<p>I'd been reading about these simmering confrontations - at least at Colgate, for a while, but didn't feel I had much of a handle on them. As a parent rather than an alum, I did not get any information about what the differences were. But my sense was that fraternities were only the flashpoint rather than the essence of the dispute. As I understand it, the official slate recently won over the insurgents. </p>
<p>Any of you older hands have any insight?</p>
<p>My quick reaction -- and it is based only on anecdotal evidence -- is that of the three colleges named in the article, Dartmouth is the only one that did not grow very much -- spiritually or demographically -- as a result of adding women in the 1970s. The extent to which their diversity did grow, as it did elswehere, was never enough to gain hegemony over Boomer generation alumni who are mostly male, mostly white and just about hitting their stride monetarily and politically now. The resulting changes, minimal though they may be, have nevertheless been enough to keep the Alumni Association in a constant state of simmering resentment.</p>
<p>My .02.</p>
<p>Sounds like you might be right, John. Elsewhere it is being billed as attempts by Conservative alumni( aided by Conservative bloggers), to take over liberal alumni boards.</p>