Among the "problems that need to be addressed" is the willingness of the College to bring serious charges against 27 individuals based only on Lohse's claims, particularly when --as Dean Charlotte Johnson admits!-- Lohse had previously given Dartmouth information that turned out to be wrong.
This is not to say that actual hazing and alcohol abuse do not deserve the community's attention: of course they do. But Dartmouth will never have the sort of open dialogue you want if its disciplinary process is (rightly) perceived to be nonsensical.
DarmouthMom, perhaps you missed that I was quoting my son, who is a member of a fraternity, and who has been an officer most terms since joining.
I certainly do not support bringing charges against people before investigating them, and it appears that this situation has been grossly mishandled from day 1. I completely agree that open dialogue is not going to happen if the disciplinary process is perceived to be nonsensical OR draconian. (While on that subject, let's not forget the Hanover Police....)
Nevertheless, my son, who is after all an actual D student and actual fraternity member--and not disaffected in any sense--thinks that the school's problems ought to be addressed. The many imperfections of Lohse should not get in the way of that.
DartAlum, ITA re the DOC trips thing. Absolutely ludicrous.
Consolation, I hope, and think, that as the dust settles on this topic, the school will address these issues. Dartmouth will come out of this stronger than it went into it. Both the administration and the alumni now have a better sense of what is going on with the current students. Even if you peal back a few layers of exaggeration to the stories, they still represent a departure from the fraternity culture that alumni experienced. From the alums I have talked to, the feeling is that we will continue to support the existence of the greek system, but that the current trajectory of the system needs to be changed. That can be achieved with increased alumni oversight and educational programs from the college. Hopefully we will never be in this position again.
DartAlum: So far as I can tell, today's fraternity culture is not a significant departure from what the alumni knew. If anything, things are a lot tamer than the '70s and '80s.
That is not to say that the efforts already underway under the direction of Wes Schaub to ensure a better Greek experience should not continue. But the starting point needs to be evidence, not rumors and urban legends.
Consolation: I think we agree about the importance of addressing actual bad practices that are causing real harm.
The big question is how to best do this. Right now, I'd say that many Dartmouth administrators and the Hanover police are part of the problem, not the solution.
Like in the investment world, uncertainty adds the cost to investment, it's called the risk premium. The uncertainty surrounding this issue makes it just a bit harder for me to choose Dartmouth over another school than if the issue is transparent. All the defensive arguments do not necessarily achieve much what they aim at to clear the reputation of Dartmouth.
My daughter's dream was to go to Dartmouth. I am feeling uneasy with all the negative comments about the culture at the school and in particular, the ones regarding a student body with an "entitlement" mentality and an unsettling number of sexual assaults. I would like some reassurance that this school is all that we believed it would be for her - offering a great education and safe environment with student who enjoy the outdoors.
The story is media sensationalism. Actual students experience very little, if any, of the details in this story which were largely fabricated by someone with a weird personal complex who was not particularly liked by anyone.
Mogul mamma, my D is a 14. She has not experienced anything remotely close to that article's allegations. She finds the students intelligent and respectful. She is getting a wonderful education. Don't believe that article. The first hint that most of it is untrue is the absurdity of linking the DOC trips to hazing. I think almost any Dartmouth student would tell you their DOC trip was all about making friends and learning some Dartmouth traditions. Feel free to pm me if you are uncomfortable sending your daughter there. I would be happy to talk to you and share my daughter's perspective on this situation.
Mogul mamma and all concerned parents, my S is a 14 and in a fraternity. Had I read the allegations and comments 2 years ago I would also have been concerned and would have discouraged him from considering Dartmouth. But I can't imagine a more wonderful college experience for my son. His friends are both incredibly talented and diverse.
At the beginning of his sophomore year he wasn't sure if he would go through rush. He visited a few of the houses where he had met some of the brothers and received a bid (I think that is what it is called). He absolutely loved his pledge term and didn't experience anything remotely like what has been described by Lohse. If anyone has, I suspect it is a very small subset of the community. Additionally many of his close friends are not in a fraternity and often come to his for the parties.
My S has loved his classes and professors and can't imagine himself anywhere else. I hope your D can attend Dimensions and see for herself the enthusiastic, energetic students and beautiful campus. Good luck with her decision and please pm any specific questions, I would love to help!
The Rolling Stone article brings up many memories for me of the good ol' Dartmouth I knew in the 80s when I was in college and visited. I wanted to believe that the school had changed and was willing to take a fresh look with my high school junior. We visited this winter and when I asked a few questions of our tour guide about the Greek life of today, she relied on several euphemisms to describe campus social life. Reading this article that my son forwarded to me makes me realize that the modus operandi at Dartmouth will never change. We feel very grateful for the timing of the article and will never give Dartmouth a second thought.
Pom mom, if you wish to be taken seriously, please provide specifics of your experience there and the euphemisms used by the tour guide. You can't let insults fly without explaining yourself.
