<p>A year or so ago, three sororities were petitioning to be allowed on campus. Each had to agree to respect the Dartmouth "culture" (i.e., drinking) if selected.</p>
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"Zeta Phi" (which if you bothered to spend some time doing research you'd find is actually Zeta Psi
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<p>Phi? Psi? What's the difference?</p>
<p>You'll have to pardon me. My daughter's school has a frat named Phi Psi. And the science fiction/role playing club just voted to change their name to Psi Phi. So an old guy like me is easily confused.</p>
<p>You are pardoned, my good sir.</p>
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A year or so ago, three sororities were petitioning to be allowed on campus. Each had to agree to respect the Dartmouth "culture" (i.e., drinking) if selected.
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<p>No true. While 3 sororities were petitioning to have a chapter at Dartmouth, they were national sororities, which strictly prohibit having alchol related functions in their house. They would have to align more with the Dartmouth culture of having greek sponsored functions (parties) that are open to all which is not the case on most campuses.</p>
<p>It is actually the local sororities that have more latitude as far as the "drinking culture" is concerned. Even then everyone who is part of the greek system isn't spending all of their time drinking.</p>
<p>These "interesting times" at Dartmouth are contrasted to the present difficulties experienced at Duke. Maybe a rubber stamp Board of Trustees is not in the best interest of a University.</p>
<p>Maybe having only 4 female Board members out of 18 isn't such a great idea, either.</p>
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<p>Professors banned from espousing liberal political views?</p>
<p>"The horror, the horror!"</p>
<p>The irony is the "champions" of "free speech" seeking to silence liberal professors. Just like the free market folks insisting that students be required to choose a strict curriculum of "western canon" as imposed by edict.</p>
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The irony is the "champions" of "free speech" seeking to silence liberal professors.
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<p>I find it ironic that anyone finds it necessary to voice a complaint about the silencing of liberal professors since this must represent one of the rarest events in higher education. Professors who espouse liberal views are hardly in need of protection as they completely and utterly dominate our tenured education system.</p>
<p>interesteddad</p>
<p>your an alum of where? ..and from when?</p>
<p>your personal experience with Dartmouth is what?</p>
<p>xantos, who are you ranting at, the dartmouth reporting from one of the links, go rant at them if you feel the reporting wsa bad</p>
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Dartmouth allows alumni to elect some of its trustees, and in the past three years, four insurgent candidates have been elected.
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<p>I find it interesting that alumni elect some board members. Do many other schools do this as well?</p>
<p>Many schools have alumni elections for some board positions.</p>
<p>Susan Dentzer, alum and PBS Newshour on-air correspondent, chaired the Dartmouth Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2004. Without controversy, as I recall.</p>
<p>Something is just not right at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>I now have at least some experience with five Ivy League schools. I was an undergrad at one, a grad student at another, taught for 8 years at a third, have a daughter attending a fourth one, and a few years ago I was a visiting faculty member at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Dartmouth has (or had) a slogan that "It's Different at Dartmouth" and indeed it is. I can't quite put my finger on it. Dartmouth students are just as bright, just as engaged, and just as engaging as any of the students that I have encountered at the other schools that I have been associated with, yet something is "off." </p>
<p>I taught a Tuesday/Thursday class that was always well-attended and lively on Tuesdays, more sparsely attended and dull on Thursdays. The class was heavily male and heavily greek and it seems that Wednesday nights the fraternity houses have "meeting" and as far as I could tell the academic week virtually stopped for many students Wednesday afternoon.</p>
<p>However this is not to put the blame solely on the fraternity presence. The atmosphere between the students and the administration didn't seem as open as it should be. Students seemed to live in fear of being "parkhursted," that is being unfairly treated at a discipline hearing. The administration generally seemed less trusting and less supportive of its students than I have encountered at other schools. Also the most visible visiting alumni on fall football weekends (and apologies here to alums who do not fit this profile), were some of the worst stereotypes of "old boys."</p>
<p>There was a lot I loved about the school -- its beauty, some amazing colleagues who were interested in undergraduate teaching ion a level I had never experienced before, and some truly phenomenal students. But overall I came away with the impressions that although I enjoyed being associated with Dartmouth as a visitor, it isn't the school I would chose for a more lasting association.</p>
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Students seemed to live in fear of being "parkhursted," that is being unfairly treated at a discipline hearing.
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<p>Actually, to get parkhursted (parked) means to be sent home (suspended for up to 3 terms) as a result of:</p>
<p>violating some form or the honor code (for which there are disciplinary hearings)</p>
<p>discipline or some infraction of the Standards of Conduct (diciplinary hearing involved)</p>
<p>for failing to meet the terms of academic probation (no hearings happens happens automatically, as students are made aware of the terms of their probation. However student can apply for reconsideration)</p>
<p>failing 2 courses in the same term or failing a course and getting 2 D's. This happens regardless of what your overall gpa is (no hearings, however student can apply for reconsideration).</p>
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Something is just not right at Dartmouth.
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<p>I'm not sure that's a fair assessment. I believe that colleges are what the board and management wants them to be. What's "right" for one college would be "wrong" for another.</p>
<p>There's nothing wrong with that. Knowledgeable consumers can assess the very real differences in institutional priorities and choose accordingly. For example, there is no excuse for a potential Dartmouth student to not understand that the fraternities (and all that goes along with them) are a major institutional priority.</p>
<p>Actually, looking at the composition of the board, at any school, is a good place to look for clues about a college.</p>
<p>The problem comes when the administration and the board are at odds over the institutional priorities. However, that's a self-correcting, short-term problem.</p>
<p>Shelf-life, you are entitled to your opinion, of course, but it seems rather general based on your experiences as a visiting faculty member. Did you teach only the one course? I would imagine that your experience would be different from that of tenured faculty or students.</p>
<p>I'm not an alumna of Dartmouth. But as a parent, I can tell you that I have yet to meet a student who was not extremely enthusiastic about his/her time at Dartmouth. In fact, I've sometimes said that the kids' enthusiasm seems like a throwback to the 1920's or something -- they lack the cynicism that I remember from my college years. </p>
<p>If you read any reviews of Dartmouth, you will find that very few students regret attending college there. For example, on one website, 91% of students would matriculate at Dartmouth again, as compared to Harvard, where only 76% would choose to repeat their experience there. If you had a negative experience, that's unfortunate, but no college is perfect. Most people would disagree with you that "something is just not right at Dartmouth."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.studentsreview.com/NH/DC.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.studentsreview.com/NH/DC.html</a>
<a href="http://www.studentsreview.com/MA/HU.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.studentsreview.com/MA/HU.html</a></p>
<p>BTW, a small correction:</p>
<p>With the election of Smith to replace outgoing board member, Nancy Keps Jeton, the Dartmouth board becomes 3 women, 15 men.</p>
<p>I would matriculate at Dartmouth again if I had the chance.</p>