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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Big blowup at the Dartmouth prospective students weekend.  Some students tried to raise issues about sexual assault, racism and homophobia on campus in front of the prospective students, and a ton of bricks (including threats) fell on them from other students and the adminstration.  Dartmouth ended up cancelling classes for a day in an effort to restore civility, but that seems unlikely.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/04/24/1911741/dartmouth-protest-cancels-classes/

http://realtalkdartmouth.wordpress.com/

[/quote]

The school simply is not what it used to be.  Now, all of those grads will jump on this but even they know its the truth.  [/quote]

As an alum, I am so glad that Dartmouth is not what it used to be.  When my dad graduated in the 50's, it was all male, mostly white preppy New Englanders.  So much has changed since then and all for the better.  But there was a lot of ugliness to get there.  For example, the Dartmouth Indian mascot supporters did not go down without a fight, but it is no longer the mascot (hello Washington Redskins.)  I don't think this kind of incident is necessarily a bad thing.  College SHOULD be a place where the kids stage over-the-top protests.  It SHOULD be a place where there is discourse and argument and where passionate feelings run deep and ideas and opinions are expressed in all of their messy permutations.   And yes, 18-22 year olds will often exercise poor judgment in how and when they make their voices heard, but this is a learning experience for them.  I remember when "Womyn" of Dartmouth were  throwing red painted tampons at frat boys, and when the students from the AM were protesting the Rodney King business and there were marches to divest, marches to "take back the night" and rallies against the first Gulf War and protests against visiting right wing politicians, and on and on.  These were all good thing for me because these kinds of events forced me to really think about the issues that were being raised and helped me to develop and articulate my own opinions and beliefs through lots of debate and discussions in the dorms and dining halls.  As a woman, a minority, and a non-Greek who only joined a coed house as a junior, I never felt marginalized and never felt that I did not have a place at Dartmouth.  Yes, there were things that I did not like about the school, but I was free to forge my own path, make my own experience, and to speak my opinion about those things that I felt needed changing.  All of that is part of the experience that a great liberal arts college should offer.  Not just a job preparatory program, you know?

My husband went to a top-notch state school during the same 4 years I went to college, and he remembers NO such controversies erupting.  The thing is, all of the racism, homophobia, drinking, class-based distinctions (as played out in Greek life) and misogyny was present on that campus, but everyone was just well-behaved and did not make waves.  I think he missed out on something and so does he.[/quote]

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