<p>There was intense pressure put on that Dartmouth student who was the only one in her class to not contribute $5 to the endowment fund, thereby preventing them from obtaining an offer of matching funds for 100% class participation. She had definite reasons for not wanting to contribute, yet she was accused of all manner of meanness. And she didn’t even sign a kindness pledge! </p>
<p>A university community has no business prescribing any behavior that doesn’t directly relate to its academic mission. If Harvard and other elites want conformity of personality traits, then why all the emphasis on diversity? Some foreign countries, from which students hail, lack an appreciation for volunteerism, or a belief in the equality of all people regardless of gender/race/ethnicity/social class, or in other democratic social ideals–all of which we consider part of kindness here. And, as pointed out by another poster, Harvard definitely selects for the alpha dog traits which lead to success in business and politics, but which aren’t always nice.</p>