conservatives, however, believe in the sanctity of process. The means matter just as much as the ends. It is not conservative to use the heavy hand of the government to accomplish our goals. This is just as much about our shared conservative philosophy as it is about what Dartmouth stands for. There’s no need for me to remind you what our motto is. What would Daniel Webster say today if he discovered we were letting the government dictate our academic policy? What would he say if Trump, or Governor Ayotte, were attempting to appoint trustees to the board? The historical parallels to Dartmouth College v. Woodward are too striking to ignore.

Although the work is far from done, conservatives have made significant progress on reform through legitimate channels. At Dartmouth, Beilock has refocused attention to free speech and academic freedom. This was all done without the need for government interference. Just as Beilock should not do anything to antagonize the Trump administration, the White House should allow the momentum at Dartmouth to continue rolling. We don’t need Beilock spooked by a massive student, faculty, and alumni movement that pressures her towards progressivism, of which this Trump media attention raises the possibility.

As I’ve said, I disagree with the means Trump uses, but not his ends. Radical gender and race ideologies that revile people who don’t conform to them must be gutted from campus. Admissions and hiring practices should be based entirely on merit, not on superficial characteristics that seek to level the playing field by cutting others down. Grade inflation should be curbed. There ought to be safeguards against foreign students who are potentially serving as assets for hostile regimes such as China. These are good, practical solutions that also adhere to the needs of a liberal arts curriculum.

Beilock is correct to maintain our independence by rejecting the compact, but I’m not letting her off the hook. Trump lacks standing to demand solutions to these problems, but the students and alumni do not. It is our duty to use the proper processes, by way of College governing bodies and alumni networks, to see to it that these changes are made. Beilock has shown she is capable of moving us in the right direction. Conservative alumni, and even liberal alumni who love what their College was, need to be more vocal so Beilock doesn’t forget what’s at stake.

The best way to fend off attacks from without is to fortify from within. Trump would have no business dictating our affairs if we could do so responsibly on our own. If Dartmouth wants to remain the voice crying out in the wilderness, with its granite-hard independence, we need to show we are capable of preserving our liberal arts character without having to bargain with the state.