Student Suffrage and Representation
This year’s campaign for election to the Dartmouth Board of Trustees is surpassing the past few in its intensity and impact on the Dartmouth community. Columns have appeared both here and in national media outlets supporting some candidates and decrying others for their allegedly creationist, anti-academic views. William F. Buckley, Jr. wrote for National Review that the most recent slates of trustee petition candidates represent a renewed focus on monitoring the College, its students and the administration rather than standing on the outside as the ceremonial trustee who merely donates large amounts of money and attends quarterly meetings. Given the visibility of the last three races and how much attention trustees have given to student issues, I agree with Buckley’s assessment. More must be done to involve students in the trustee races, especially when their competing depictions of student life become more integral to campaigns. More »
