<p>^OK, why ask the question if you are only going to accept certain answers? The fraternities are a drunken vomit fest, where ritualized alcoholism reigns supreme. It was that way when I was there, and I’ve read/heard about it since, up to the present day. The faculty themselves regularly deplore the “Greek system” via letters and petitions. Presidents Kemeny, McLaughlin and Wright all have wanted to shut it down. Smart and caring parents don’t want to send their beloved and talented kids into that environment. And particularly not at that $60.000/year price tag.</p>
<p>DartmouthAlum, I told you that I appreciated your argument. I am happy to see any further insight on the situation, so thank you for that. I was only trying to evoke certain aspects and questions about the situation that you may not have thought about (since you are very adamant about your opinion) and can only come through back and forth such as this. I was not trying to come across as stubborn, sorry if I did.</p>
<p>For those reading “The Dartmouth” online, you’ll note two student opinion pieces especially this week: One on boorish, drunken behavior at Dartmouth, and another on rampant anti-intellectualism at Dartmouth. These features of Dartmouth culture are quite off-putting to both students and prospective applicants.</p>
<p>Great for your opinion. My D is in grad school there for 5 years, but interacts with the UG students all the time…the gym, events, parties etc. She finds the entire Dartmouth experience to be great. But she went to Amhers UG, I am sure you will slam that as well. YOUR experience is NOT what is the norm. Sorry it sucked for you.</p>
<p>DartmouthAlum, it is negative people like you that I try to counter on this site, because your jaundiced view of Dartmouth (apparently due to a bad individual experience) should not be allowed to affect potential students and their parents. Dartmouth is anti-intellectual? Gee, I guess my daughter wasted her time when she and her fellow students pestered their professors to offer more and more challenging courses in their major. Gee, I guess that 130-page honors thesis she wrote wasn’t worth two years of work. Gee, I guess valedictorian and United States Marine Corps First Lieutenant Joel Malkin must have totally wasted his time in frat basements. Gosh, they couldn’t possibly have done anything worthwhile in their years in Hanover – because your experience sucked. Is Dartmouth perfect? Of course not. Should any smart/talented/ambitious rising high school senior consider it? Yes. </p>
<p>Did anybody actually read the opinion pieces mentioned above by CURRENT undergrads in “The Dartmouth”?:
“Much of Dartmouth believes that concentrated intellectual passion is gauche.” “Before freshman trips were over, I had already heard about fraternity circuits [and] pledge term binge drinking.”</p>
<p>There’s also the little matter going on right now of the US Department of Education’s unprecedented investigation of Dartmouth for institutionalized racism, sexual harassment and sexual assault . . .</p>
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<p>Dartmouth is one of several well regarded schools under investigation by the DOE:</p>
<p>[Ms</a>. Magazine](<a href=“News & Opinion Archives - Ms. Magazine”>News & Opinion Archives - Ms. Magazine) recently reported: "The university’s (Penn St.) spike in reported offenses echoes a national trend in which colleges and universities reported over 4,800 forcible sex offenses in 2012 - a 50 percent increase from the number of reports in 2009. It is unclear whether these increases indicate purposeful mishandling of sexual assault on campuses or a growing awareness by college administrators of the Clery Act and Title IX policies which compel them to act. In 2013, the OCR launched investigations into various university policies, including those at the University of Connecticut, Yale, the University of South Carolina, and the University of North Carolina, after students and faculty came forward to report mishandling of sexual assault and harassment on those campuses. The White House also recently launched a task force to prevent sexual assault on campus, with President Obama declaring that “no one in America is more at risk of being raped or assaulted than college women.”</p>
<p>Media Resources: New York Times 1/26/2014; CNN 1/28/2014; Feminist Newswire 1/22/2014, 12/11/2013, 8/2/2013, 7/23/2013, 7/8/2013"</p>
<p>Not excusing the fact the college is under investigation. The results of the investigation will be the most relevant.</p>
<p>DartmouthAlum, just curious, to put your experience in perspective for prospective students, what year were you, what was your major, and what were your EC’s? I apologize if this is already covered on the site and would be happy to follow a link where this is already discussed. Thanks.</p>
<p>From an opinion piece in “The Dartmouth,” TODAY:</p>
<p>"The deep-pocketed alumni, administration and a majority of the student body have participated in the crowning of kings on this campus, creating guards and prisoners. Brothers have the power to dominate normative social spaces, and the resulting atrocities — sexual assault, racist, sexist, classist, homophobic and transphobic acts — are largely defended as unfortunate byproducts of a Dartmouth system that values tradition over equity. "</p>
<p>“But the selection process for guards and prisoners at Dartmouth is anything but arbitrary. The power to control dominant social space is perennially placed in the entitled hands of the white, the wealthy, the heterosexual and the sons of Dartmouth. And yet somehow we are surprised when mob mentality runs its course and outrageous hazing occurs or women are raped in droves.”</p>
<p>And this is from a 1996 piece in “The Dartmouth,” demonstrating that anti-intellectualism has - at Dartmouth - been a problem throughout the decades:</p>
<p>“Daniel Hogins, in a column that appeared last week, claimed that the College should stop trying to promote intellectualism at Dartmouth. The reason he cited was that Dartmouth students simply do not have the inclination to engage in intellectual discussion while engaged in the nobler pursuit of imbibing beer in fraternity basements. Mr. Hogins felt the College would not be able to force intellectualism down the throat of unwilling students.”</p>
<p>DartmouthAlum: You should seek help before you hurt yourself. </p>
<p>Great article in The Dartmouth today. This sums up how almost everyone at Dartmouth feels. Finally someone is speaking up!</p>
<p><a href=“http://thedartmouth.com/2014/02/19/opinion/vox-clamantis-intolerant-radicals”>http://thedartmouth.com/2014/02/19/opinion/vox-clamantis-intolerant-radicals</a></p>
<p>Also read the comments after the article. They are enlightening. </p>
<p>“Dartmouth is one of the country’s most diverse and inclusive institutions. Name another school whose fraternities and local sororities regularly open their doors to all of campus to come drink free of charge.” </p>
<p>I’m sure the article gets better…I will continue reading…but if this is this how a school identifies itself as “diverse” and “inclusive” that might be the problem. </p>
<p>I don’t know about diverse, but it certainly speaks to inclusive as opposed to an elite excluding others. </p>
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<p>Yeah, that’s a great sales pitch to mom and dad on the tour: Spend $250k and your kid is guaranteed a free drunk most nights.</p>
<p>Oh come on, get serious. Not all kids get drunk, even when the drinks are free. It is not frowned upon at all to not drink. How you can take a statement about being inclusive and turn it around is just plain absurd. In reality, there is nothing we can do to change the minds of people that have their mind set, even though the vast majority of kids love their time at Dartmouth. I just had the chance to read the posts of the kids applying for the class of 2014 reunion committee (well, that’s not the name, but I can’t think of it). Every single one of the kids had glowing reviews of their college experience. We will have to agree to disagree on this. </p>
<p>How about: Name another school whose fraternities and local sororities regularly open their doors to all of campus to attend social events. Come on, bluebayou, you know you can play water pong if you want. The 09 could have chosen his words better, but I think his message had merit. Guess I’m just vox clamantis in deserto. </p>
<p>I wasn’t happy about what happened at Penn State a few years back, why don’t we all go to their CC pages and rage some hate down there?</p>