President Hanlon and the Administration Respond to the Freedom Budget

In a statement to the Dartmouth community, President Hanlon and senior members of the Dartmouth administration have addressed the recently released Freedom Budget. The article acknowledges the presence of the campus problems detailed in the Budget, stating, “We, as the administration, must engage the campus more effectively in current and future action to achieve our shared vision for Dartmouth.” The article further presents a few initiatives that the administration has created to combat these problems, including the E.E. Just program, “which supports the academic success of under-represented students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.” The address closes by assuring the community that the College will continue taking steps to create a more inclusive and diverse community.

I applaud the administration for promptly responding to the controversial Freedom Budget; however, the statement fails to address any of the specific requests offered by the Freedom Budget. The article does not state what suggestions in the Freedom Budget are plausible and important issues and which are implausible and irrelevant. The initiatives offered by the authors avoid discussing solutions for the most controversial topics in the Freedom Budget and simply try to remedy obvious overarching problems. Hopefully, the College will see it fit to respond with a more thoughtful and nuanced approach as the debates continue to unfold. 

–Hans Prakash