Hazing claims unlikely to alter yield, many say
By James Peng, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Friday, April 6, 2012
While prospective students may have some reservations when accepting Dartmouth admissions offers in the wake of widely-publicized hazing allegations at the College, current undergraduates said they think that the flurry of media attention is unlikely to heavily influence prospective students’ decisions. Similar institutions that have experienced negative national publicity in recent years did not see a significant change in matriculation rates, but prospective Dartmouth students interviewed had mixed reactions to the hazing allegations.
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris ’84 said that the impact of the hazing allegations on prospective students’ college decisions is still unknown at this time.
“Students and parents obviously have concerns about the social life, so we’ve been trying to be pretty proactive in trying to address them,” she said.
The College offered admission to 2,180 students for the Class of 2016 and plans on enrolling between 1,100 and 1,110 students in the fall, according to a College press release.
The yield rate is projected to be approximately 50.5 percent, a slight decrease from the 51 percent yield rate for the Class of 2015.
Early indicators of the admissions yield are consistent with numbers from previous years, according to Laskaris.
The number of students who have accepted admissions offers thus far, a week after the decisions were released, has proven similar to that of past years, Laskaris said. Those who made their decision quickly, however, may have already decided to matriculate at Dartmouth before hazing became so widely discussed.
The hazing allegations have been a common concern of those who have posted on the Admission Office’s online forum and participated in online Chatapalooza admissions event, which enabled prospective students to video chat with current students at the College, Laskaris said.
Laskaris said that most prospective students recognize that the account by Andrew Lohse ’12 regarding fraternity culture “is one student’s experience” and “not the experience of the entire campus.”
Increased media attention following College President Jim Yong Kim’s nomination for the World Bank presidency and his possible departure from the College is not expected to affect the yield rate, Laskaris said.
“The example that he set in terms of the work that he’s done sends a positive message of what Dartmouth does to prepare members of the community for further leadership roles,” Laskaris said.
Of the approximately 1,700 students placed on the waitlist, about 1,000 are expected to stay active on the list, Laskaris said. In past years, between 10 and 90 waitlisted students have been admitted, according to Laskaris.
Many tour guides interviewed by The Dartmouth said questions about hazing were not as common as they had expected.
“It has been a pretty popular question, but it’s not uncommon to have a tour without a question [about hazing],” Admissions Office intern and tour guide Holly Ceplikas ’13 said.
Tour guide Anna Fagin ’13 said that most prospective students have asked for her personal perspective on Lohse’s allegations.
“Most of them are really eager and excited about Dartmouth,” she said. “They’re nervous and scared and definitely want to hear that the [Rolling Stone] article isn’t true.”
Fagin said she does not think the recent allegations have influenced how prospective students view the College.
“Greek life is something that prospective students are always intimidated about,” Fagin said. “I don’t know if it altered perceptions as much as made students aware of stereotypes that have already existed.”
Students and parents may be reluctant to mention the topic during tours, however, as it could create an “awkward atmosphere,” Michael Zhu ’14 said.
“Also, I don’t think parents are super concerned because there’s a lot of stuff in the Rolling Stone article that parents may be taking with a grain of salt,” he said.
Most tour guides said they do not expect Kim’s possible departure to play a role in the admissions yield.
“It’s a pretty cool opportunity for him and good for our school because gets Dartmouth’s name out there,” Zhu said. “It doesn’t change students’ views.”
Fagin said representatives in the Admissions Office told tour guides that “honesty is the best policy” in fielding answers about the hazing allegations and Kim’s departure.
Prospective students interviewed by The Dartmouth expressed mixed views on the subject.
Shelby Yee, a high school senior from White River Junction who is deciding between Dartmouth, Queens University and California Polytechnic State University, said the hazing allegations have not influenced her perception of the College.
“I knew that Greek life is a big deal at Dartmouth,” she said. “I know a student that goes there, and he said it’s not as bad as how [Lohse] put it. If I do go to Dartmouth, I would probably still rush.”
Akash Kar, a senior at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif. admitted to the College, said the allegations have created a sense of doubt about his decision.
“I read the Rolling Stone article and the ridiculous things that [Lohse] had to go through,” Kar said. “It brought to light how serious hazing is to Dartmouth. It has definitely made an impact whether or not I want to go here.”
Recent history from comparable universities showed that highly-publicized incidents on college campuses do not generally affect admissions statistics.
Pennsylvania State University saw a 4-percent rise in applications this year despite widespread media coverage of a sexual abuse scandal involving former football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, according to The New York Times.
Duke University’s 2006 lacrosse incident, in which rape accusations were made against three members of the men’s lacrosse team, did not significantly affect the yield rate at the university that year, according to Duke University Director of Admissions Christoph Guttentag.
“There was no significant change from the year before.” he said. “It decreased 1 percent, which is not a dramatic change.”
Duke’s social scene was also profiled in a Rolling Stone expose at the time of the case.
Guttentag declined to comment on whether he thought the publicity surrounding hazing at Dartmouth would influence the College’s yield.
On Thursday, The New York Times posted a blog post regarding hazing allegations at Dartmouth that asked its readers to weigh in on whether or not the allegations would have an effect on admissions yields.
There is a clear difference between the Duke lacrosse scandal, Jerry Sandusky, and Dartmouth hazing. For the first two, they impacted a small number of people and are confined incidents. For Dartmouth hazing, it impacts nearly all of campus, as charity groups, sports teams, musical groups, fraternities, and sororities all haze. Prospective students should be aware of the hazing that they will undoubtedly face.
