<p>I am the original poster. This thread has progressed with far more substance and insight than I had ever expected. I thank you all for sharing your thoughts and feelings, whether it was after much reflection or it was in the heat of the moment. Thanks to you all for sharing your heart-felt thoughts and feelings about Dartmouth. Many of you have a great of personal knowledge and investment in Dartmouth. Several of you have offered to speak with me and my DD over the phone to answer our question offline. Such generosity is most appreciated.</p>
<p>After reflecting upon all that we have learned from this blog and from our various explorations of Dartmouth, my DD and close friends’s DS have decided that Dartmouth is not right for them. The manifestations of intolerance and arrogance exhibited by a certain segment of the Dartmouth community and the seeming tolerance of such behavior by Dartmouth’s administration that have surfaced through a variety of media channels, some more reputable than others of course, are too numerous to be ignored, disputed, discounted or discredited. </p>
<p>The weight of the combined evidence, some more compelling than others of course, reflects a certain amount of denial and insularity in the Dartmouth community, especially with the administration. Articles such as: [hardboiled</a> | issue 12.5](<a href=“http://hardboiled.berkeley.edu/issues/125/125-3-dartmouth.html]hardboiled”>http://hardboiled.berkeley.edu/issues/125/125-3-dartmouth.html) and [Dartmouth</a> heckling at squash meet prompts apologies - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/12/10/dartmouth_heckling_at_squash_meet_prompts_apologies/]Dartmouth”>http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/12/10/dartmouth_heckling_at_squash_meet_prompts_apologies/) are just too numerous to explain away as aberrations in the Dartmouth culture, as the responsibility of fringe populations at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>The more reasonable explanation is that there is much that is wonderful about Dartmouth and that it sincerely is soul-searching, but that the weight of its fraternity and privileged-class dominated culture is showing unsurprising and effective resistance to change. </p>
<p>We have kept an open-mind through this process. Contrary to many who claim that problems of alcohol fueled, drug-laced, fraternity-associated crude, intolerant, discriminatory is ubiquitous across US colleges, we have found several that offer alternatives along with top notch academic experiences. DD and my close friends DS will NOT matriculate at Dartmouth, despite its many strengths.</p>
<p>Thanks again. MidWestFather.</p>