By D 13 on Apr 6 | 11:24 am
The entire college application process, and the four years of rigor that follow, are the biggest form of hazing at Dartmouth. Uh oh!
By D ‘00 on Apr 6 | 2:08 pm
The Duke Lacrosse Scandal ended up being predicated on wild fabrications by the alleged victim. It was a travesty how the innocent kids on that team were put through the wringer.
The horrifying allegations in the Sandusky case have zero to do with either the Duke case or anything at Dartmouth. To pair the two suggests that the earlier commenter (D 13) has very little perspective on the situation. What happened to children at Penn State is a horror. Dartmouth’s greek system can include “Jackass” type antics, yes, or “fear factor” type stunts, but rarely and its always done by consenting adults. There’s ZERO in common with Penn state, and suggesting otherwise diminishes the tragedy that has occured in State College, PA.
Get a grip, and some perspective.
By Bill 06 on Apr 6 | 5:04 pm
This has been an important topic of conversation in many prospective student forums, etc. I, along with many of my future classmates, want to be a member of the class that returns the positive media spotlight to Dartmouth and eliminates any negative aspects of the culture that exist right now. The Class of 2016 wants to change Dartmouth for the better and move it into a brighter, better, less hazing-oriented future.
By D ‘16 on Apr 6 | 5:17 pm
To D ‘13: Your comments regarding other student groups are very interesting. I attended Dartmouth a while back, and I can attest that drinking – sometimes to excess – was definitely a component of parties thrown by student organizations including music department groups, a cappella groups, the radio station, and the Outing Club. Alcohol-free parties were considered a non-starter. However, the activities of these groups didn’t seem to include or accept the harmful, abusive behavior that I received many firsthand accounts of from residents of certain dorms and fraternities. Have other student groups adopted the same dangerous and abusive practices that I had hoped would have died out long ago? If so, Dartmouth students, faculty and staff need to take a serious look at the culture and environment of all student organizations, and to find ways of eliminating, or at least mitigating, the most harmful and destructive practices.
By Anonymous on Apr 6 | 5:22 pm
@Bill 06: You seem to have missed the last part of the original article, which indeed “pairs” (as you say) the three incidents by suggesting that negative media attention is unlikely to affect Dartmouth’s yield in this case any more than it did in different cases at “comparable” schools, even cases involving more serious crimes and abuses.
You also seem to have missed the point of D 13’s comment which was to suggest that a pervasive hazing problem at the College is something that prospective students should consider, as it is likely to affect them personally. As such, it could have a greater impact on yield rate than more isolated crimes, scandals and allegations at other colleges and universities.
By Anonymous on Apr 7 | 4:13 pm
A very interesting and thorough article. Though I did not apply to Dartmouth this year, a couple of friends of mine did, and they mentioned though it was something to watch out for, it did not significantly alter their decision to attend or not attend Dartmouth. I think Mr. Peng’s comparisons to the Duke lacrosse incident and the recent incident at Penn State were not meant to equate the situations across the three campuses, but to demonstrate that colleges can maintain yields even under a negative media spotlight.
By Anonymous on Apr 7 | 10:43 pm
@bill ‘06: rare? no. these antics are a central part of every frats’ pledge term that I’ve heard of. I used to think it was just a few guys desperate to show off in certain houses in certain years; I know now that nearly every pledge does exactly as their told. I know this from my brief experience as a pledge (before dropping out out of disgust), as well as stories from friends, and ex-hookups/gfs to whom guys have spilled their guts.
By Anonymous on Apr 7 | 11:57 pm
As a parent of a young woman who has been accepted to Dartmouth, and a number of equally selective small liberal arts institutions, I find the campus response to these allegations disturbing. Hazing is totally unacceptable. To read this article about Dartmouth’s yield rate, rather than an article about how the community plans to reform itself appears to be a missed opportunity. I figured things had to have changed since the time when I applied to colleges and chose not to apply to Dartmouth. I guess I was wrong. Williams eliminated the fraternities in the 60’s. Most other colleges have clamped down or closed their worst fraternities. I suspect Dartmouth will be going to its wait list this year, at least I hope so. Then maybe the community will do the right thing and reform itself.
By concerned parent on Apr 8 | 8:04 pm
@D ‘16: Bravo/a! I commend you and your fellow incoming students for having the good sense to discuss the issue as well as committing to eliminating hazing and other abuses and promoting a positive, healthy, and hopefully still incredibly fun social and learning environment at Dartmouth.
By Anonymous on Apr 8 | 8:53 pm
@concerned parent: If you think that just because Williams no longer has a fraternity system means that they don’t haze, I’m afraid you’re woefully incorrect. As an earlier post referenced, all kinds of student organizations haze – not just frats and sororities. Hazing, while definitely an issue at Dartmouth, is not an issue confined to Dartmouth. And if you and your daughter choose to believe everything that was stated in the Rolling Stone article, then you probably shouldn’t come to Dartmouth anyway. I ensure you, the loss of that one student will not make us “go to the waitlist”. Also, that you make the claim that hazing reform is not happening at Dartmouth simply because this article doesn’t mention it is absurd. Do you read other D articles? Hazing reform at Dartmouth is alive and well. Trust me, there are still plenty of students happy and willing to come to Dartmouth – myself included. If your daughter would rather go to Williams, good for her. Williams is a great school. But please, don’t patronize us on our own website and try to teach us a lesson when you obviously have no idea what is going on in Hanover today.
“It is, Sir, as I have said, a small College, And yet, there are those who love it. ” -Daniel Webster
By D Student on Apr 16 | 2:35 pm